Yes.....and yet, the only visible thing, close to a tactical plan was to rely on the better players to produce something special. Which that certainly was. **** knows there's been sod all else.
The FIGC say that Luciano Spaletti will stay on as Italy coach Presumably working on the basis of him being a second season coach, though I'm not sure that works quite the same way in international football...
Have not watched a single minute of the game, but : 1. the stats tell me enough 2. the appearance of rwaeb from the void that it must have been a dire watch up to the escape.
I don’t fancy England getting past Switzerland. They are a step up from all the teams England have struggled against so far.
The opponents now are the kind you can see scoring two without reply in the 1st half. And you doubt if England will get two or more in the 2nd half.
And Belgium Any other tournament and there'd be think pieces about Belgium's rapid decline due to not blooding players to replace their golden generation until it was too late, but The FA's Peter Principle is starting to become too noticeable
Scoreline got a bit harsh in the end but Spain look superb. Williams’ was different gravy. Georgia been a credit to their country though, really enjoyed watching them in the tournament.
Given he's got an active £49m release clause and is very publicly dictating terms, outright stating he wants CL football and £300k a week, basically until PSG get on the blower
Hard to say, as HBIC says PSG are the type to meet his demands but equally he has said he’s very happy at Bilbao. I do also think PSG’s lost its glamour recently, the three superstars have all gone and they’ve lost a lot of other elite players in recent years. Part of the goal of joining them was to challenge for/ win the CL and I reckon they’re further away from that than they were a few years ago. Williams to me looks like the type of talent who if he leaves Bilbao, will want to play for the very best sides that can win the CL.
We played similarly awful football in 2018 and most of 2020. Qatar was different though. The football was adventurous, bold and largely full of confidence. We've regressed at a rate of knots. And I believe that the nervousness and caution underlying it all is the fact that Southgate has basically been told that if he doesn't win it, he's gone. Another manager might have been better at dealing with that kind of pressure, but it has reduced Southgate to a nervous wreck and this is directly reflected in the team's approach and body language. The fear of losing is palpable. It stems from the very top.
