UEFA EURO 2024 (75 Viewers)

[Mr Panda]

I’d feel infinitely more confident if Shaw starts on Wednesday, it makes such a difference to the balance having him there I feel.

It’s been such a strange tournament and how we play. Don’t think I’ve seen a team like ours where players take 3, even 4 touches before releasing the ball - slows everything down and makes it difficult to shift teams around. I’d be fining anyone over two touches unless you’re a flair player.

I’d be interested to see the touch stats and how we compare to the other teams

 

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[San Francisco]

Not a fan of the football Southgate employs but I'm more than happy with his record as England manager. Think next game he needs to drop Kane and Foden and instead start Toney and Palmer/Gordon.

Foden is by far the most useless player in our squad. Total system player.

 

[Evo1883]

England's 'easier' path shamed by the toughest ever routes to a European Championship final

England have a kinder theoretical path to the Euro 2024 final but on the other side of that draw France might be about to embark on one of the toughest.

www.football365.com

 

[Evo1883]

Our toughest route was in 2022 , average rank 13 and we exited early ..

Obviously it's nice to have these easy routes to the finals /semi finals .
But there's a reason we keep doing relatively well at tournaments these days

Holland on Wednesday will be a test , currently ranked 7

 

[Evo1883]

It's also worth mentioning a German reporter asked Gareth directly about easy routes last night during his tenure .. so it's not just the English that think Southgate had had it easy

 

[Otis]

I absolutely love harry kane but there is no doubt that his ability to get infront of the last man seems to have alluded him in this tournament .

I understand he wants to drop deeper to help with the build up play or to help defend but often and I mean OFTEN he's that deep that when the midfield pick up the ball and look forward , harry is not there , he was also regularly deeper than the two number 10s

Surely Gareth sees this ?? I remember wayne rooney going through something similar with England so much so that eventually England started playing him in attacking midfield which was stupid .

Harry needs to play as a striker , when he's deep the team is deep , if he can't play as a striker then maybe Gareth should stick toney or Watkins upfront instead

Hardly winning a single header either, from Pickford's long balls out.

I love Harry Kane, but at the moment he's just a hindrance.

 

[Evo1883]

If Southgate beats Holland on Wednesday, it will be his best tournament result as England manager

 

[SeaSeeEffCee]

Our toughest route was in 2022 , average rank 13 and we exited early ..

Obviously it's nice to have these easy routes to the finals /semi finals .
But there's a reason we keep doing relatively well at tournaments these days

Holland on Wednesday will be a test , currently ranked 7

World rankings really do mean very little. Current world rankings would suggest that the semi against the Netherlands would be a tougher game than a final vs Spain which is clearly utter nonsense. I'd much rather have played Belgium (ranked 3rd) than Germany (ranked 16th). According to the current world rankings the US, who couldn't even get out of a group with Panama and Bolivia at the Copa America are the 11th best team in the world! It's so easy to manipulate these rankings with your friendly choices that they really aren't worth paying attention to.

 

[Evo1883]

World rankings really do mean very little. Current world rankings would suggest that the semi against the Netherlands would be a tougher game than a final vs Spain which is clearly utter nonsense. I'd much rather have played Belgium (ranked 3rd) than Germany (ranked 16th). According to the current world rankings the US, who couldn't even get out of a group with Panama and Bolivia at the Copa America are the 11th best team in the world! It's so easy to manipulate these rankings with your friendly choices that they really aren't worth paying attention to.

There is some weight to them .. most of the top 10 are the 10 best sides in the world

Spain aren't great are they , a decent outfit nothing more , Germany were the better team and should have won

Germany not in the top 10

 

[fernandopartridge]

There is some weight to them .. most of the top 10 are the 10 best sides in the world

Spain aren't great are they , a decent outfit nothing more , Germany were the better team and should have won

Germany not in the top 10

England are in the top 10 but rarely beat anybody half decent over 90 minutes. They've gone backwards since Euro 2020 (2021).

