Good read... ️ Kieran Dyer on Jadon Sancho: "He was a wonderkid growing up. He was the talk of everybody in the academies at that time. “I was coaching and when I watched Man City he was unstoppable. It was the youth team, so the under-18s and he was incredible. “He was probably 17 years old and everyone wanted him – he could have his pick, he’d just dominate every team. “They played Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup final and played against Reece James and Reece James got the better of him, which can happen to anyone, but he quit on his team in the Youth Cup final. “He just mentally went and I kind of had a red flag against him then and thought that’s a bit weird. “He’s got the world at his feet and alright, he’s had a bad game but he’s quit on his teammates. “You could see the life had gone out of him, he’d stopped tracking back and sort of given up and was basically mentally gone."
Don't like how Jude will be going into the tournament without playing a friendly. Hope Gareth doesn't hold that against him. This won't be the lineup for the first game but if I was selecting it out of the players within the announced squad i'd go; Pickford Walker Stones Guehi Trippier Rice Wharton Foden Jude Gordon Kane Shaw at left back is a must if he is fit though. Can't believe Branthwaite isn't in the squad.
Next Sunday I think I’d go: Pickford Walker - Stones - Guehi - Trippier Rice - Wharton Saka - Bellingham - Foden Kane
I think if you look back at previous posts of mine you will see I am not a big fan of Southgate or his tactics, for me he sets up too defensively against opposition we should be beating comfortably and he does not seem able to utilise the attacking threat we have going forward as it should be used. In the big games we have played he has always approached them cautiously and in general it has cost us places in finals and in the case of the Italy game it cost us the competition. I get frustrated as I see a lot of English coaches now adopting this cautious possession approach and wonder if it is something they are teaching at St Georges park sessions as a lot seem to favour this 2 holding midfielders system which even though he may have denied it was the system Dodds tried to get us playing last season and it did not work (Beale also tried to get this system to work) and TM was the first to try it when he was getting Trai Hume to invert from right back to defensive midfield earlier last season which in effect screwed up our right hand side attacking threat and isolated Roberts. Basically Southgate will need to loosen the reins if we are to get near the finals but I don't see that happening as he has stated early in his tenure as England manager that he believes the only way to win a big tournament is to play defensive and actually praised the Italians for it. The truth is if England played the style of football that Klopp or Pep or even Arteta play then I believe we would be reigning European champions and may well have contested a world cup final and who knows how that would have turned out.
The build up in Scotland is good fun. I recommend The All Star Euros Sketch Show. Some canny documentaries as well. Must be great to enjoy going to these things without any real expectations rather than waiting for the inevitable kick in the knackers.
Out working in Poland with Spanish guys so we will be watching our games together, I think I'll enjoy the spanish games more then ours tbh
Who would people go with on Sunday, then? I reckon Southgate starts with Alexander-Arnold in the middle of the park but I’d go… Pickford Walker - Stones - Guehi - Trippier Rice - Wharton Saka - Bellingham - Foden Kane
Think it's that but Trent in for Wharton. Don't know whether I will be getting up to watch it. Will be at an ungodly time here and I have never really taken any pleasure in watching England under Southgate.
I'll be pulling the father's day card and have loads of gifted beer around me and the kids can make themselves scarce.
