Same old story with the media. Hype over rated English players up and be little the opposition. Then it's all the idiots who believe them and jump on the bandwagons fault lol
If we intend to move forward, we need to critically analyse our performance, not sugar coat it and call them "heroes". Tell it like it is FFS!
Lovren thinks he "took" us to the CL final. Dejan Lovren says he is 'one of the best defenders in the world' "I showed that I took Liverpool to the Champions League final and now with my national team we are in the final. "I think people should recognise that I'm one of the best defenders in the world and not just talk nonsense I will say." http://www.skysports.com/football/n...-he-is-one-of-the-best-defenders-in-the-world
Plenty of non-English ass lickers bigging up England during the tournament, i was like, what were they watching??? Keane is the only man to have the balls to tell the truth and even in this, he was controlled. He almost said this was their best chance to ever win/do as well with this team, but checked himself.
Sime Vrsaljko mocks England’s playing style after Croatia knock Three Lions out of World Cup Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2018/07/12/sime...-croatia-knock-three-lions-world-cup-7706312/ Croatia star Sime Vrsaljko mocked England for reverting to ‘punting long balls upfield’ as Gareth Southgate’s men saw their World Cup dream die. The Three Lions took an early lead in their semi-final clash when Kieran Trippier scored an exquisite free-kick but Ivan Perisic and then Mario Mandzukic scored to set-up a France vs Croatia final. Southgate has brought fresh ideas and renewed energy to the England set-up since taking over less than two years ago and the Three Lions played with an unfamiliar 3-5-2 system throughout the tournament. Much had been made about the manner in which England saw off the likes of Colombia and Sweden in previous rounds but Vrsaljko believes Croatia brought out the old England when they put pressure on them. ‘The all-round perception was that this is a new-look England who have changed their ways of punting long balls upfield but when we pressed them it turned out that they haven’t,’ said Vrsaljko. England’s defeat doesn’t mean the end of their tournament as Southgate’s side will now take on Belgium in a third-place play-off on Saturday in St Petersburg. Damn these Croatian's are getting their own back!
I agree though, we did kick it long to Kane most of the time. He is a good hold up player and tap in merchant, but not much else. Good goal scorer, but not a good footballer. I think it was at full time Croatia had 7 shots on target to our 1. Embarrassing that
I take issue with your last paragraph taken from ESPN regarding Englands age group success in 2017 which i'm sure included technically able players . "England's youth teams are on top of the world after a remarkable spell of success this year -- and here is how they did it. May 19: UEFA Under-17 Championship runners-up (lost 4-1 on penalties to Spain after 2-2 draw) At the time this was a disappointment with certain green shoots: England were unable to win a first UEFA Under-17 Championship title in three years but they had come mighty close, a late Spain equaliser denying them victory in the final before the shootout lottery went against them. But there were signs of what these players would achieve a mere five months later -- a certain Rhian Brewster scored three times and Jadon Sancho five, while a total of 15 goals in six games suggested this particular group did not find it difficult to shine when on the front foot. It was an impression that would soon be borne out spectacularly. June 10: Toulon Tournament winners (beat Ivory Coast 5-3 on penalties in final after 1-1 draw) The Toulon Tournament has faded from the British public's consciousness in recent times so it was to relatively little fanfare that England's under-20s -- essentially a young and cobbled-together 'B' selection with the World Cup taking place concurrently -- reached the final in southern France. They had also won the competition a year previously: Neil Dewsnip's stylish side went on to retain the trophy and a glance through the lineup suggests their feats provided a decent pointer to future success. David Brooks, the Sheffield United schemer, was named player of the tournament and on Friday night could be seen scoring the winning goal in a frantic Yorkshire derby at Leeds; the Leicester winger Harvey Barnes has been making waves on loan at Barnsley and 24 hours later scored a stunning equaliser for them at Sheffield Wednesday. Barnes scored two fine goals in the 3-0 semifinal victory over Scotland at Toulon and jointly top-scored with four goals alongside Wednesday's George Hirst. As would prove the case later in the summer and beyond, it was England's wealth of attacking talent that really stood out. "I think all the youth coaches in the country should celebrate this victory," Dewsnip said. "It shows the depth of talent in our country. There's some fantastic work that goes on." Lars Baron - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images June 11: FIFA U-20 World Cup winners (beat Venezuela 1-0 in final) This was an historic achievement and nobody could have known that, when England lined up their first final in a major global tournament since 1966, there would be so much more to come. Paul Simpson's team grew in confidence during a competition that had, at the outset, engendered little excitement back home. England had been winless in this tournament since 1997, a run stretching 17 games, and it was commonly viewed as an inconvenience by top-flight clubs. But Simpson oversaw a squad whose "steely determination," as he put it, was paired with some outstanding natural talent to triumph in South Korea. Dominic Solanke, the Liverpool striker, plundered four goals -- including two in a 3-1 semifinal win over Italy -- while Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the only goal against Venezuela in the final. Lewis Cook, of Bournemouth, was an inspirational captain and a number of the squad have gone on to enjoy impressive starts to the domestic season -- not least Kieran Dowell, another Everton youngster, who scored a match-winning hat trick against Hull for loan club Nottingham Forest on Saturday. England played with pace, dynamism and verve throughout the month and, as Simpson said at the time, it augured well for the coming months. "It is a sign of the good things going on with England right the way through the age groups," he said -- but not everybody could appreciate just how good. June 17: UEFA Under-21 Championship semifinalists (lost 4-3 on penalties to Germany after 2-2 draw) This turned out to be a rarity -- an England campaign that, while highly laudable, ended