Euro 2020 (21)

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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby sussexpob » Mon Jul 12, 2021 3:58 pm

As for the game.....

I guess I am preaching to no one here, but this was pretty much a replay of the tactical failure that Southgate made v Croatia. Early goal, team goes totally passive in defence, slowly get dominated as the game goes on. In Southgate's mind defence in football is a mere number of bodies behind the ball, put 8 men behind the ball and you nullify an opponent.

What actually happened? Mancini threw on Berardi early. Knowing Southgate had gotten his back five to dig a trench and move from it on pain of death, Berardi simply dropped into the false 9 role and had free reign of space in front of the static back line. Emerson, totally outclassed for 30 minutes when asked to defend, suddenly started trooping down his flank, comfortable in the fact Trippier was no longer asking him or his midfield cover to do any defending, and allowing both to gang up on Trippier and create a mismatch.

Italy swamped us. Defending is not numbers, its concentration. What does it matter if you have 7 men in a line from touchline to touchline, if you allow the opponent to play all they want in front of you, they just hit a target on that line with a couple of runners overloading or creating a mismatch, and if you never challenge the space they leave behind them, they will keep doing it and doing it. And thats what happened. Italy turned situations of 5 attackers v 7 defenders into isolated 4 v 2 battles up and down the line, and the spare two men sat in the middle of the park and created mismatches when England then tried to work the ball forward. England's two DMs, in the first 30 minutes able to press close enough to make an impact, were too deep to challenge with the pressing as the game went on. They had to suck back to nullify the space inbetween the banks, and pretty much gave the Italian CMs all the space they wanted.

Between 30th and 70th minute, when Italy scored, Italy had 74% of the ball. That is frankly unacceptable and the kind of stat you expect when Man City play a Non-league team in a cup match. Pickford hit 28 long passes in that period, hardly any went to an England player. We continually lost the ball because the only outlet was swamped and outnumbered. The few times England players beat their men, they just got hacked down, as any team does now in defence. We simply offered zero threat with the ball, and hardly touched it. By the time Italy scored I was begging for extra time. We looked like a badly shaken boxer trying desperately to avoid the knock out blow.

His changes in the match were also idiotic. Which manager with 5 subs at their disposal waits for 100 minutes in a the second extra time in a week to bring on his 3rd sub? Ok, if we were bossing it and everyone was great, fine. But by this stage had hung on for 70 minutes and badly needed to change shape, and a few players looked totally gassed. Rice was having a good game, Phillips was being totally outclassed - brings off Rice. Mount did nothing all game, waits 100 minutes to change him with masses of options on the bench. Sets up with a ridiculous defensive system, yet England's best defensive right back is left on the bench (who just won a CLs final with a display of defensive masterpiece play) when he swapped him for a wide forward, who then isnt given any licence to attack and asked to defend only.

The starting line up to displays his inability tactically - you dont pick a right wing back noted for his quality of delivery and not his defending, and then ask him to defend most of the game despite dominating his opposite number for the first 10. You dont pick a right back at centre back when you have proper centre backs in stock - this one is a common thing to do in football, but only when you play high back lines and expect to attack a lot, the full back extra speed allows him to almost play as the liberio, but his extra pace allows him to get back and cover balls a normal centre back cant - in Southgate land, he just picked a right back to cover a striker man for man and put him deep dealing with the in the box stuff.

At this point I just feel a little pity for him - like he watched enough football to see people doing it, but not really knowing why. When he did it against other teams, it worked because we attacked and controlled the ball. Well, until Mueller exploited it and should have scored v Germany because Walker couldnt help but be dragged out of position towards his natural one. So actually, it didnt work - not really.

I guess the cherry on top was bringing on two people just because he had already composed a list of penalty takers, and both missing. A list not based on anything other than his own opinion watching training. Meanwhile he has a wondrful in the box finisher like Grealish, who apparently asked to take one, being told no.

All in all, his tactics were rubbish. We were lucky to make it to penalties. He froze all match whil Mancini seen the s*** hitting the fan and reacted. But I guess for most England fans not winning seems acceptable. We will triumphantly claim another near miss and Southgate will be hailed as a reason for our success- when in reality, we lost twice to inferior teams solely on the fact he doesnt understand the most basic of footballing systems.
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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby Durhamfootman » Mon Jul 12, 2021 4:29 pm

what SP said
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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby sussexpob » Mon Jul 12, 2021 5:03 pm

As for the actual shootout, I find it almost unfathomable that a manager would make a list of penalty takers based solely on a training performance. Who is to say these players are going to feel up for it at the time? You dont want to send up someone who's suddenly 1000 yard stare on you, while another capable forward is begging to take one and stepping up for the moment. And asking those two lads to come onto the cauldron of a final having not kicked the ball yet.... Its just madness.

