Euro 2020 : Semi finals and final

[TRO]

16 minutes ago, Chindie said:

I wouldn't say I'm angry about the loss last night, I'm surprisingly unmoved by it, but I'm still at a loss how Southgate didn't see that after 35 minutes they started to dominate, and then he didn't do anything about it. We hadn't got an out ball, Kane never got near box, he brought on Saka (which I get) but then he proceeded to have an absolute mare, and Mount did absolutely nothing all match, and did nothing about it.

We will never have a better chance to win a tournament. We got an easy draw, the rest of the tournament gave us an even easier ride, we played most of the tournament at home, the difficult sides we played all had their issues hampering them, and then we rock up to a final against a very good but not incredible Italy team and serve up that rubbish. And lose on pens.

totally agree.

[KevinRichardsonsMoustache]

Maximum respect for this:

 

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by KevinRichardsonsMoustache

[TRO]

6 minutes ago, lapal_fan said:

It's really strange trying to break it down, see where it went wrong because the answers are all very obvious.

I mean, undoubtedly we've got a great array of attacking talent - should we have utilised that more throughout the tournament?  Absolutely YES! It would have been more entertaining to say the least.

But when you come up with reasons x, y and z to slander the team, WE STILL GOT TO THE FINAL AND ONLY LOST ON PENS - so REALLY, we didn't get a lot wrong... even if we did.. which we definitely did! 

Mount shouldn't have started, Saka played pretty woefully when he came on, Kane (like Mount) was pretty much invisible etc etc etc, the game management was poor - but the Italians played very well (got a very scrappy equaliser it must be said!) so the margins of error are all over the place, but tiny.

It's a game of "what if's", "how come's" and "if only".  

So many questionable parts to the game; subs, choices, systems, ref calls, the hot dog guy... It's just all of the small, tiny things built up to a rather frustrating experience. 

If it was me?  After half time I'd have taken a defender off, gone 4-5-1 and bought Jack on (if I didn't start him..) to receive the ball and keep possession, which we struggled with so badly in the second half.  We couldn't string two passes together, our defenders hit aimless balls out of play, the Italian defenders had us figured out to hit it long down the flanks and nullified us.  If you get Jack on and use his ability to receive the ball and advance without losing it, or just pick up free kicks - you've changed the game because the Italians are 1-0 don't want to keep breaking up the play, that opens up space and we can actually get Kane in the box, without him having to keep dropping into midfield, rendering us with 11 men behind the ball.

I think we should have made more bold decisions. 

Imagine being Italy at 1-0 us taking a defender off and putting Jack on.  That's 10 yards your team have lost and the game becomes more spread as they have to take risks at the back to commit men forward.. That's space Kane and especially Sterling can take advantage of.  That's proper counter attacking and it's Gareth's biggest mistake I think.  And if not Jack, then Foden. 

We gave Italy FAR too much respect and we paid the ultimate price for it.

Honestly, if Dean Smith is the gaffer, we win that game.   

But I enjoyed the ride, it was awesome to see England in a final and if it doesn't happen again, then at least I saw it once.

But my word, what a missed opportunity (is how I feel right now). 

The Italians did play well, we scored early ( which is everyones hope)and duly handed them the initiative.

They were better on the ball and with the ball and we backed off, the scrappy equaliser, was a reflections of the scrappy play, they won the close contact work, the ricochets, the tackles, the disruptive foot in, so we backed off.

The possession stats harbour tell tale signs of a reflection of all that.

The 2 ageing centre backs on yellows, should have been a target for us, but we retreated, which nullified any threat we originally displayed.....That goal we scored, should have been the epitome of our intent.

sadly, I thought Italy's control of the ball undone us and their belief grew with that, because we had no one who could carry it, to counter their threat....we lost the ball too easily and they was first to the loose balls on too many occasions.

They were the better side if we are honest with ourselves, despite their best player missing in spinnazola a second string left back in Emerson and 2 ageing centre backs on yellows.....we had our chances to win that, with more nous and application.

Still...........on to the Villa now and set the premier league alight.

[Genie]

My worry with Southgate is that it played out exactly as most people predicted. Too defensive, creative players on the bench, Kane coming deep leaving nobody up top, the managers favourites being undroppable despite little impact, managers least favourite barely getting a kick despite several MOTM performances. 
Why will it be any different next time?

We’ll lose to the first good team we play, as per.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Genie

[Mantis]

21 minutes ago, Genie said:

My worry with Southgate is that it played out exactly as most people predicted. Too defensive, creative players on the bench, Kane coming deep leaving nobody up top, the managers favourites being undroppable despite little impact, managers least favourite barely getting a kick despite several MOTM performances. 
Why will it be any different next time?

We’ll lose to the first good team we play, as per.

Of course it won't be different. I almost hope we go out in the group stages next year, just because I feel that's the only way the happyclapping public will wake up to what Southgate is about.

