UEFA EURO 2024 (47 Viewers)

Liquid Gold

Well-Known Member
The only team that played good football in the groups and are still in is Spain.

it really is a 'squeak by and get into the latter stages' kinda tournament.
 

jimmyhillsfanclub

Well-Known Member
England have never lost to Turkey..... but if we manage to beat the Swiss, I think I'd rather we play the Dutch in an SF
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
Apparently Southgate is considering 3-4-3 again for Switzerland. Supposedly the team is going to be:

Pickford
Walker
Stones
Konsa
TAA
Mainoo
Rice
Trippier/Saka
Bellingham
Foden
Kane

More like the box we used to play under MR. Personally, this is a lineup I’d like to see with perhaps Gordon > Mainoo if Bellingham is trusted to play as 8.
 

LastGarrison

Well-Known Member
Apparently Southgate is considering 3-4-3 again for Switzerland. Supposedly the team is going to be:

Pickford
Walker
Stones
Konsa
TAA
Mainoo
Rice
Trippier/Saka
Bellingham
Foden
Kane

More like the box we used to play under MR. Personally, this is a lineup I’d like to see with perhaps Gordon > Mainoo if Bellingham is trusted to play as 8.
Absolutely no way he tries this in a QF IMO.

IF he was going to try this then surely the last group game when we had already qualified would have been the one?
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
Absolutely no way he tries this in a QF IMO.

IF he was going to try this then surely the last group game when we had already qualified would have been the one?

We’ll see on Saturday, to me these changes make a lot of sense and given that several major newspapers are reporting that’s what we’re using in training.

It’s a formation that the team have used a lot in his reign so it’s nothing radical. Southgate also said he liked what Saka offered at LB which hinted to me he’d change formation because Saka as a LB in a back 4 is more risky than a back 3 with wingbacks. It’s a formation that gives us more natural width to let Bellingham and Foden work between the lines.

Such a tactical change could solve the TAA conundrum. He was playing well in terms of chances created but just unable to make things work as a CM. With Trippier not playing especially well so far, Trent at RWB makes sense.

4-2-3-1 just isn’t working and to be fair to Southgate, he does adapt team quite often. We moved to 3-4-3 in the KO rounds in the last Euros despite not playing it in the group stages. I’m looking forward to the changes, we can’t carry on as is and 3-4 games is a good enough sample size to know to cut your loses.
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
We’ll see on Saturday, to me these changes make a lot of sense and given that several major newspapers are reporting that’s what we’re using in training.

It’s a formation that the team have used a lot in his reign so it’s nothing radical. Southgate also said he liked what Saka offered at LB which hinted to me he’d change formation because Saka as a LB in a back 4 is more risky than a back 3 with wingbacks. It’s a formation that gives us more natural width to let Bellingham and Foden work between the lines.

Such a tactical change could solve the TAA conundrum. He was playing well in terms of chances created but just unable to make things work as a CM. With Trippier not playing especially well so far, Trent at RWB makes sense.

4-2-3-1 just isn’t working and to be fair to Southgate, he does adapt team quite often. We moved to 3-4-3 in the KO rounds in the last Euros despite not playing it in the group stages. I’m looking forward to the changes, we can’t carry on as is and 3-4 games is a good enough sample size to know to cut your loses.
Added to the fact that Trippier has a bad mistake in him just about every game. Nearly gave a a one on one chance to the Slovakian attacker last week, with an awful back pass to Guehl, who had to take yellow card.

Trippier always worries me when he's in and especially when he is at left back. It really does cause such an imbalance.
 

LastGarrison

Well-Known Member
I’m currently away so hadn’t saw that we’d be training with it and I know I’m massively anti Southgate but…………..he really has fucking no clue of his best side or formation does he?

Saying that I really do hope he proves me wrong and drags us to victory.
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
Added to the fact that Trippier has a bad mistake in him just about every game. Nearly gave a a one on one chance to the Slovakian attacker last week, with an awful back pass to Guehl, who had to take yellow card.

Trippier always worries me when he's in and especially when he is at left back. It really does cause such an imbalance.

Trippier has been one of the best fullbacks in the league since he joined Newcastle but he slipped out of form in 2024 and has definitely taken that form into the Euros.

For all the stick Southgate got for it, playing Trippier LB was the best of bad options available for him. The only fit and natural LB available to him was Mitchel who’s made a handful of caps.

Playing Saka LWB is not desirable, but he’s left footer, has played there before, give us width and hoping he’ll take some players on on that flank. That’s an area both Trippier and Foden don’t thrive in which is part of our issues down the left hand side.
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
I’m currently away so hadn’t saw that we’d be training with it and I know I’m massively anti Southgate but…………..he really has fucking no clue of his best side or formation does he?

Saying that I really do hope he proves me wrong and drags us to victory.
He clearly knows his best team, but going into the tournament there were three problem areas for us:

CB
LB
CM

Thankfully, Guehi has stepped up well at CB in Maguire’s absence. LB is a problem, clearly someone in the medical team has got it wrong on Shaw. CM, the TAA experiment was worthwhile, but failed. Mainoo’s performances have put him as first choice.

To be fair to Southgate, he’s given the current system enough time to settle before deciding it’s not going to work. It takes a lot to recognise your plans aren’t working and there’s a plan B there. We just haven’t been able to break teams down in the low block.

My hope is that Bellingham and Foden in ‘the box’ will overload teams in the central areas of the pitch - out weakness atm. Saka and Trent as WBs should give us a bit more creativity in the wide areas.