 

[Sick Boy]

Our toughest route was in 2022 , average rank 13 and we exited early ..

Obviously it's nice to have these easy routes to the finals /semi finals .
But there's a reason we keep doing relatively well at tournaments these days

Holland on Wednesday will be a test , currently ranked 7

I guess Switzerland are around 20th?

 

[Otis]

I was thinking back.

When we won in 66, even though I believe there were a couple of games where we weren't brilliant, we still played very well in others. Look at Euro 1996. A couple of games, a bit iffy but excellent in others.

This time out, we haven't played well once really. Not in any game. We looked in control for parts yesterday, but then, offered next to no threat.

We surely have to play well to beat Holland don't we? We can't just be crap the whole way through the tournament and fluke it.

 

[Liquid Gold]

We will be awful and we will win

 

[MalcSB]

So one instance in 120 minutes and not even a guarantee he would’ve got to the cross?

Whenever Watkins has started in qualifiers and friendlies, the narrative is that England struggle to create or score without Kane. Neither are the answer, however, Toney has really proven that he’s a reliable penalty taker which bodes well should Kane get injured.

Tactically, the players need to encouraged to shoot more. This tournament there’s been a disproportionate amount of goals scored outside the box. Presumably because in a lot of games the defending team sticks 10 men behind the ball.

There was more than one, I think at least 3. And of course, Kane is a great finisher and only needs one chance, supposedly.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

The truth emerges

 

[ccfcchris]

 

[OffenhamSkyBlue]

There is some weight to them .. most of the top 10 are the 10 best sides in the world

Spain aren't great are they , a decent outfit nothing more , Germany were the better team and should have won

Germany not in the top 10

Belgium have consistently been in the top 3 in the rankings for the past 6 years and have never won anything, or even got close! Never understand the rankings!

 

[Otis]

Guehl and Konsa have both been very good this tournament. I just wonder if Maguire's absence has been a great stroke of luck for Southgate, because if he was there, Southgate would have surely played him.

Kind of makes you wish Kane maybe had a little niggle.

 

[Evo1883]

Belgium have consistently been in the top 3 in the rankings for the past 6 years and have never won anything, or even got close! Never understand the rankings!

But like England they only lose at major tournaments really , well they win more often than England generally

 

[OffenhamSkyBlue]

Based on the teams that have actually tried to score goals and not bore everyone to death, it should be a Spain-Netherlands final. Hopefully at least one of those two make it or England/France decide to suddenly start attempting to play football.

Spain v Georgia, i reckon!

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Spain v Georgia, i reckon!

Good game that was.

 

[Otis]

Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan was on 5 Live Breakfast earlier today.

He said 80,000 Netherlands supporters are preparing to make the short hop across the border to watch Wednesday's semi-final against England in Dortmund.

Van der Kraan added that England's style of football under Gareth Southgate has given the Dutch fans cause for optimism:

"Watching Southgate, every Dutchman in this country thinks England are boring - and this is so in contradiction with what we see in the Premier League," he said.

“The football England are putting on is really not attractive. It’s giving the Dutch fans so much hope."





As a sum up, "We think England are a shower of shit"

 

[OffenhamSkyBlue]

Guehl and Konsa have both been very good this tournament. I just wonder if Maguire's absence has been a great stroke of luck for Southgate, because if he was there, Southgate would have surely played him.

Kind of makes you wish Kane maybe had a little niggle.

Can someone go in two-footed on him in training. Assuming they actually do any training, of course!

Kane is slow, clumsy, poor first touch, has the turning ability of an oil tanker and plays out of position most of the time so none of the other players know what the "tactics" are supposed to be! Give the captaincy to Walker and play Toney and Watkins as a front two.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan was on 5 Live Breakfast earlier today.

He said 80,000 Netherlands supporters are preparing to make the short hop across the border to watch Wednesday's semi-final against England in Dortmund.

