Respect this England team

[Nod.E]

I'm not really sure what people expected to happen.

 

We scored in the second minute and then continued to play very well until about the 30th minute. We looked as though we were playing well enough to potentially nick another, which I think would have seen us over the line.

 

There was always going to come a point that the opposition began relentlessly searching for an equaliser. There was always going to come a point we would start to think about closing the game out. And why wouldn't we? We're good defensively and Italy are a great team.

 

After the equaliser and the 5 or 10 minute spell that followed, we started to play some good stuff again, and could quite easily have regained the lead. John Stones was a midge's chuff away from flicking a header past Donarumma. That goes in and I'm confident we win the game and Southgate is lauded a genius.

 

We also probably just about shaded extra time.

 

My only complaint is the penalty logic on a number of levels 

 

- Some of our youngest players on pens. I'd back Shaw, Walker, Stones and Pickford to bag. Where were they?

- Our youngest players on the pressure pens (it's customary to have your best taker go 5th for a reason)

- Bringing players on just for a kick. Nerve racking 

- While you don't want to 'ban' players from particular styles of penalty, surely there could have been a conversation, backed by stats/research on what not to do. The stuttered run up, the side foot passes at waist height. Both just asking for trouble. Hit the ball hard, with some height. If it goes over, it goes over. I'm sure statistically that's the best approach. 

 

Those expecting us to just turn up and dominate Italy from start to finish are delusional. Where was their free-flowing, dominating display by the way? Their beating us on penalties means they had to play the long game and not win it in 90 as well, you know. 

Edited 12 July 2021 by Nod.E

[WigstonWanderer]

Just a word about stuttered penalties. I hate them, but Rashford’s actually did what he wanted and sent the keeper the wrong way. His problem was his shot placement, hitting the post.

[The Horse's Mouth]

I need like a good month of no football 

[SouthStandUpperTier]

Just now, WigstonWanderer said:

Just a word about stuttered penalties. I hate them, but Rashford’s actually did what he wanted and sent the keeper the wrong way. His problem was his shot placement, hitting the post.

When you are looking at the keeper rather than the ball right up until the moment you strike the ball there is always the possibility you will miss-hit it. I think his (left) plant foot was too close to the ball and he kind of scuffed/dragged it with his right.

[Nod.E]

3 minutes ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

When you are looking at the keeper rather than the ball right up until the moment you strike the ball there is always the possibility you will miss-hit it. I think his (left) plant foot was too close to the ball and he kind of scuffed/dragged it with his right.

Agree.

 

Also, you're just adding unnecessary pressure to the kick. If you miss one of those, you look an idiot. 

 

So what's you're mindset going to be? Probably something like 'please don't miss, please don't miss'.

 

Only really Jorginho that I know of has mastered it. He's confident enough to do it and has technique rehearsed to perfection.

 

His miss yesterday was just a fantastic Pickford save.

[Langston]

I was gutted in 2018 but today I'm less bothered about the result (whilst still gutted, obviously) but more the complete evaporation of good-feeling and unity we seemed to have for all of five minutes. 

 

People pitching up at Wembley to be performative bellends and the general knife-edge undercurrent of last night haven't helped either.

[Head Honcho]

I'm giving them the same respect that they gave to their runners up medals last night!

[shailen]

It was a 50/50 outcome in the end. You can never come out of a penalty shootout and say we deserved to lose or win the game. We matched Italy and it was literally a game of two halves where we dominated first half and they did second half. 

 

You can blame the tactics/team selection but we played against a good Italian side who have beaten teams like Belgium & Spain, so have a good pedigree. We had to be at our best to beat a side undefeated in their last 30 odd games!! 

[Guest Bert Fill]

2 hours ago, Head Honcho said:

I'm giving them the same respect that they gave to their runners up medals last night!

They did look like stroppy toddlers who’d been given the wrong flavour ice cream.

Fair play to the few who didn’t just take them straight off.

[surrifox]

17 hours ago, Koke said:

 

How does a nation go about producing quality managers? It's crazy that a small country like Netherlands have had better top level coaches than England. 

It’s entirely possible that their FA isn’t full of time servers and stuffed shirts like ours appears to be who are always looking for a safe option who won’t frighten the horses 

[weller54]

5 hours ago, WigstonWanderer said:

Just a word about stuttered penalties. I hate them, but Rashford’s actually did what he wanted and sent the keeper the wrong way. His problem was his shot placement, hitting the post.

ppppppppppppppppppppennnnnnnnaltiesssssssssssssssss

[HybridFox]

This was nice from Grealish 

 

https://fb.watch/v/1blLNpeFd/

[foxes_rule1978]

5 hours ago, WigstonWanderer said:

Just a word about stuttered penalties. I hate them, but Rashford’s actually did what he wanted and sent the keeper the wrong way. His problem was his shot placement, hitting the post.

