UEFA Euro 2024 Round of 16 ** spoilers ** [29th June - 2nd July 2024]

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Ahh yes, we have to accept that our identity is to have a bunch of world class players who can't play as well as a bunch of tiny nations who have 1/4 of the talent we do. We have to accept our identity is to play the wrong players together and prioritise playing the best players over playing the right players.
 
Let's be honest, this stuff about "identity" is pure trash.

If England had lost yesterday there would be no discussion about "identity" almost won, Gareth would have been sacked already.

With "identity", England just managed to scrape a win against a team ranked 45 in the world.

"Identity" = England are crap but lucky to have faced the teams they have. Which has always been Gareth's problem, we always lose against good teams, rendering the entire thing pointless.
 
I think a lot of it comes down to not being able to drop big superstars to make a system work for the better.

It happened with the "golden generation" and it happened now.

Any other smaller nation would have not taken Luke Shaw and at the very least taken a fit left back. Like the guy from Crystal Palace.

You would also play Gordon down the left as that is his natural position. No matter how good a player Foden is he is not as good as Gordon down the left. Even an out of form Rashford would play better down the left than Foden. This is no disrespect to Foden. He is the best player in the Premier League last season but his position isn't on the left!

If that means a big star needs to be dropped then so be it.

What we have now is a non existent left flank with all attacks coming from the right. It is entirely predictable and easy to counter as you do not need as much width.

That is all on Southgate because unlike a club say Manchester United who had to deal with injuries. He can pick any players he wants from the English League.
 
adam cool dude said:
I think a lot of it comes down to not being able to drop big superstars to make a system work for the better.

It happened with the "golden generation" and it happened now.

Any other smaller nation would have not taken Luke Shaw and at the very least taken a fit left back. Like the guy from Crystal Palace.

You would also play Gordon down the left as that is his natural position. No matter how good a player Foden is he is not as good as Gordon down the left. Even an out of form Rashford would play better down the left than Foden. This is no disrespect to Foden. He is the best player in the Premier League last season but his position isn't on the left!

If that means a big star needs to be dropped then so be it.

What we have now is a non existent left flank with all attacks coming from the right. It is entirely predictable and easy to counter as you do not need as much width.

That is all on Southgate because unlike a club say Manchester United who had to deal with injuries. He can pick any players he wants from the English League.
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To be honest the problem is largely Kane, even though he does score goals, he is handicapping the whole team around him and/or putting a lot more pressure on everyone else when a lot of the time it is like England is playing with 10 men, even taking into account the other team having to make sure they are smothering him. Get rid of Kane and play some of the others more like their natural position and suddenly the game comes alive, England look like a threat.
 
Stu999 said:
Shearer: we have to accept this is what England are. There’s more nuance in the article but, no, we don’t have to accept any part of it. We can just get rid of Southgate instead.

www.bbc.co.uk

Euro 2024: 'We have to accept this is England's identity' - Alan Shearer

Former captain Alan Shearer on England's dramatic Euro 2024 win over Slovakia and how boss Gareth Southgate will not change his ways.
www.bbc.co.uk
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Whatever the article says, this is just such a nonsense view. We have to accept that Southgate and England are **** more like.
 
Southgate clearly has a crystal ball. To not throw on a 2nd striker until the 93rd minute when you are losing at a knock out stage game with ZERO shots on target.

WTF.
 
One thing I'm confused about is that in recent tournaments it's been clear that England can play attacking football and are definitely a threat to any team. Yes they were going 1 goal up and trying to park the bus but that was tactical and not based on ability (see euro final, WC semi etc). Southgate teams *can* play well. But right now it seems that they've lost any attacking fluency whatsoever. Is it purely down to team selection? Fitness? Pressure/motivation/problems in the camp?
 
This park the bus tactics has to be down to the management. These players, Foden at Man City, Kane and Bayern, Bellingham at RM, etc etc, don't park the bus when they are ahead, they don't park the bus at all. They keep possession, they play and they keep attacking for the whole game. It must be instructions from the England staff and this is down to Southgate. It's not one off either, it's been years and all the time. I mean it has been "working" for him, a semi final at the World Cup and a final in the last Euro but surely he can see how this tactic is getting found out in this tournament? He was within 90 seconds of going out if not for an overhead kick! How many times does a player scores an overhead kick....we got unbelievably lucky to get away with this one.
 
Interesting how we had almost 70% possession until we scored then we took the lead and Slovakia had nearly all the possession. Never once did I see Southgate on the touchline urging the players up the pitch.

It's not the players, it's the coach.
 
www.bbc.co.uk

Jude Bellingham says it is 'nice to give a bit back' after England criticism

Jude Bellingham responds to England's critics following the side's dramatic win against Slovakia in the last 16 of Euro 2024.
www.bbc.co.uk

I’ve got a lot of time for Jude always seems a level headed guy for his age but **** me come out and say the team played poorly and we need to do a lot better or something don’t turn up giving it the big one after playing utter utter dross against a total minnow for 94 minutes and lucking into a goal!!!
 
JamesH85 said:
Interesting how we had almost 70% possession until we scored then we took the lead and Slovakia had nearly all the possession. Never once did I see Southgate on the touchline urging the players up the pitch.

It's not the players, it's the coach.
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Surely that is on the players then if he's not shouting at them to drop deep?
 
Shamikebab said:
Surely that is on the players then if he's not shouting at them to drop deep?
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Hard to know I suppose when not inside the camp but, they could also be dropping deep and playing exactly as instructed when in the lead, hence why he's also not shouting as they are executing his plan.
 
JamesH85 said:
Hard to know I suppose when not inside the camp but, they could also be dropping deep and playing exactly as instructed when in the lead, hence why he's also not shouting as they are executing his plan.
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A lot of managers just don't shout. Given players have specifically said that it's not instructions I'm going to go with that. What motivation do they have to lie and make themselves look bad?
 
(Following on from the I don't follow much football, but anyone can do a better job than Safegate...)

Rate my England management for the next game...

Starting 11
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Subs:
At Half time swap Bellingham -> Foden
At 70 minutes, swap Saka for Palmer, Eze for Mainoo


(Avoids the Bellingham/Foden tripping over each other, minimises the extreme Left Back need, and have Gordon on Left for width)
 
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