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Euro 2024 - The European Football Championship

Shaw must be fit for the next game, right?

Palmer played well down the right, and should take Saka's place in the next game. CM is still an issue thought
Even if Shaw is fit for the next game he hasn't played since mid Febuary. Expecting a player to comeback and be up to speed straight away is ridiculous. Should be grounds for sacking bringing Shaw and no other LB.
 
I share your views on footballers, they're primadonnas.
But the timing of this comment is not the best one. Do not compare a rolling Neymar to this:
View attachment 17306

He was knocked out for 10 minutes and was lying on the ground unconscious.
As remarked elsewhere previously, I was making two separate points in my comment. Just thought the blankets were a bit dramatic at first.

And with all the amount routine diving and fakery, it's easy to be cynical about how players react to contact - or perceived contact - on the pitch. With all the modern-day delicacy over showing replays of incidents like this, it's also easy to remain uninformed about the seriousness of a collision.

How wonderful that a fellow professional photographer was there to help clear up any misconceptions.
 
Shaw must be fit for the next game, right?

Palmer played well down the right, and should take Saka's place in the next game. CM is still an issue thought
Based on what I'm seeing with Rice and Saka, it would seem Arteta asked them to do what they could to shorten their international obligations. Trying hard.
 
Lowest scoring group...quel surprise
Lowest quality group. England are utter brick! If England have a plan and a pattern of play, can someone tell me what it is? It looks a right mess! Lots of times I've seen two players making runs to approach the ball carrier, and they've both ran into the same space. It's like none of them have any clue what they're supposed to do.

Quite a stark contrast to Austria, where every player looks like they know exactly what to do and where to be, at every moment.

England will crash out as soon as they face a team with the slightest bit of quality.
 
So as it stands England will avoid France, Germany, Portugal and Spain, until a potential final against one of them. Also won’t play Italy until the semis, if both teams progress.
England will play the winner of Switzerland - Italy in the quarter final.

If they get through the 1/8 final that is, which is about 50-50 at best, the way England are playing.
 
Don’t get me wrong they are the best team and are rightly considered favourites, I just never enjoy watching their games even with all that talent they have. Isn’t it quite a common view in France that they win despite Deschamps not because of him? Or essentially they would win many other coaches and be better to watch.
Deshamps is incredibly negative. They very much do win in spite of him. His France side never play with any verve or panche despite the absolute fudging riches he's has and he does have quality in every zone but he can't fudging help himself. Against Italy he virtually played 3 fudging DMs and then wonders why they had no real penetration, flair or invention.

He's a mad man and relies very much on the sheer technical quality of the players at his disposal to score and create. They are like England, no attacking plan but instead try to control with defense. They just have a lot incredible players so it works to an extent, but I would fire this guy right now. Yes he's won a WC but France should have won so much more in the last 10 years.
 
Saka started out as a lb. Even played there for england. Left footed too.
He's not a LB anymore nor did he get picked for this England squad due to his playing LB. It's more of the same thinking that you must get the "names" on the pitch.

No if you want to play Palmer just play Palmer don't worry about trying to get Saka on there as well. You're not going to get the performances you picked Saka for from LB.
 
He's not a LB anymore nor did he get picked for this England squad due to his playing LB. It's more of the same thinking that you must get the "names" on the pitch.

No if you want to play Palmer just play Palmer don't worry about trying to get Saka on there as well. You're not going to get the performances you picked Saka for from LB.

It's not about getting names on the pitch. It's about if the team is better with him at lb than who we currently have?
 
It's not about getting names on the pitch. It's about if the team is better with him at lb than who we currently have?
Is he better than Tripier at LB though ?(I don't even rate Tripoier tbh 😅) . The point I'm trying to make is this version Saka has been selected based on his Arsenal form of recent time and the majority of last season. Those performances didn't come at LB. Could he still be a decent LB I dunno but Trippier isn't really a problem so far so why are we squeezing Saka in as well as Palmer?