Robins masterclass of 3-4-2-1.
 

SBAndy

Well-Known Member
He clearly knows his best team, but going into the tournament there were three problem areas for us:

CB
LB
CM

Thankfully, Guehi has stepped up well at CB in Maguire’s absence. LB is a problem, clearly someone in the medical team has got it wrong on Shaw. CM, the TAA experiment was worthwhile, but failed. Mainoo’s performances have put him as first choice.

To be fair to Southgate, he’s given the current system enough time to settle before deciding it’s not going to work. It takes a lot to recognise your plans aren’t working and there’s a plan B there. We just haven’t been able to break teams down in the low block.

My hope is that Bellingham and Foden in ‘the box’ will overload teams in the central areas of the pitch - out weakness atm. Saka and Trent as WBs should give us a bit more creativity in the wide areas.

Robins masterclass of 3-4-2-1.

Whenever England have played the formation it’s been like the front 3 play the full width of the pitch, which then gets in the way of the wing backs. Hope we keep things more centrally focussed if we switch to this.
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
Whenever England have played the formation it’s been like the front 3 play the full width of the pitch, which then gets in the way of the wing backs. Hope we keep things more centrally focussed if we switch to this.
Agreed, before we’ve played 3-4-3 with wingers with Saka and Foden/Sterling/Rashford/Mount rather than AMs so my hope is that Foden and Bellingham both have free rein to find space to exploit.

Listening to Sky Sports News, one of the main reporters suggested the great idea of dropping one of Foden/Bellingham to bring one of them off after 60m. Playing 2 strikers in a 3-5-2. That is a dumb idea but it at least shows that a lot of the pundits/media do not have a clue themselves.
 

LastGarrison

Well-Known Member
He clearly knows his best team, but going into the tournament there were three problem areas for us:

CB
LB
CM

Thankfully, Guehi has stepped up well at CB in Maguire’s absence. LB is a problem, clearly someone in the medical team has got it wrong on Shaw. CM, the TAA experiment was worthwhile, but failed. Mainoo’s performances have put him as first choice.

To be fair to Southgate, he’s given the current system enough time to settle before deciding it’s not going to work. It takes a lot to recognise your plans aren’t working and there’s a plan B there. We just haven’t been able to break teams down in the low block.

My hope is that Bellingham and Foden in ‘the box’ will overload teams in the central areas of the pitch - out weakness atm. Saka and Trent as WBs should give us a bit more creativity in the wide areas.

Robins masterclass of 3-4-2-1.
I don’t think he does. I think he knows his best players but not his best team.

And I’m not having the TAA ‘experiment’ classed as worthwhile. Another example of square pegs in round holes. Same as Trippier (albeit kind of forced) and same as Foden out on the left.

He’s tactically naive and scared of making the big decisions. The low block has been used against us for a while and he’s done nothing to try and negate this as shown in his lineups and his reticence to bring on any natural width until (too) late in the game.

Anyway fuck it! It’s coming home!
 

skybluecam

Well-Known Member
I’m not sure I can see a 3421/5221 working tbh

Kane needs runners beyond him. A front 3 of him, Foden and Bellingham will all just trip over each other.

Bellingham isn’t actually playing that well, think he’s hampered by injury.

And our left side of he defence will be dodgy at best.
 

OffenhamSkyBlue

Well-Known Member
I’m not sure I can see a 3421/5221 working tbh

Kane needs runners beyond him. A front 3 of him, Foden and Bellingham will all just trip over each other.

Bellingham isn’t actually playing that well, think he’s hampered by injury.

And our left side of he defence will be dodgy at best.
0181 (as we're outside London)?
 

Frostie

Well-Known Member
I’m not sure I can see a 3421/5221 working tbh

Kane needs runners beyond him. A front 3 of him, Foden and Bellingham will all just trip over each other.

Bellingham isn’t actually playing that well, think he’s hampered by injury.

And our left side of he defence will be dodgy at best.

I mean, it can't really be any worse but I have the same fear as you.

It worked well in 2021 as Kane had Saka &/or Rashford as his support players, Bellingham & Foden are not those types & I can just see the 3 of them trying to occupy similar positions.
 

Nuskyblue

Well-Known Member
We’ll see on Saturday, to me these changes make a lot of sense and given that several major newspapers are reporting that’s what we’re using in training.

It’s a formation that the team have used a lot in his reign so it’s nothing radical. Southgate also said he liked what Saka offered at LB which hinted to me he’d change formation because Saka as a LB in a back 4 is more risky than a back 3 with wingbacks. It’s a formation that gives us more natural width to let Bellingham and Foden work between the lines.

Such a tactical change could solve the TAA conundrum. He was playing well in terms of chances created but just unable to make things work as a CM. With Trippier not playing especially well so far, Trent at RWB makes sense.

4-2-3-1 just isn’t working and to be fair to Southgate, he does adapt team quite often. We moved to 3-4-3 in the KO rounds in the last Euros despite not playing it in the group stages. I’m looking forward to the changes, we can’t carry on as is and 3-4 games is a good enough sample size to know to cut your loses.
I'm with you, something you think would have to change. It would be madness to persist with the current set up with the evidence of the last 6 performances. 4-2-3-1 just didn't work, we lacked width and any real dynamism, it was all to rigid.

3-4-3 probably most likely, box midfield would also work I feel. 3-5-2 would blow my tiny mind!
 

David O'Day

Well-Known Member
Looks like it will be the box, if only because he cant decide who to play at 10 so he'll play them bother there
 

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