Bring back Lampard and Beckham
It would certainly do it for me, in that Iāve been planning to paint the garden fence. It takes about 90 minutes to dry - I think Iāll watch that instead.
Maddison is quality whereas Gallagher is more a water carrier.
Watkins needed accurate through passes to run onto and on an off night for Bellingham Maddison would have been a better option.
ā¦and Charlton and Moore.
Frankly Iād take Morecambe & Wiseā¦
With great respect, I disagree with what we feel was the priority. We had so much quality on the field who can create chances. What we needed was someone who could stop the opposition from playing.
Nah. Cannon and Ball.
Big stopper and a little terrier.
Sorry but we created very little. Our goal came from a rebound off a Danish defender. We needed somebody who could put their foot on the ball and dictate play hence Maddison when Bellingham isnāt firing.
Trying to stop the opposition playing falls into the defensive mindset that is Southgateās Achilles heel.
After we scored, we were dominated for most of the game. That had to be addressed. Maddison would not have addressed that. Thatās not a ādefensive mindsetā, thatās just common sense.
We already had a man on the field who could have done that job in Rice but unfortunately he appeared to have been told to form part of a defensive bank of four in front of the back four.
The reason we lost momentum was not the lack of a ball winner but a too defensive mindset on the part of the manager who once again tried to hold on to a narrow lead.
Why do the back four need āprotectingā anyway?
Interestingly, Southgate says the team dropping deep wasnāt his idea. If thats the case, why wasnāt he screaming at them from the touch line to get higher up the pitch. Of course, being Gareth he would have asked them politely, but even still while I donāt like seeing coaches/managers doing their ends from the sidelines, there is a time to give the players a right rollicking to get them to do what you want them to do.
If you are just going to let them do what they want when they get on the pitch, why do you need a coach?
Thatās not what I was saying. I meant that we had to stop the opposition from having freedom of the midfield. We needed some steel there.
Letās agree to disagree
Iām afraid that I was looking in a different field to you this afternoon.
āCanā being the important word. But if you give the opposition the midfield, what do you expect ?
How Spain are not 3 or 4 goals up I donāt know (oh, 1-0 up now)
Spain have been on fire but I suggest the England camp watch Italyās first half performance. Talk about keeping shape and pressing when NOT having the ball. Masterclass.
Of course, England probably wishes they were playing like Spain
I expect our abundance of āworld classā players to give a much better account of themselves than they have so far.
It doesnāt mean I expect them to win every game come what may, but I do think they should be performing rather better than we have seen so far.
So much for yet another āgolden generationā.
You can scream at someone all you like, but itāll make no difference whatsoever.
When the Italians have the ball in midfield, just look at how the Spanish snap at their heels.
Thatās what I am on about !!