Ps. Saka didn't actually start as a LB, he was always a winger Arsenal just had an injury crisis at LB at one point so tried him out there. So he's done a job there, it's not actually the position he's primarily trained in.
 
Deshamps is incredibly negative. They very much do win in spite of him. His France side never play with any verve or panche despite the absolute fudging riches he's has and he does have quality in every zone but he can't fudging help himself. Against Italy he virtually played 3 fudging DMs and then wonders why they had no real penetration, flair or invention.

He's a mad man and relies very much on the sheer technical quality of the players at his disposal to score and create. They are like England, no attacking plan but instead try to control with defense. They just have a lot incredible players so it works to an extent, but I would fire this guy right now. Yes he's won a WC but France should have won so much more in the last 10 years.
France are a bit boring, but that often works in these tournaments. Think Deschamps is alright.

With Mbappe, Dembele and Giroud (more in previous tournaments) being important parts of your front line you can't really play a high pressing style. His style works well with that. But you need defensive solidity behind players like that.

For sure could play with more attacking freedom, be more open. But good structured, well functional attacking play is difficult to integrate in international tournaments. He's basically a "get the fundamentals right" kind of manager, but in these tournaments that's often a very good approach.

On results these knockout games are high variance. Losing two finals in extra time/penalties, easily could have gone differently. Very small margins. Euro 2020 the only real disappointment?
 
Saka at left back obviously isn't the answer.

Square pegs, square holes. Things like playing an actual winger on at least one flank when playing with full backs that don't really get forward. Have at least one player that's a credible threat running in behind.

Gordon did more to stretch play in 10 minutes than Trippier and Foden did for 80. And that shouldn't be a criticism of Trippier and Foden, they shouldn't be expected to be able to stretch play any more than Kane should be expected to score without getting chances.
 
Is he better than Tripier at LB though ?(I don't even rate Tripoier tbh 😅) . The point I'm trying to make is this version Saka has been selected based on his Arsenal form of recent time and the majority of last season. Those performances didn't come at LB. Could he still be a decent LB I dunno but Trippier isn't really a problem so far so why are we squeezing Saka in as well as Palmer?

Ps. Saka didn't actually start as a LB, he was always a winger Arsenal just had an injury crisis at LB at one point so tried him out there. So he's done a job there, it's not actually the position he's primarily trained in.

Personally I think it’s worth playing Trent at right back and Walker at left back. Or vice versa. Yes Trent isn’t great defensively but neither is Trippier.
 
France are a bit boring, but that often works in these tournaments. Think Deschamps is alright.

With Mbappe, Dembele and Giroud (more in previous tournaments) being important parts of your front line you can't really play a high pressing style. His style works well with that. But you need defensive solidity behind players like that.

For sure could play with more attacking freedom, be more open. But good structured, well functional attacking play is difficult to integrate in international tournaments. He's basically a "get the fundamentals right" kind of manager, but in these tournaments that's often a very good approach.

On results these knockout games are high variance. Losing two finals in extra time/penalties, easily could have gone differently. Very small margins. Euro 2020 the only real disappointment?
He doesn't have to play a pressing game but he could at least play a passing one. Jeez they are so dull to watch despite genuinely having so much talent. He's a million miles from maximising what he has. Compare Scaloni and Argentina, their team is pretty mediocre if we are honest with one legend on the wane and a couple of decent players yet he has them actually playing football with style and fudging verve. Argentina played France off the fudging pitch in the WC Final and there is no way looking at the squads available or even players not picked that, that should have been possible.
 
dont want to be all "i coach an Under 9s team so i know what i'm talking about" but Southgate has really over complicated things.

Trippier is right footed so will cut in, Foden is a natural central player so will not play wide, so your entire left side is effectively unusable. Absolutely no width that side.

He should have done one of two things:

1) Drop Bellingham deeper next to Rice, Foden Central, play Gordon (not saying Gordon is epic or anything but he's a good attacking left sided winger

2) Drop Foden for Gordon, for the same reasons outlined above. Round peg, round hole

Southgate has had ample time to sort this, the performances are totally on him. England still faves for a reason, especially with the luck of the draw, but he's making it incredibly difficult.