[sheepyvillian]

23 minutes ago, Genie said:

My worry with Southgate is that it played out exactly as most people predicted. Too defensive, creative players on the bench, Kane coming deep leaving nobody up top, the managers favourites being undroppable despite little impact, managers least favourite barely getting a kick despite several MOTM performances. 
Why will it be any different next time?

We’ll lose to the first good team we play, as per.

And it's incredible to think that the people who matter can't see the mistake they're making. That's what happens when you play negative football, if you don't succeed, there's no redeeming aspects. 

[sheepyvillian]

4 hours ago, Chindie said:

I quite like the removing of the 'losers medal'. It's a medal of failure, why if you want to be the best would you accept having a badge of shame? You haven't won anything.

Not so much a badge of shame as a badge of failure. 

[Keyblade]

19 minutes ago, Genie said:

My worry with Southgate is that it played out exactly as most people predicted. Too defensive, creative players on the bench, Kane coming deep leaving nobody up top, the managers favourites being undroppable despite little impact, managers least favourite barely getting a kick despite several MOTM performances. 
Why will it be any different next time?

We’ll lose to the first good team we play, as per.

It won't change. Especially as long as people keep making excuses for it. "We got to the final". "We were only 1 kick away from winning it" etc. It implies that if he did the same thing, with a little luck, it might finally work, ignoring the reason it even went to PKs is because of his trademark defensive approach.

It reminds me of us under Bruce. Then it was "we were 1 goal away from promotion", implying it was even that close to begin with and not that we were outplayed after we came to play for a "nil-nil, and try to nick something if you can". In the end, everyone who was saying that if this team played with a more cohesive attacking gameplan, we'd blow away teams and get promoted were vindicated because Dean Smith came in and we did just that, breaking a 100 year old club record in the process.

[sheepyvillian]

5 hours ago, Genie said:

Quite a passionate post, Jack not willing to take the blame for Gareth’s decision making.

Another myth that everybody in the camp was happy will probably unravel now (like after most other tournaments).

Here’s the tweet as it didn’t embed properly in Stefans post

 

What right decisions did he make last night ? I'm struggling to find one. That comment right there, speaks volumes. 

[sheepyvillian]

3 minutes ago, Keyblade said:

It won't change. Especially as long as people keep making excuses for it. "We got to the final". "We were only 1 kick away from winning it" etc. It implies that if he did the same thing, with a little luck, it might finally work, ignoring the reason it even went to PKs is because of his trademark defensive approach.

It reminds me of us under Bruce. Then it was "we were 1 goal away from promotion", implying it was even that close to begin with and not that we were outplayed after we came to play for a "nil-nil, and try to nick something if you can". In the end, everyone who was saying that if this team played with a more cohesive attacking gameplan, we'd blow away teams and get promoted were vindicated because Dean Smith came in and we did just that, breaking a 100 year old club record in the process.

Now that's cheered me up a little. 

[foreveryoung]

Been to Manchester today today so been listening to the radio for nearly 5 hours. Media will say nothing negative about Southgate at all, won't even mention he got it wrong, which we all know he did. Slipping now and again about his negative tactics, but just saying the better team won.

Personally I don't want him anywhere near this squad for the WC, he has done some good admittedly, but he will win nothing with his tactics and they are not going to change no way. 500 million pounds worth of attacking quality sitting on the bench and the clown has no bottle to use them to the best of there ability.

[Zatman]

 

[StefanAVFC]

18 minutes ago, sheepyvillian said:

What right decisions did he make last night ? I'm struggling to find one. That comment right there, speaks volumes. 

I think the initial set up was good and caught the Italians off guard. Every that though, every decision was wrong. 

[sheepyvillian]

4 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

I think the initial set up was good and caught the Italians off guard. Every that though, every decision was wrong. 

He looked absolutely clueless on the sidelines just waving the players to get up.

[Keyblade]

5 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

I think the initial set up was good and caught the Italians off guard. Every that though, every decision was wrong. 

Don't think England playing 5 at the back + 2 DMs in a big game was all that surprising to Italy.

Really the only person that looked caught off guard was Emerson, but that's because he isn't that great.

[Xela]

2 hours ago, Genie said:

I’d love to see Jose have a bash at it with this squad.

 

Luke Shaw doesn't. 

[sheepyvillian]

3 hours ago, Herman22 said:

I think if a kid did it at a underage tournament you would have a word with him. You don't see athletes at the Olympics taking off silver or bronze medals. 

How the players feel is up to themselves, but you should conduct yourself with some class and humility. Leave the medals on, clap the opposition and learn from this setback. 

I'll have you know, Muhammad Ali threw his gold medal in a river.

[Genie]

Seeing more and more videos of violence yesterday. 
It seems like it’s not physically possible to have a group of England fans and beer  and them not trash the place.

[sheepyvillian]

6 hours ago, Panto_Villan said:

As has been posted earlier in the thread, this squad has nothing on Ferdinand, Terry, Cole, Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, Rooney and Owen all playing together. Not sure many of the current squad would be starters in that era of England.

The problem with that generation, too many chiefs. Just like Belgium. 

Edited July 12, 2021 by sheepyvillian

[Xela]

Big Ron to manage England!