RobEG
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Post by RobEG on Jun 16, 2024 21:33:11 GMT
Nagelsmann, Klopp, even Poch would get this lot playing amazing football.
And also a big fan of cesc as a pundit.
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Post by monkman5000 on Jun 16, 2024 21:33:14 GMT
Trent is not a midfielder. Foden doesn't work as a second number 10.
Bellingham is sensational though. If anyone deserves a love-in...
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Post by JuniorFE on Jun 16, 2024 21:40:00 GMT
Apparently Albanian fans were breaking spaghetti to piss off Italian fans before the match...
*chortle*
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Post by Resident Knievel on Jun 16, 2024 21:45:38 GMT
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Post by JuniorFE on Jun 16, 2024 21:46:55 GMT
And United fans wanted to kick him out, tsk tsk |
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Post by Dougs on Jun 16, 2024 21:51:47 GMT
Proper tournament result that imo. It's not pretty but hard to argue with results. I'm happy anyway.
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Post by harrypalmer on Jun 17, 2024 5:47:28 GMT
Yeah it’s a good result against a tough team, can’t complain really, but not an enjoyable game. The drop off in the second half was worrying, as was the sloppiness, but got to start somewhere!
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RobEG
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Post by RobEG on Jun 17, 2024 7:10:30 GMT
Southgate made the point that physically we are not in the best shape, which I guess explains the drop off after the first 30 minutes.
We’re in a good position to go through now, and hopefully improve as the tournament goes on.
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Tuffty
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Post by Tuffty on Jun 17, 2024 7:10:36 GMT
The reaction to it this morning is like if they lost 3-0. Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in their first match and still won the World Cup. Just relax.
Also thought the Bellingham love in was a bit much. "That pass draws breath", it was a back pass.
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Post by JuniorFE on Jun 17, 2024 7:47:11 GMT
The reaction to it this morning is like if they lost 3-0. Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in their first match and still won the World Cup. Just relax. Also thought the Bellingham love in was a bit much. "That pass draws breath", it was a back pass. "That pass draws breath"? What is that, some Gordon Ramsay "THAT CHICKEN BREAST IS SO RAW I CAN HEAR IT CLUCKING!!!" type of joke? |
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Post by Trowel 🏴 on Jun 17, 2024 8:00:56 GMT
The slow-motion replay of Bellingham trying to hide behind the goalkeeper in case he rolled it out made me laugh, as though the match director thought Jude had reinvented football.
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Post by jimnastics on Jun 17, 2024 8:31:25 GMT
Also thought the Bellingham love in was a bit much. "That pass draws breath", it was a back pass. Was that the volley pass he quite clearly scuffed off the outside of his boot? He obviously meant to drill it straight / down, instead it ballooned in the air a bit. I told my son he scuffed it and he started having a go at me, seems Jude can do no wrong. He was fucking awesome though. |
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Post by muddyfunster on Jun 17, 2024 8:34:43 GMT
Thing is, for the first time in my lifetime I think England might actually have the 'best', or more accurately most impactful, player in the world.
The love in might actually be justified this time.
England will be Jude's team for the next decade and it's going to be about how we fit people around him to maximise his impact. He's our Zidane, Messi, Ronaldo (Portugeezer version). We have to make this work.
I'm usually one to urge caution with young players but the fact is at age 20, this is his second major international tournament, he almost dragged Dortmund to a title before winning a league and Champions League double with Real Madrid. The league player of the season in his last two seasons and he's not even a striker.
What more can someone of his age and background do to justify the hype?
There are no more levels left, this is the very elite and he's leading his side like it's the most natural thing in the world.
All aboard the hype train.
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Post by grey_matters on Jun 17, 2024 8:44:11 GMT
Yeah, maybe it's overboard but it's fairly forgiveable. Kane didn't get enough plaudits (at home or abroad) for being world class, maybe he will now at Bayern. This guy is so special though, he might as well get some praise now before the constant dissection of his failures kicks in later.
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Post by monkman5000 on Jun 17, 2024 8:45:01 GMT
Bear in mind that some of the people in here moaning about the Bellingham love-in are not English (or England fans)  For once we have a player that justifies the hype, why shouldn't we enjoy him. |
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Binky
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Post by Binky on Jun 17, 2024 8:51:12 GMT
Yup, Bellingham was quality and Guehi was really decent too. I think TrentAA is worth having in there for the moments of magic. Nobody else in the team can hit a raking ball from deep as accurately as he can.
Foden was a luxury passenger, I'd think about swapping him out. Kane was passive for most of it, but he was clearly doing as he was told and stayed up top without getting in the way by dropping deep. Did well for drawing fouls later in the game.
As Dougs said - a good tournament result. I'm old enough to remember when we used to lose these opening games.
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Post by cristar on Jun 17, 2024 8:55:50 GMT
The reaction to it this morning is like if they lost 3-0. Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia in their first match and still won the World Cup. Just relax. Also thought the Bellingham love in was a bit much. "That pass draws breath", it was a back pass. It's just regular commentary on an England match really. The way they jizzed over a Pickford save that any keeper should save, and was possibly not even on target, was also brilliant. |
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Post by simple on Jun 17, 2024 8:59:27 GMT
I’m not just saying this as Newcastle supporter but is there a case that while Foden is the better player that England would be better balanced if Gordon took his place.
Foden and Bellingham are both best played in the same position and Bellingham has his flag in there now.