Almost like playing players in their natural positions is a crazy concept to him.
 
He doesn't have to play a pressing game but he could at least play a passing one. Jeez they are so dull to watch despite genuinely having so much talent. He's a million miles from maximising what he has. Compare Scaloni and Argentina, their team is pretty mediocre if we are honest with one legend on the wane and a couple of decent players yet he has them actually playing football with style and fudging verve. Argentina played France off the fudging pitch in the WC Final and there is no way looking at the squads available or even players not picked that, that should have been possible.

I think Argentina have a solid if unspectacular side. They played like their lives depended on it and ran their arses off because they trusted Messi to get them through the games. Messi is their only world class player but they have some very good players; Emi Martinez, Romero, Alvarez, MacAllister, Lautaro Martinez. Granted on paper France have a better side, they’re arguably the best side in the world at the moment and have been for a few years so getting to finals is their level.
 
I think Argentina have a solid if unspectacular side. They played like their lives depended on it and ran their arses off because they trusted Messi to get them through the games. Messi is their only world class player but they have some very good players; Emi Martinez, Romero, Alvarez, MacAllister, Lautaro Martinez. Granted on paper France have a better side, they’re arguably the best side in the world at the moment and have been for a few years so getting to finals is their level.
France has a problem in midfield and on the wings. Remove Mbappe and that is the worst striking force I have seen from a team that had Henry, Trezeguet, Anelka at a time. Central midfield, I struggle to see the creativity. Pogba is a loss for them. Ndombele failed to take the opportunity. The midfield that played against Netherlands was dull. Hard working but dull.
 
France has a problem in midfield and on the wings. Remove Mbappe and that is the worst striking force I have seen from a team that had Henry, Trezeguet, Anelka at a time. Central midfield, I struggle to see the creativity. Pogba is a loss for them. Ndombele failed to take the opportunity. The midfield that played against Netherlands was dull. Hard working but dull.

Yeah I’ve been saying all tournament that their forwards aren’t all that besides Mbappe of course and ours are definitely a match for them at the very least. They looked pretty crap without him against Holland. I think defensively they are the strongest team in the tournament and probably the world.
 
He doesn't have to play a pressing game but he could at least play a passing one. Jeez they are so dull to watch despite genuinely having so much talent. He's a million miles from maximising what he has. Compare Scaloni and Argentina, their team is pretty mediocre if we are honest with one legend on the wane and a couple of decent players yet he has them actually playing football with style and fudging verve. Argentina played France off the fudging pitch in the WC Final and there is no way looking at the squads available or even players not picked that, that should have been possible.

That Argentina side was not far from extra time vs Australia. They blew a two goal lead vs Netherlands and were lucky to get away with it, and also should have should have conceded in the last seconds of extra time to lose to France. Oh and lost to Saudi Arabia in their first group game.

But as ever, the only thing that matters in these tournaments is results.
 
That Argentina side was not far from extra time vs Australia. They blew a two goal lead vs Netherlands and were lucky to get away with it, and also should have should have conceded in the last seconds of extra time to lose to France. Oh and lost to Saudi Arabia in their first group game.

But as ever, the only thing that matters in these tournaments is results.
All true but they actually played well Vs Saudi Arabia, they just couldn't finish their chances. Again the were by far the better team than the Netherlands before the comeback and again in the final. My point is just to say that Scaloni has a pretty average Argentina actually playing well, they are better than the raw ingredients they have and play far better football than they should.
 
All true but they actually played well Vs Saudi Arabia, they just couldn't finish their chances. Again the were by far the better team than the Netherlands before the comeback and again in the final. My point is just to say that Scaloni has a pretty average Argentina actually playing well, they are better than the raw ingredients they have and play far better football than they should.
They play as a team, teams win tournaments, names don't.
 
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