I thought England played a bit better than they did in previous games but the build-up is still painfully slow and so, for the opposition defence, predictable. One or two players seem to be getting their mojo back eg Saka had a good game and looked more like the player we all see in the PL (was particularly pleased to see him score a penalty, given history). I’d rather not have the stress of a penalty shoot out but must acknowledge that England’s penalties looked very assured, Toney’s in particular.
Having, then watched the Turkey v Netherlands QF, I don’t think we should be scared of the Dutch. They are a decent side with some very talented players but beatable. Roll-on Wednesday.
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Sir Geoff Hurst was asked how he thought the England players of '66 would have fared against Switzerland, would they have won it in 90 minutes perhaps? “I think we’d have won 1-0 without needing extra-time” he replied. “Only 1-0?” retorted the reporter. “Yes,” said Sir Geoff. “Most of us the surviving squad members are in our 80’s now!….
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Evidently I am rooting for NL next Wednesday, but besides that: A euro final England v France would really require me to find means of staying awake.
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No-one has mentioned the run of the England player who made a run into the penalty area, pulling 1 defender with him, causing Saka’s defender to hesitate, giving Saka a few yards of space to do what he does for Arsenal.
Who made the run?
Literally the refrain of every England fan since 1966.
What “more” could he have got out of them? English exceptionslism, the belief that the best pros in your country are magnificent and it’s just the manager, lives on.
Kane? Recovering match fitness after the hardest running season of his career.
Walker? Limited one footed player rapidly losing the one asset he had which disguised his limitation i.e. pace. Forced backwards repeatedly as he increasingly is at club level. If Pep can’t get it out of him then I’d love to know why anyone might think Southgate can.
Trippier? Repeated lapses of concentration and again losing the pace which disguised his limitations.
Stones? Can caress a ball. Always too slow and again prone to lapses. Can’t drift into midfield or further forward as he does for his club because most countries we have played press high or strategically.
Bellingham? Tired; let’s his head drop when he doesn’t get his own way and, for all the moments of brilliance and arguments about his being in the wrong position, he has repeatedly done all the simple things such as short passes or actual running, relatively badly. Dives when frustrated and the case for Wharton grows by the day.
Rice? Not playing as badly as some suggest but his game is based on interventions with a subsequent pass to a player on the move or quick one twos. This teams style doesn’t involve that. Ultimately he’s a good player in the wrong team so, yeah, the improve,ent there would be to take him out.
Saka? One trick pony but it’s a great trick and has mostly worked. One of the quiet successes of the tournament.
Foden? Lovely to look at but easily shut out far too many times when he has no options. Like Rice he’s a good player but in a team where he can’t work.
The issue then is not the magical thinking of getting “more” from these players but picking the right players in the first place.
They were selected in advance of the match and one change notified on the night as I understand it.
Would I start with Palmer? No. I’d start with Wharton in place of Bellingham or Foden.
So use him as an impact player, use younger legs to run defenders around and then put on a semi or three quarters fit Harry to find the gaps that the tired defenders won’t be able to cover.
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Dull tournament altogether sadly. Turkey the only entertaining football. Something has to change to stop teams playing for the extra time, and then for the penalties. England seem to rely on set pieces rather than field play. I suspect other teams are much the same.
How about reserving extra time for the final? It’s hardly fair that some of the teams in the knockout round play way more minutes than others. Go straight to penalties in round of 16, quarters and semis.
Having said that, whatever anyone does, it’s likely to create as many problems as it solves.
Do you think that there are too many matches over the course of a season, are players knackered by the time these tournaments kick off 10 months after the season started?
Should we hold tournaments in mid season like the World Cup in Qatar to avoid player burnout?
Of course you are. And my comment wasn’t aimed just at you.
Incidentally, are you Oxfordian because you support the Edward de Vere theory? Just curious. I don’t have an opinion either way.
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A person born in Oxford - Oxfordian
Have the penalty shootout at the start and no extra time, that stops us from having to watch 120 minutes of turgid football.
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I suggested elsewhere that with the advent of technology it shouldn’t be too difficult to award the win to the team having made the most direct attempts at goal, in the case of a draw. It would make teams think about playing more attacking football rather than this play to. Draw attitude that we see so much of.
Or corners awarded? Or even yellow/red cards, which might stop some of the cynical stuff?
Have never seen a team play for extra time. If they’ve the energy, players or tactical options they’ll try and win it in 90. If not then another 30 is the last thing they want and being defensive in that period is not a surprise so much as a survival technique.
Impact players have never worked that way. There are only two sorts.
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a player who can hold the ball or create problems through brute force. Toney and Wighorst being prime examples in this tournament.
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a player who may well be tactically indisciplined but who has pace to burn which can be used once others have run a defence or midfield into the ground.
A fully fit Kane could in theory do the former. A three quarters fit Kane has already shown many times he couldn’t possibly do that.
In this tournament you’re either hoping he gets match fitness as he goes or dropping him completely. Neither Palmer or Eze are adequate replacements. Good players but their ball retention on receipt is hit and miss. The number of times they launch opposition breaks is likely costly at this level. If you’re going to replace Kane then it’s with Toney. As the latter is also not fully match fit then the only gain is against defences who struggle with a physical presence. The Dutch currently struggle with basic defensive positioning so I see no gain in Toney and wou;d stick with Ksne.
The real issue remains in midfield. If you want better then you play Wharton and use Bellingham as the impact sub.
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Kane vs NL, I agree. Our side have been “surprised” by 4 goals in 2024 alone by corner kicks. I actually believe Wednesday’s game will be anything but dull. NL always (foolishly) plays to win, never compact nor organized, many goals for both sides would not be an odd forecast.
Ah. When I worked in Oxford in the Seventies, they called themselves Oxonians.
So if anyone thinks the Euros have thrown up some bad games, try watching the CopaAmerica. I have been watching Canada who had a real go against Venezuela and won through to the semis after a penalty shoot out (no extra time until the final). It was a fantastic game of end to end football. For their first time in the tournament they are doing very well.
HOWEVER, last night I watched Uruguay vs Brazil thinking it could be a good game with all those skillful players on show. What a mistake. 90 minutes of hauling and hacking each other down, feigning bad tackles and head injuries, rolling round and round on the floor. It was quite frankly appalling. There were over 40 fouls, multiple yellow cards, players surrounding the ref at every decision and 1 red card for an awful tackle that somehow didn’t break the guys ankle.
And in the end Uruguay went through on penalties
Give me the Euros any time…
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I could use either but prefer Oxfordian, Oxonians sounds more of a collective than an individual.
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Much as I love many Uruguayan players, past and present, they are notoriously nasty on the field. Oddly, Uruguayans as a whole tend to be delightful people, in my experience (lots of South Americans in this part of the world).