In fact I didnt broach on that in my long post above, but Southgate actually tried to bring on both before a corner; isnt that one of the golden rules of management? Never make a sub defensively before a corner? Southgate wanted to make two..... it often ends with your sub not having time to get told which marker he is assigned, and you get him standing in no mans land as a free header hits the net.

As for those that missed; got to applaud those who step up. No malice to them really - hope they all bounce back and dont let this get to them. Its a horrible thing to do.
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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby Gingerfinch » Mon Jul 12, 2021 5:24 pm

Well Sir Gareth will be in charge for Qatar. Let's hope he has learned from his errors and get's us playing some more positive Football. At the end of the day, his record in two tournaments is better than anyone's since Ramsey. Easy draws? Yeah but we have struggled against inferior opposition before.
Be interesting to see which players will be around in 18 months time and possible new ones.
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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby Gingerfinch » Mon Jul 12, 2021 5:32 pm

As for the penalty takers. We don't know what was discussed beforehand and during the game. Saka may have wanted one and been confident, though he didn't look it. Rashford's pen was an inch away from going in off the post. That goes in and it's the perfect penalty and nobody is coming out with rubbish like he wasn't readily warmed up.
All three, well five, deserve credit for taking one but two were terrible pens and with that unit in goal, it was easy for him.
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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby Gingerfinch » Mon Jul 12, 2021 5:35 pm

As for the tournament. It was an enjoyable one with some good games and goals. No player shone like a Van Basten, Zidane or Platini but apart from that, it was a good few weeks, especially seeing fans back in.
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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby Durhamfootman » Mon Jul 12, 2021 6:37 pm

sussexpob wrote:In fact I didnt broach on that in my long post above, but Southgate actually tried to bring on both before a corner; isnt that one of the golden rules of management? Never make a sub defensively before a corner? Southgate wanted to make two.....

He tried to make the double substitution before any of that passage of play, but there was some sort of board malfunction delaying it so the ref told the Italian player to get on with the throw in. I did wonder at the time if the Italians would deliberately keep the ball in play until time ran out so that SG couldn't make his substitutions

Just as well for them that they weren't able to or England might have won the shoot out with the players they had on the pitch at the time..... although not Henderson.... obviously!
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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby Durhamfootman » Mon Jul 12, 2021 6:42 pm

Gingerfinch wrote:As for the tournament. It was an enjoyable one with some good games and goals. No player shone like a Van Basten, Zidane or Platini but apart from that, it was a good few weeks, especially seeing fans back in.

It was, although the multi country approach has been pigeon-holed into the pretty daft idea that didn't work category

I think this England run, whilst not ending happily, did for a couple of weeks give the country a much needed boost.
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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby sussexpob » Mon Jul 12, 2021 7:43 pm

Gingerfinch wrote:As for the penalty takers. We don't know what was discussed beforehand and during the game.


We do, because Southgate came out to say he picked his list based on training sessions and that was who took them, even subbing two on rather than change it.
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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby Alviro Patterson » Tue Jul 13, 2021 12:41 am

Disappointing to tose the final in the manner that we did. Italy were rattled after that counter attacking masterclass and Luke Shaw goal. It seemed Southgate did not learn his lessons against Croatia in the World Cup Semi Final, can't just defend until the final whistle. I'd rather concede an equaliser whilst looking to go 2-0 up or lose the game in extra time. It's the hope that kills you. Although seeing Jordan Pickford saving Italy's 5th penalty was one of immense joy, just to ruin the Italian woman's filming of it on her phone. Never understand the need for spectators filming live events for a prolonged period of time.

Also the stadium DJ playing Sweet Caroline pre-match is just wrong. Save it for the final whistle, or better still Twenty20 Finals Day.
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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby yuppie » Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:15 pm

There is a lot to like about Marcus Rashford. :salute
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Re: Euro 2020 (21)

Postby Durhamfootman » Wed Jul 14, 2021 8:04 am

yuppie wrote:There is a lot to like about Marcus Rashford. :salute

:thumb
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