Match Day Thread Euro 2021 Thread

This team is capable of far more. Gareth knows how to set up to defend and be solid but now he needs to learn how to attack and be aggressive. The attacking players at his disposal is insanely good.

 

If he didn’t do it in this tournament, he never will. Foden hardly got a look in, Rashford, Grealish too. Even Saka was used sparingly. Madness and frustrating…..we had the players to hurt Italy but never used them; Mancini must have though that all of his birthdays had come at once!

 

Can't teach an old dog new tricks. Southgate was very cautious in his other short lived managerial experiences when his biggest achievement was relegation!

I think this tournament would be thre making of Phil Foden. He started well in the first game, got hooked and never really got another chance.

Totally agree that we've got good attacking players and we could do so much more with them. Sancho was used even less than those you mentioned!

 

England have foden and mount. That's the midfield future in a 3 with rice who was given stick but did huge work. He will never be a player on the turn but the others need to be.

Sterling should never be moved from the left and grealish, with respect to the flopper needs to accept that sub role and be grateful. Saka and sancho for the right wing.

Kane upfront did ok when the two pacy players were actually able to run ahead and not be pinned to defensive duty.

Englands issues are about how to get the defence up the park and I simply do not see any keeper in english colours playing as a sweeper keeper. Not one.

Stones can play a high line. Walker can. Chilwell can. Shaw could imo.

Englands issue imo is that maguire needs to but utd dont so we dont see him as being able.

If england could find a keeper who can sweep up out of the 4 or 5 available I would play home and push the back line up.

It's about attitude then. Italy's dinosaur cbs wanted the ball quick off donnamura and played the ball to feet forward quickly.

England sat on the ball. Passed it sideways and took no risk. Pickford wasnt told ever to play it faster.

Finally pens. Pickford actually did well guessing as for two he was down before they were struck. Jorginho save should have kept england in it. I've consistently said he loves before the ball is struck and donnamura doesn't. That was the difference as both teams took ****e pens.

 

Actually agree with just about all that. Philips will have a role to play for the next five years, possibly more as a squad member than a starting 11, and Bellingham should make his case as well.

 

Southgate's style is definitely more suited to international tournaments than club football.

Foden and Sancho both did ok (no more, no less) in their starts but Saka made more of an impact, so can understand how he kept them out.

 

Disappointing. More the fact that from second half we just sat back and tried to hold onto a 1-0. The goal was coming and England can’t really complain.

disappointed with the subs. How mount made it that long is mental. He was prob the worse England player over the whole tournament and prob shouldn’t have even started but he was anonymous all through the game.

It’s always risky bringing on subs just to take a pen. Sometimes it works but when it doesn’t it looks very bad.

Think Keane said it best that why are playing like sterling who has won multiple trophies, Grealish the captain of villa, heck even stones or shaw not taking a penalty over a 19 year old who has never taken one before and been given the 5th and final pen! Fair play to saka but disappointing the experienced players bottling it and leaving it to the kid who is now getting racist abuse

Overall in the tournament and game, can’t argue with Italy wining, best team in tournament. England exceeded expectations I think helped with kind draw. Never going t like Southgate, the the second half summed him up, very conservative and focus on defence when the teams strength is in its forward areas.

 

Also to add, Kane was brilliant in first half. Dropped deep and have Italy defence and midfield all kind of problems when we were on front foot.

second half, he tried doing the same but England needed something different. We didn’t control the game so needed a focal point to relieve the pressure but he offered nothing. Whether that’s him, or Southgate don’t know, but game management was poor and England just seemed content to sit there and hope

 

Saint

 

To continue from last night (though I don't want to hammer it to death) I think England could and should play a more attacking game. They have the players, but as people have pointed out above, they're not getting on enough.
Southgate sticks with his trusted line-up. This is understandable to an extent, all managers tend to do it, but he has the players to push further if he would employ a system to utilise them.
What I omitted to say last night was that apart from being plain boring, negative tactics display an underdog mentality, and a team with real talent and aspirations shouldn't be saddled with that.

Anyway, it's all over with now, can we get back to real football again?

 

Can't believe he didn't go for that. Straight ****ing red.

 

That's exactly what I said last night

 

I certainly think it (at least partly) comes from a place of not trusting our defence and (over)compensating for it, while he does trust our attack to get a goal out of nothing.

Does an underdog mentality weigh you down? Don't know. Maybe. Then again, look at France when it goes too far the other way.

 

i don't object to bringing on specialist penalty takers very late on but neither Sancho or Rashford are that in fact Sancho has just 2 senior pens to his name & Rashford 9 and as for Saka who has never taken a senior pen being selected for the 5th is frankly bizarre .
That game was there for the taking if we had been brave enough to do it .

 

Re Mount: His pressing has been ok, but yes his attacking play has been disappointing. I probably would have started Saka ahead of him with Sterling on the left, but then Saka wasn't that great when he came on.

Agree re penalty takers and Italy.

 

His game has evolved over the past couple of years. He ie lethal in front of goal but his build up play, hold up play and all around creativity is so so good.

 

It just seems inappropriate when you aren't really an underdog, you should have confidence in your own ability and potential.
Confidence doesn't have to shift into over-confidence, and anyway I'm talking about the team here - France just have a few too many individuals, with their own egos put above the team ethic. At least that's how it looks to me.
I think England have more of a collective spirit, and having faith in themselves to go and win a game with style rather than be so fearful of losing would be a better attitude to take.
I think this is entirely down to the coaching staff to instil it into them - which is why I think the safety-first attitude is their undoing.

 

wasn’t anywhere close to a red. Guy win the ball and his foot just deflected off onto grealish. If a Liverpool player had been sent off for that would be rioting.

 

Yeah,never a red. Very painful for Grealish but that's just one of those knocks you have to take. No malice whatsoever and the ref got it right.