Poll: UEFA Euro 2020 Final Italy v England ** spoilers ** [Sunday 11th July 2021]

[FoxEye]

As usual we've fallen at the first difficult hurdle.

Sadly, this.

Italy looked good from the word go. We beat Germany and that's no mean feat, but Italy were on another level.

A level England might have matched with a better game plan. But the way we were set up, and with Gareth's passive/passenger style when games start to go against us, Italy were comfortable winners. So much possession, and far more dangerous than England in front of goal, the first 2 mins aside

 

[Shamikebab]

I wouldn't call the French league a major league. Which is why their players play elsewhere.

5/11 Germans in the Bundesliga team of the year. So who are these major leagues whose team of the years are dominated by their nationality then? Scotland?

 

[Lucifurr]

They can make a follow up to this ad now

 

[antijoke]

Italian yes (live in england), and if people could see the game for what it was I wouldn't be making sarcy comments.

I was happy the final was both team but I don't get where this snobbery comes from from some england fans. There is nothing to back it up at all.

what? We had every answer to your attacks in the first half, then god knows what happens in the second half and we just sat there, I’ve never said we were the better team over the whole game or we deserved a win, but negative tactics ruined the game for us and I have no idea why Gareth went that route when we could’ve really pushed on and made it difficult for Italy again in the second half, it was clear as day what was happening yet he couldn’t see it and you got back into the game.

i think it’s you who are blind to the game that happened and are a little high on success.

can I ask why you think I was being snobby?

 

[McGraw]

I put my phone on charge, and poured myself a large vodka and tonic, I’d told her the truth,
Italy had creamed England, what else do you think that I should have done?

nothing, just seemed a bit of a pointless anecdote so was taking the p

 

[adam cool dude]

True they are far above. You can only dream.

Please be honest. On paper the English team is far stronger than the Italians. The strength in depth is the best in Europe along with France. The Italians managed to win the game by purely being managed better and even did it without their player of the tournament down the left and Chiesa had to come off due to injury.

The only reason England got how far they did was due to the exceptional players we have. Tactically we have been poor all tournament and our first real test has shown this.

Beating a real poor German team just turned up the hyperbole big time.

Unfortunately for us Gareth will still be here for 2022.

 

[Iraklis F.C.]

Itally was no better than England, but generally speaking it was a better team in the tournament. Anyway, feel sorry for Saka who lost the penalty, been in his position and it sucks.

 

[4k4uNuNu]

Terrible tactics, terrible subs, terrible use of the squad. Playing for penalties in a final is the sign of a manager out of his depth.

But enough about Solskjaer at Man United, how about that England, ey?

 

[jonneymendoza]

Only 4 of the players in Serie A's team of the season play in this Italy team. 3 players in the PL's team of the season play for the England team.

The French XI that won the 2018 world cup had 1 player who plays in the French league.

Top PL players being English has never been an issue for the national team.

Well said

 

[omnomnom]

Itally was no better than England, but generally speaking it was a better team in the tournament. Anyway, feel sorry for Saka who lost the penalty, been in his position and it sucks.

Come on now. Italy were far superior tonight.

 

[Dis86]

you think millionaires with agents do an advert when they don’t want to?

I think people do things without looking at the full set of outcomes.

 

[DrToffnar]

People are talking about is as though Saka took a bad pen. He didn't. Donnarumma was just a good keeper.

 

[KiNgPiN83]

Deserved. We scored a goal and then did the usual England tactic of not doing much. Never changes. Yaaaawn

When we scored my wife went mental but i was a bit muted as i suddenly got a vision of 88 minutes of England defending... I honestly thought it 'could' be different this time but Italy didn't get to the final by being rubbish so fair play to them, the better team won.

 

[Iraklis F.C.]

Come on now. Italy were far superior tonight.

i disagree, both were mediocre imho.

 

[Dis86]

People are talking about is as though Saka took a bad pen. He didn't. Donnarumma was just a good keeper.

And the other 2?

 

[fendi]

hopefully, covid doesn't spike tonight with all the cheering and spit particles in the air. fingers crossed we don't enter another lockdown!

stay safe

Relatively to you and me? Yes but there's massively varying degrees of ball striking ability among top class players and Sterling is at the bottom of that list. Players scuff shots regularly and certain players far more often than others.