Foden was anonymous for spells having to play wider but Gordon is naturally more of a wide man. Same as if Southgate had taken Grealish.
It just feels like if you’re going for a three and Saka is a winger on one side, having a pacy winger on the other side gives England more options than a pair of number 10s both wanting to go through the middle.
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Binky
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Post by Binky on Jun 17, 2024 9:05:54 GMT
I’m not just saying this as Newcastle supporter but is there a case that while Foden is the better player that England would be better balanced if Gordon took his place. Foden and Bellingham are both best played in the same position and Bellingham has his flag in there now. Foden was anonymous for spells having to play wider but Gordon is naturally more of a wide man. Same as if Southgate had taken Grealish. It just feels like if you’re going for a three and Saka is a winger on one side, having a pacy winger on the other side gives England more options than a pair of number 10s both wanting to go through the middle. Yeah Gordon or Eze would be a better balance I reckon. |
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Post by rhaegyr on Jun 17, 2024 9:07:58 GMT
I’m not just saying this as Newcastle supporter but is there a case that while Foden is the better player that England would be better balanced if Gordon took his place. Foden and Bellingham are both best played in the same position and Bellingham has his flag in there now. Foden was anonymous for spells having to play wider but Gordon is naturally more of a wide man. Same as if Southgate had taken Grealish. It just feels like if you’re going for a three and Saka is a winger on one side, having a pacy winger on the other side gives England more options than a pair of number 10s both wanting to go through the middle. Absolutely. Reminds me of trying to crowbar Lampard, Scholes and Gerrard in the same team back in the day and playing people out of position just to include them. |
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Post by monkman5000 on Jun 17, 2024 9:09:04 GMT
Tend to agree ( simple) but it seems such a shame not to be able to use Foden, even if he was off it yesterday. I wonder if Foden and Bellingham could both play as a sort of wider inverted 10 (Foden slightly right of centre but inside Saka still, Bellingham slightly left of centre) then they're both coming inside on their stronger foot. Feel like that's how Foden got a lot of his goals last season. /is not Pep |
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Post by rhaegyr on Jun 17, 2024 9:10:56 GMT
Wonder if there's any chance he'd drop Trent, play Bellingham closer to Rice and have Foden sit in front.
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Post by monkman5000 on Jun 17, 2024 9:11:33 GMT
It's unbalanced though isn't it. We've got too much down the right with Walker joining in, and nothing down the left.
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Post by monkman5000 on Jun 17, 2024 9:12:00 GMT
Wonder if there's any chance he'd drop Trent, play Bellingham closer to Rice and have Foden sit in front. Sounds good but too attacking for Gareth! |
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Post by simple on Jun 17, 2024 9:30:12 GMT
I suppose you could try and really over-engineer it and go
4-1-4-1
With Rice on his own and Eze/Gordon - Bellingham - Foden - Saka behind Kane
But you’d really be relying on the four to press high or Rice and the fullbacks could get overloaded quite quickly. Other risk is they spend too much time dropping deep and you isolate Kane.
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Tomo
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Post by Tomo on Jun 17, 2024 9:33:57 GMT
Gotta agree re: the Foden/Bellingham similarities. Foden is absolutely incredible, but Bellingham is even more incredible somehow. I would also sadly drop Foden and put a proper left winger in. Preferably Grealish -_- ... but actually probably Gordon, unless Eze can play left wing? Can't remember.
I really wanted Eze on last night... and then Gallagher came on, who was decent tbf, but it was a containing move whereas I thought Eze would cause Serbia all sorts of issues on the counter.
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Post by harrypalmer on Jun 17, 2024 10:04:20 GMT
Wonder if there's any chance he'd drop Trent, play Bellingham closer to Rice and have Foden sit in front. Would do this. Nothing against Trent, but all his problems as a defender follow him in to midfield. He loses focus and gets sloppy, and tries ridiculous passes. It's a shame as he is almost amazing. |
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RobEG
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Post by RobEG on Jun 17, 2024 10:08:28 GMT
Gallagher definitely made sense last night. We were up against it and needed some strength and energy in there that Trent can’t really provide.
But I don’t get why he didn’t stick Eze on for at least the last 10 minutes. Foden was ineffective all night and Eze can carry the ball forward and give them something different to think about on the break.
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Post by muddyfunster on Jun 17, 2024 10:09:03 GMT
It was clear that we needed a left wing forward who wanted to run his man down the outside as Trippier seemingly can't overlap and cross on his left foot. Foden obviously had no interest playing that way. Gordon for Foden would've been my choice but wouldn't have complained about Eze either
Southgate is very frustrating. It's always one step forward, one step back. Deserves credit for the initial team selection and how we started. Then it looked like he just blindly made preplanned subs rather than respond to the actual game state. The subs weren't awful, but they were definitely too late and a bit generic.
To be charitable I'd say maybe the plan was to relax the press and let Serbia have more ball after initial 30mins/once ahead. Player fatigue is a real concern and we'll need the legs later.
Though how he thought the left side of Trippier and Foden, or TAA in midfield was fine to leave until 69mins was baffling. Invited trouble and we do have options on the bench (and several more back in England).
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Post by rhaegyr on Jun 17, 2024 10:14:53 GMT
I'm surprised about the criticism of the subs - thought both Gallagher and Bowen had decent cameos and did what they were brought on to do.
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