He is a little unlucky, he does everything right apart from he slightly miss hits it… maybe just too much focus on where the keeper was moving that he ends up miscueing a little, sending it into the post 

[LanguedocFox]

21 hours ago, Spudulike said:

Have to get rid of Kane. No team, whoever he plays for, will ever win a major trophy. 

That is cruel. Funny, probably true, but cruel.

[That_Dude]

10 hours ago, foxes_rule1978 said:

Still a German side that shown Portugal up… so what ever you think they have quality players. Now on to Southgate, he does have his negative points and yes not trusting his attacking players or taking enough risks is certainly the biggest of them.
 

However, we need to see if he learns like he did at the World Cup and we can make that forward step, he was within a shoot out of winning a major title… whatever you may think about how he has gone about doing that, the fact is you don’t get much closer without winning the thing. 

Portugal were beaten due to the sheer incompetence of their manager who saw his FBs eaten alive and didn't try a thing address it, but I somewhat agree Germany's still Germany, even though I found them to be wildly inconsistent this year.

 

I'll stand by the rest of my post though. The draws in 2018 and 2021 made Southgate look much better than he really is. You'll never get it easier and more favourable than this year. Add to that a generation loaded with talent, albeit a bit lightweight in the middle at and for the moment, which he's certainly not using to its full potential and playing to their strengths. While a good defense is a critical factor to win a tournament, he's incredibly negative in his setups, highly risk averse and poor in his in-game management. He's likeable, everyone's mate and an acceptable face for the FA though, so there's that.

 

The next draws in future tournaments won't be as forgiving. Germany, France and Spain (who still gave Italy a run for their money) will sort themselves out and let's not speak about the other powerhouses of South-America. Southgate won't win anything, mark my words.

Edited 12 July 2021 by That_Dude

[Master Fox]

This is so cringeworthy now. We lost, it’s boring now and hopefully people can get over it. Thank god it’s over. 
 

It’s been way over analysed now. Seems like everything in the world is now overlapping with international football. It’s so weird. 

Edited 13 July 2021 by Master Fox

[fuchsntf]

18 hours ago, Nod.E said:

I'm not really sure what people expected to happen.

 

We scored in the second minute and then continued to play very well until about the 30th minute. We looked as though we were playing well enough to potentially nick another, which I think would have seen us over the line.

 

There was always going to come a point that the opposition began relentlessly searching for an equaliser. There was always going to come a point we would start to think about closing the game out. And why wouldn't we? We're good defensively and Italy are a great team.

 

After the equaliser and the 5 or 10 minute spell that followed, we started to play some good stuff again, and could quite easily have regained the lead. John Stones was a midge's chuff away from flicking a header past Donarumma. That goes in and I'm confident we win the game and Southgate is lauded a genius.

 

We also probably just about shaded extra time.

 

My only complaint is the penalty logic on a number of levels 

 

- Some of our youngest players on pens. I'd back Shaw, Walker, Stones and Pickford to bag. Where were they?

- Our youngest players on the pressure pens (it's customary to have your best taker go 5th for a reason)

- Bringing players on just for a kick. Nerve racking 

- While you don't want to 'ban' players from particular styles of penalty, surely there could have been a conversation, backed by stats/research on what not to do. The stuttered run up, the side foot passes at waist height. Both just asking for trouble. Hit the ball hard, with some height. If it goes over, it goes over. I'm sure statistically that's the best approach. 

 

Those expecting us to just turn up and dominate Italy from start to finish are delusional. Where was their free-flowing, dominating display by the way? Their beating us on penalties means they had to play the long game and not win it in 90 as well, you know. 

it's customary to have your best taker go 5th for a reason)to

 

Not quite true, Plus anybody with Common Sense would realise having you best Penalty taker in 5th, could well mean you are out of the competition,already

by the 4th,sometimes by the 3rd....Now that is a waste..

[urban.spaceman]

This is what I love to see. Hundreds of messages of support.

 

https://news.sky.com/story/marcus-rashford-messages-of-support-for-rashford-as-artist-repairs-vandalised-mural-12354803

[filbertway]

On 12/07/2021 at 15:28, Nod.E said:

Agree.

 

Also, you're just adding unnecessary pressure to the kick. If you miss one of those, you look an idiot. 

 

So what's you're mindset going to be? Probably something like 'please don't miss, please don't miss'.

 

Only really Jorginho that I know of has mastered it. He's confident enough to do it and has technique rehearsed to perfection.

 

His miss yesterday was just a fantastic Pickford save.

To be honest, by the time he strikes the ball there's barely any power. If keepers are brave enough to stand up I'd rate them to have a decent chance of getting to it unless he finds the side netting.