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rangercol said:
He's changed the system.

I've kept off this thread during these England games because, to be frank, there's often a lot of nonesense talked on here when England play.
Comments like, 'we have no creative players' are strange to put it mildly.
This is arguably the most gifted generation of England players in my lifetime. I agree with comments that Southgate is a little too defensive, but he's changed the formation in these games, enabling us to have another attacking player.
Everything will depend on whether Southgate gets it right when it matters.
Tonight, England totally, completely and utterly outclassed a decent Poland side in the first half.
England sat back at the start of the second half and Sousa made some good tactical changes too. They never looked like scoring though, till we gifted them one. We must be more clinical when so on top.
Sterling was both fantastic and frustrating tonight, but his pace and ability to run at players means he must start for me.
Without injuries, we would have had many more options from the bench.
Stones has been so good this season and it's his form that has pursuaded Southgate to change to a back four. Such a shame he dropped another clanger tonight, but showed great character to provide an excellent assist for the winner. I actually think that, had Pickford been in goal Stones would have knocked it back to him, but Pope is worse than Rob Green on the ground and totally unsuited to the way England play.
We showed great character to come back and win after conceding such a poor game and our habit of scoring late goals is an excellent one.
Get everyone fit for the Euros and we have an excellent opportunity to go and win it imo.
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Yes, we have talented players that can create opportunities. If this wasn’t true, then how are goals scored in the first place? The opinion that we don’t have ‘creative’ players may be strange to you, but its what I believe is missing from this team and it’s an element that may make this a bloody excellent team rather than a good one. Yes, Southgate’s tactics are questionable at times too, but I’d love to see a player with the consistent passing ability or vision of a Beckham, Gascoigne, Hoddle or suchlike. Yes, yes, yes, there are players in the current squad that can do that from time to time, but I’d like to see more of it on the pitch. It might be ‘strange’ but it’s just my opinion.

At the end of the day, it’s only a game of football. It’s all nonsense, really.
 
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rangercol said:
Some of the football in that first half was fantastic and I do think England don't always get the credit they deserve, especially now that we have so many good players.
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Agreed, and I think that now is actually becoming a problem in that we have so many good players that it can be difficult knowing your best side and even best squad. I still don't think the set-up does justice to the attacking threat we carry but we shall find out how we measure up in the next few months...
 
Uber_Hoop said:
Yes, we have talented players that can create opportunities. If this wasn’t true, then how are goals scored in the first place? The opinion that we don’t have ‘creative’ players may be strange to you, but its what I believe is missing from this team and it’s an element that may make this a bloody excellent team rather than a good one. Yes, Southgate’s tactics are questionable at times too, but I’d love to see a player with the consistent passing ability or vision of a Beckham, Gascoigne, Hoddle or suchlike. Yes, yes, yes, there are players in the current squad that can do that from time to time, but I’d like to see more of it on the pitch. It might be ‘strange’ but it’s just my opinion.

At the end of the day, it’s only a game of football. It’s all nonsense, really.
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Southgate too often overloads with dour and limited defensive midfielders like Phillips and Rice at the cost of more creative players. I actually thought the balance was better last night, but there was still too much sideways and backwards.
 
Stroller said:
Southgate too often overloads with dour and limited defensive midfielders like Phillips and Rice at the cost of more creative players. I actually thought the balance was better last night, but there was still too much sideways and backwards.
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Don’t think having two defensively-minded midfielders in is necessarily a bad thing. It’s not like he’s playing Dier in there.

He’s got a plethora of options for the other midfield spot and the two wide players assuming Kane up front is a given which is where I’m not confident he’ll pick the right players for the right opponents. Mount is having a good season without doubt and does ok for England but I hope he isn’t first choice if everyone is fit.
 
West WindsR said:
Don’t think having two defensively-minded midfielders in is necessarily a bad thing. It’s not like he’s playing Dier in there.

He’s got a plethora of options for the other midfield spot and the two wide players assuming Kane up front is a given which is where I’m not confident he’ll pick the right players for the right opponents. Mount is having a good season without doubt and does ok for England but I hope he isn’t first choice if everyone is fit.
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No, as I said the balance was better last night. He's played 3 or even 4 defensive midfielders on occasion.

I would definitely have Grealish ahead of Mount.
 
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I found the "journalism" from ITV asking Southgate about Stones mistake really irritating. Focusing a mistake that did cost a goal however he obviously missed on the header rom the corner which led to Maguires goal. Stones is a very good defender, and this season has had one of his best ones for a while. He did make a mistake but he also assisted by getting his head to a ball which led to a goal.

I just wonder....we appear to have a lot of decent midfield players (and I may be very biased) but I wonder whether Eze could be the player that would or could be the creative player that would be the final piece in the jigsaw.
 
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Ninj said:
I just wonder....we appear to have a lot of decent midfield players (and I may be very biased) but I wonder whether Eze could be the player that would or could be the creative player that would be the final piece in the jigsaw.
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Highly unlikely unless he's playing Champions League football and that won't happen at Palace...
 
Uber_Hoop said:
Yes, we have talented players that can create opportunities. If this wasn’t true, then how are goals scored in the first place? The opinion that we don’t have ‘creative’ players may be strange to you, but its what I believe is missing from this team and it’s an element that may make this a bloody excellent team rather than a good one. Yes, Southgate’s tactics are questionable at times too, but I’d love to see a player with the consistent passing ability or vision of a Beckham, Gascoigne, Hoddle or suchlike. Yes, yes, yes, there are players in the current squad that can do that from time to time, but I’d like to see more of it on the pitch. It might be ‘strange’ but it’s just my opinion.

At the end of the day, it’s only a game of football. It’s all nonsense, really.
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Fair enough. Creative players come in many guises. I agree that we don't have a supreme passer of the ball like a Beckham or a Gazza, for the unexpected.
However, we didn't win anything when we did have those players, although Italia 90 was a world cup that got away imo.
What we do have is supremely gifted players, gifted technically in the way we've always raved about the Spanish or Germans.
The FA got it right with St George's Park and we now have young players as technically gifted as any anywhere.
Hopefully, this will more than make up for the lack of a Gazza or Beckham, although Grealish could be the one with that X factor as long as he regains his form from earlier in the season, post injury.
I really enjoy watching these England players and I'm hopeful they can win something.
 
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Stroller said:
No, as I said the balance was better last night. He's played 3 or even 4 defensive midfielders on occasion.

I would definitely have Grealish ahead of Mount.
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Mount will be one of the first names on the team sheet and rightly so imo.
He's a superb player who works tirelessly whilst still having the ability to really cause problems going forward.
I don't get the criticism of him at all, but we all see things differently I suppose.
I'd play both him and Grealish.
I'd play the midfield 3 we had last night with Grealish, Kane and Sterling as the front 3.
This leaves really good impact players to come off the bench like Foden, Rashford, Sancho, Hudson-odoi and Bellingham to name just a few.
So much talent available.
 
Brum second penalty in injury time.
They don't miss a second time.
Swans lose again.

Manning doesn't get off the bench.

Really dull game
 
jeffranger said:
FFS I’ve seen some misses but that caps it, Lol
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Mate the funniest thing was listening to the down beat local Reading presenters on the radio after the game. They were saying the player needs to see a sports psychologist! They can’t believe they are not top after their start to the season. Deluded idiots.
It does make me <laugh>
 
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Looking more like Bournemouth will squeak into the play-offs and Fakes will miss out.
Others below, Cardiff - Boro - Millwall - Stoke, too inconsistent too.
 
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