Van der Kraan added that England's style of football under Gareth Southgate has given the Dutch fans cause for optimism:

"Watching Southgate, every Dutchman in this country thinks England are boring - and this is so in contradiction with what we see in the Premier League," he said.

“The football England are putting on is really not attractive. It’s giving the Dutch fans so much hope."





As a sum up, "We think England are a shower of shit"

The Dutch have always had the best banter in Europe

 

[Otis]

Can someone go in two-footed on him in training. Assuming they actually do any training, of course!

Kane is slow, clumsy, poor first touch, has the turning ability of an oil tanker and plays out of position most of the time so none of the other players know what the "tactics" are supposed to be! Give the captaincy to Walker and play Toney and Watkins as a front two.

The two players that have held us back this tournament I would say, are Harry Kane and Kieran Trippier.

So good to see Luke Shaw back. Do worry he's going to be very rusty though. He just gives us such better balance.

Harry Kane in the side, totally unbalances us, because he keeps coming back so deep and we have no outlet

I would bet my life savings though that Southgate will never drop him.

Love Kane to bits, but it's just not working.

 

[Grendel]

The two players that have held us back this tournament I would say, are Harry Kane and Kieran Trippier.

So good to see Luke Shaw back. Do worry he's going to be very rusty though. He just gives us such better balance.

Harry Kane in the side, totally unbalances us, because he keeps coming back so deep and we have no outlet

I would bet my life savings though that Southgate will never drop him.

Love Kane to bits, but it's just not working.

Kane has scored two goals

 

[Otis]

Kane has scored two goals

Yup, but we very nearly got knocked out the tournament.

 

[CCFCSteve]

Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan was on 5 Live Breakfast earlier today.

He said 80,000 Netherlands supporters are preparing to make the short hop across the border to watch Wednesday's semi-final against England in Dortmund.

Van der Kraan added that England's style of football under Gareth Southgate has given the Dutch fans cause for optimism:

"Watching Southgate, every Dutchman in this country thinks England are boring - and this is so in contradiction with what we see in the Premier League," he said.

“The football England are putting on is really not attractive. It’s giving the Dutch fans so much hope."





As a sum up, "We think England are a shower of shit"

However….



We could still float our way to the final !

 

[CCFCSteve]

However we got here, we are here now. First half Saturday was more positive and finally look like we’ve got a bit more shape/structure. Shaw might be able to start Wednesday which gives us far more balance. We’ve still got it in us to step up again and if we do, who knows !

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

Yup, but we very nearly got knocked out the tournament.

On what basis would Watkins and Toney improve us?

Between Watkins and Toney, they have 4 international goals. Neither have proven they can realistically challenge Kane for a starting berth.

There’s a lot of amnesia here, before the Euros it was consistently said that England struggle for goals without Kane.

 

[SeaSeeEffCee]

Problem with Kane is that he just doesn’t look fit.

 

[David O'Day]

Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan was on 5 Live Breakfast earlier today.

He said 80,000 Netherlands supporters are preparing to make the short hop across the border to watch Wednesday's semi-final against England in Dortmund.

Van der Kraan added that England's style of football under Gareth Southgate has given the Dutch fans cause for optimism:

"Watching Southgate, every Dutchman in this country thinks England are boring - and this is so in contradiction with what we see in the Premier League," he said.

“The football England are putting on is really not attractive. It’s giving the Dutch fans so much hope."





As a sum up, "We think England are a shower of shit"

has he seen some of the Dutch teams performances?

 

[Tommo1993]

Problem with Kane is that he just doesn’t look fit.

Back injury. And it’s so obviously showing.

 

[SBAndy]

Problem with Kane is that he just doesn’t look fit.

It makes it all the more annoying we didn’t go out to beat Denmark as we could have given him, Bellingham a night off.

 

[CCFCSteve]

It makes it all the more annoying we didn’t go out to beat Denmark as we could have given him, Bellingham a night off.

Southgate definitely should’ve rested Bellingham for that final group game anyway (and instead ran him into the ground for 90 mins ). Looked a different player Saturday after a week off