We won't dominate the top sides playing 3-4-3 imo. We need three in midfield to get players like Grealish and Maddison into the team to create and retain possession. I agree that Southgate doesn't seem to like Grealish. I disagree that our players have an inferiority complex, with so many young players who have Won world cups. I'd prefer 4-3-3, but Southgate seems set on three at the back.
Phillips is an outstanding young player and I'd play him alongside Winks in this formation. England have a conveyor belt of very good young players. Coady now needs to make one of the CB positions his.
Good second-half performance from England and deserved to win. Kane and Rashford missing good chances to secure a comfortable win. A victory over the World's No 1 ranked team will give them a lot of confidence. I thought Rice had a good game, often breaking up play and putting in good tackles. He combined well with Rashford down the left that created his chance.
Yeah, to be fair, even though I don't rate him, Rice had a good second half. That win should give them all a lot of confidence.
Whatever method they use to put the Nations Cup groups together is pretty good - lots of draws and one goal wins, evenly matched teams.
I think they base it on how sides perform in tournaments etc. The top groups are very competitive, as evidenced by England and Belgium being grouped together.
What often bugs me when England play, is that you get certain fans criticising them when they're not playing well, which is absolutely fair enough, but who then stay silent when England start to play better or win. It's as if they only want to criticise and never praise.
We were much better in the second half than our woeful first half. The result massively papers over the cracks of Southgate’s team selection and tactics. Hope that helps.
Also did ok in post match interview. Seems like a good bloke. Roy Keane said nice things about him too.
I believe Ryan Manning has been called into the irish squad for the game in Helsinki against Finland. Seven players have left the squad in the past few days due to covid issues. Good chance for him to dust off the cobwebs if he gets a run out.
Seems like a good bloke ... Didn't he poach the wife of the owner of Queen of the South and made a baby with her? She was thirteen years older than him. The owner Jim Thompson put Dykes up in his own home while he tried to find his feet in Scottish football and he copped off with his missus. Sounds like we've got our own Ryan Giggs on our hands. Anyway, at least he keeps banging them in for us ...
Wasn't actually aimed at anyone on here. There are certainly problems with Southgate's selections at the back, but he was tactically astute by making subtle changes at half-time which helped England to be the better side in the second half. Lots of good players going forward. He needs to stop picking Dier and possibly Maguire and get Phillips into the midfield permanently imo. Also, the result would only be papering over the cracks if we'd been woeful for the whole game and not, as was the case, deserved winners?
