Group C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England

[MikeH72]

No doubt Southgate is a part of the problem … but technically teams like Spain, France and Germany are better …. All of the flair has been drained out of that england team.

By the manager.

 

[Billy Dean]

 

[Kurt.]

By the manager.

As I said, no doubt he’s part of the problem

 

[MikeH72]

It’s about time his tactics started getting some genuine critical analysis from the media, rather than them blowing smoke up him banging on about the “spirit in the camp” over and over again. It’s dead easy to be all the players’ best mate, but far less easy to be an elite or even a competent tactician.

 

[Nymzee]

I know peope don't like Foster but they make a lot of good points here.

 

[Billy Dean]

It’s about time his tactics started getting some genuine critical analysis from the media, rather than them blowing smoke up him banging on about the “spirit in the camp” over and over again. It’s dead easy to be all the players’ best mate, but far less easy to be an elite or even a competent tactician.

He's quite good the FourFourTwo guy. Explains things objectively

 

[BlueStevie35]

Still don’t understand the decision to take an unfit Shaw, especially when Trippier has underperformed at LB so far

 

[ElGato]

All our flaws are based on two complete tactical fallacies.
I) TAA has played midfield before and can do it here. He hasn't since youth football, and his biggest flaw as a right back is his inability to check his shoulder for danger, a pre-requisite for a full time centre mid. Moving into midfield on the ball in a functioning and well drilled system is completely different to living in there full time
II) Bellingham's best position is in the ten and he therefore has to play there. When in actual fact he's had a season in a false 9, with Vini and Rodygo playing in behind. He's spent his whole life playing as an all action centre midfielder who does everything box to box.


The fix is so obvious.

Play 2023/24 Premier League player of the year Phil Foden in the ten, where he is most effective.

Play Bellingham alongside Rice with license to get forward.

Play an out and out, pacy left winger (probably Gordon)

Tell Kane he can come deep and get involved with play.

Imagine: Bellingham Kane and Foden playing one touch link up play in the half spaces, with Gordon and Saka making runs in behind. We'd be lethal

I have no doubt that the injuries and fatigue is probably a factor in our lethargic play, but manager has to factor that in and play a system that doesn't expose this.

Southgate is a sausage, genuinely think if he doesn't make changes on Tuesday, which are so glaringly obvious, then we should do an Ivory Coast and sack him mid tournament.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

He's not though mate, imo he's a very good player, maybe not 'world class'.

Maybe average is too far. He can do a specific job but he's mainly an athlete rather than a classy footballer. He's very average on the ball.

 

[ElGato]

Still don’t understand the decision to take an unfit Shaw, especially when Trippier has underperformed at LB so far

Taking and playing Bowen over Grealish is the biggest selection insanity in my eyes.

We have Palmer, Saka and Foden who are all comfortable over there on the right, but to only take one out and out left winger in Gordon and then not play him is bonkers

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

It’s because the manager is grossly incompetent tbh.

Not just that. We also lack players with a particular skill set and we always have. Even when we have supposedly top class players in every position we struggle to pass the ball around from back to front or retain possession. The players who do that in the EPL are all foreign. We don't develop those types of players in a great number (we prefer the Rice, Gerrard athletic players) and when we do (Carrick, Hoddle, Scholes, Joe Cole,) the manager never trusts them. I remember Joe Cole being by far our best player in one of the Euros I think. Better than Gerrard and Lampard and Beckham who were all more highly rated. It's because he had much more quality on the ball than them in term of touch and ball manipulation which is one of the key skills at international level.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

By the manager.

No, who are the flair players? Foden and Kane are the only elites one technically and Kane can barely move. Bellingham is great but he not a flair player, neither is Saka and don't get me started on Rice. Kyle Walker is rapid and very useful but he has very little quality or composure in possession for a supposed top player.

 

[MikeH72]

No, who are the flair players? Foden and Kane are the only elites one technically and Kane can barely move. Bellingham is great but he not a flair player, neither is Saka and don't get me started on Rice. Kyle Walker is rapid and very useful but he has very little quality or composure in possession for a supposed top player.

Bellingham absolutely is a flair player.

Would you describe Kante, Rabiot, Theo Hernandez or Kounde as flair players? The best teams in the world aren’t stacked 1-11 with flair players, that’s not how football works.

England have players that should be performing much better than they do. That is the fault of the manager, who is an idiot that has had 1 club job and relegated a stable mid table Premier League side that had just been in a European final when he took over.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

Bellingham absolutely is a flair player.

Would you describe Kante, Rabiot, Theo Hernandez or Kounde as flair players? The best teams in the world aren’t stacked 1-11 with flair players, that’s not how football works.

England have players that should be performing much better than they do. That is the fault of the manager, who is an idiot that has had 1 club job and relegated a stable mid table Premier League side that had just been in a European final when he took over.

Bellingham isn't a flair player. He's an athlete who produces great finishes. He's like Gerrard . Flair players are players like Odegaard, Zidane, Iniesta, Messi, James. Dreamy first touch and other worldly passing. Bellingham doesn't have that.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

Bellingham absolutely is a flair player.

Would you describe Kante, Rabiot, Theo Hernandez or Kounde as flair players? The best teams in the world aren’t stacked 1-11 with flair players, that’s not how football works.

England have players that should be performing much better than they do. That is the fault of the manager, who is an idiot that has had 1 club job and relegated a stable mid table Premier League side that had just been in a European final when he took over.

Lots of managers have failed with England. You can't just assume because you have 11 players playing for good teams that put together they will make a good team. England have 85% of a Ferrari but instead of a steering system we just have three engines and we assume it makes no difference. I agree that Southgate is terrible though.