CR7 is the best at taking them. England should have just watched how he does that for a day before the match in case they made it to penalties

 

[jonneymendoza]

People are talking about is as though Saka took a bad pen. He didn't. Donnarumma was just a good keeper.

This. Sancho one was also a good save.

Rashford though...

 

[ik9000]

Come on now. Italy were far superior tonight.

No, they weren't, but they were mentally stronger, and worked out how to choke us, then kept squeezing. Mancini made the changes and Southgate did his deer in the headlights routine. What's that quote from the old C&C games [thick fake russian accent] "predictable"

 

[FoxEye]

And the other 2?

Rashford's was just a complete joke penalty. Utter shambles. Did Southgate know he was going to do that?

 

[BaZ87]

I agree about the physcology of it. But these players at this level can all kick the ball in the net from the penalty spot.

Which is why having the last three players all young and fairly inexperienced doing it was stupid.

Look back at all the penalty shootout failures in years gone by and who missed the pens back then. Pearce and Waddle in 1990, Southgate in 96, Ince & Batty in 98, Beckham and Vassell in 2004, Lampard, Gerrard and Carragher in 2006, Young and Cole in 2012. Every single one of them were experienced players

We can all sit here as experts and say he should have done x or y but there's very little evidence to support any theory. You've had the most experienced players & the most technically gifted (and regular penalty takers) missing pens.

I disagree. They can all strike a ball from the penalty spot well enough at their level technique wise. If they can't, they shouldn't be anywhere near the team.

It's all mostly psychological at this level.

Me and you could step up and strike a penalty well enough to score at that level. We couldn't do in 10 times out of 10 though. Surely you can see that certain players are better, cleaner strikers of the ball than others.

How often have you seen players like KdB, Xabi Alonso, Scholes, Gerrard etc scuff shots compared to somebody like a Sterling or a Mane. Sterling's ball striking ability really is bottom tier (for players of this level at least), which makes how good he is incredible.

 

[LtMatt]

Feeling very frustrated going to bed, feels like we missed a massive opportunity and they don’t come around too often. Ultimately we got what we deserved for our tactics in the final, nothing. Will feel better after a sleep, but disappointed right now.

 

[mikedigitales]

It was an enjoyable tournament, Italy were great to watch in most of there games. The bitter taste in my mouth is all from Southgate's negative approach to out matches. He could learn a lot from Mancini.

 

[Noxia]

Football has become a quasi religion here. It attracts the same arrogance and blinkerd devotion to some akin to a deep south nut-job "church" or foaming-at-the-mouth rabid zealots in some cult or other. At the heart is an unwavering devotion to the club and then the national side (usually in that order it would seem) and complete inability to step back and see things in the round.

Italy were the better side tonight - cheating cynical fouls aside. The ref was unreasonably lenient in the 2nd half, when the trend was set, but we could and should have played a different system 2nd half and instead we went to sleep. We'll never know if a different system would have done the job, but there is no excuse for the lacklustre 30 mins which gave Italy the ascendency and lead to their goal. Even the commentators on both channels (I was switching between the two) were saying the same - England have gone to sleep here, they look leggy and a yard off the pace" etc etc. I imagine it was the occasaion, the "we;re almost there" thoughts creeping in and then a feeling of "wtf, what's going on? panic! panic!"

I don't follow football outside of the internationals really. I had no expectations at the start of this tournament, I only began to think it could happen after Belgium.
Yet I've heard "it's coming home Ad nauseam so on that basis alone I'm glad its over!

Please be honest. On paper the English team is far stronger than the Italians. The strength in depth is the best in Europe along with France. The Italians managed to win the game by purely being managed better and even did it without their player of the tournament down the left and Chiesa had to come off due to injury.

The only reason England got how far they did was due to the exceptional players we have. Tactically we have been poor all tournament and our first real test has shown this.

Beating a real poor German team just turned up the hyperbole big time.

Unfortunately for us Gareth will still be here for 2022.

I am being honest. I feel you should be as well.
Anyway, England have a younger squad I think so probably more future potential, I'm not really sure on up and coming Italian players as I dont watch club football.