up conforming roughly to type. Aidy Boothroyd's side did not deserve to beat Germany in their semifinal and their resulting defeat on spot kicks, sealed by Nathan Redmond's miss, had a familiar air. But it still marked considerable progress after three successive group-stage exits at that level and suggested England have talents at U21 level who can make the step up. Tammy Abraham, who scored against Germany, has proved that since with an impressive start to Premier League life at Swansea while his clubmate Alfie Mawson also showed he can tackle Europe's best. There were question marks at times over the style of football played by Boothroyd's side, who did not always dictate games and may not have reached the last four had Sweden scored a penalty in the sides' goalless draw during the group stage. But overall the encouragement was clear, and Boothroyd praised his side's "character and determination." It wouldn't quite be an English footballing summer without some form of sting in the tail from the Germans. July 15: UEFA Under-19 Championship winners (beat Portugal 2-1 in final) A well-rounded England side lifted the continental trophy in Georgia and kept the good times rolling. They had never won this competition before but Keith Downing's team possessed all the attributes needed to go far: tightly drilled but also boasting the imagination and incision to settle close games. The best example of that came in the semifinal against Czech Republic when Lukas Nmecha, the Manchester City forward, backheeled a sensational last-gasp winner after a relatively drab affair. Nmecha was also on target in the 2-1 final win over Portugal, along with Aston Villa's Easah Suliman, and while the side was rich in ability, their success owed plenty to Downing's rotation. He was able to rest individuals when needed and managed his resources superbly despite missing seven players who would normally have formed part of the squad. Ryan Sessegnon, who is already a regular at Fulham, was excellent on the left while Ipswich's Andre Dozzell added poise and control in central midfield. Chelsea's Mason Mount and the winger Marcus Edwards, of Tottenham, also made big contributions. Mount was outstanding in the final and created Nmecha's winner; he recently scored his first senior goal, on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, and the hope is that this was also the springboard for others to push on. Oct. 28: FIFA U-17 World Cup winners (beat Spain 5-2 in final) England were, for long periods, simply stunning in India -- cutting loose to obliterate the majority of their opponents in front of huge, enthralled crowds. Only against Japan in the second round, when they required penalties to edge through after a goalless draw, did Steve Cooper's side ever misfire; other than that the key to their triumph was an ability to tear teams apart going forward and it was a commitment to their attacking gifts that ultimately saw them home. "We played our way, we didn't stop, we stuck to our gameplan," Cooper said of England's response to going 2-0 down in the final against Spain. It was an attitude that brought five unanswered goals between the 44th and 88th minutes in Kolkata, with stellar performances from some of the most exciting attacking players England has produced in years. Phil Foden, the Manchester City midfielder, scored twice but it was Liverpool's Brewster who, in beginning the comeback, scored his eighth goal of the tournament and guaranteed himself the Golden Boot award. Brewster had scored hat tricks to defeat United States and Brazil in the previous two rounds; he and Foden, who was named the competition's best player, could have glittering futures and the excitement is that it hardly stops there. Sancho, who left City for Borussia Dortmund in the summer, is also part of the squad while Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi shone in midfield. Another Sessegnon, Ryan's twin brother Steven, also played an integral role. This England team ruled the world by committing to a brand of football the seniors could usefully emulate."
All the talk from the journos before every game about how defences are terrified of Sterling running at them. Really? Exactly who was terrified of his 0 goals, 1 assist? Panama?
That would mean recognising that they weren't a bunch of overhyped tossers, whining about an easy draw, hadn't played quality opposition, blah di blah blah. Quality opposition put out the so-called quality teams. Nobody's calling Messi and Ronaldo overhyped. Or Spain. Or Germany. But where were they? it insults the quality of teams like Tunisia and Sweden. Had it been Argentina and Germany, we'd have had an even easier route. We beat who we were expected to beat and were very close with those who beat us. What more do you want? Nobody says previous winners had an easy route. Everybody remembers France winning in 1998 but who now mentions that Brazil had a big brouhaha beforehand about whether an injured Ronaldo would play, with sponsors allegedly demanding he play? Who remembers the "greatest team never to win the World Cup" Holland having Iran, Peru and Scotland in their 1978 group and losing to Scotland by one goal in order to avoid Brazil on their route to the final? Only me, obviously. So people got excited. And? Realistic assessment is for after the tournament. During a tournament it's for Scots, Roy Keane and lifeless automatons who couldn't be happy if Angelina Jolie gave them a birthday BJ. Yeah, and who's scared of Messi? Overhyped by the media.
let's just consider the under age teams. is there ANYONE who you guys would consider a proper creative player. I see a lot of the same types. strikers target men running wingers dribbling wingers. I don't see any central midfield passers or controlling playmakers. the issue for England was missing easy chances when Croatia were rocking on their heels. once ht came Croatia reorganised and took control... but it was basic defensive errors that cost England too. England should probably be in the final in retrospective.... kane missed 3 chances. walker got done precisely as I had said pretournament and stones fell asleep.
given messi scored a lovely goal and set up another to haul a deadbeat team into knockouts a lot of people. messi proves the point about it's a team game and a star cant do it on his own. modric proved what a great player who is really motivated can do in a team really pulling together. incidentally so did hazard.. brilliant all tournament. if not for Ronaldo Portugal might not have won a game.
At least he's been earning his place in their team. Sterling's been given a free pass to coast as an automatic selection with zero return. In the time it's taken Sterling to get 2 goals and 6 assists Messi has 60 goals and 21 assists
