The Euro 2020 Thread

That must have been one of the best football days since a very long time.
Over the moon for Morata and that Spanish GK. After his howler, he played a very good match. Class.

I love French football, but i'm very glad France are out. I hope Deschamps gets fired, to play this boring type of football with the best squad by a country mile is a big loss for football. To play Presnel Kimpembe as CB when you have Uppamecano is stupid.

And never underestimate the Swiss team, they beat our national team with 5-2.
 
Liberté, egalité, eliminé. Au revoir France! 😁 😁 😁

On a more serious note...
Eyzord said:
Yeah but its really sad euro 2016 lost euro 2020(1) lost too
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Unlucky you weren't around for Euro 2000 (which you won). Now THAT was a really sad moment (for us) and an absolutely great one (for you).
Being up 1-0 at minute 92, conceding a goal that should have never gone in, and then losing at extra time... Heartbreaking.

Apart from that, you're seeing a period (like the 1998/2000 one) in which France is great and can fight for everything. I know it's painful getting kicked off after being 3-1 up but it's not the end of the road for this generation of French footballers. You'll soon have the chance to redeem yourselves.
 
Buzzy said:
The countdown begins, I have just one question "Is it coming home?" :COAT:

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Usually at this point I am in full "it's coming home" mode and I can't help it.

But I've seen a few "combined XI" tweets today, and realised that I really think the spine of the German team, e.g. Neuer, Rüdiger, Hummels, Gündoğan, Gnabry, Kroos, Havertz, Müller...

...absolutely destroys ours - e.g. (supposed starters tonight) Pickford, Stones, Shaw, Phillips, Rice, Foden, Sterling and Kane.

I love Foden - I think he's my favourite player in world football right now (not because he's the best but because of a mixture of patriotism and the joy of his game). But honestly, I think I'd take 1-2 English players over the German players at an absolute push.

Recent performances as an overall unit (England's clean sheets, and Germany's wobble in their last game) suggest that we have a chance - but on paper, it feels to me like a game between a top four Premier League side vs. Burnley (who've somehow got Sterling and Foden on loan).

My heart says 1-0 England, and that's what I've bet on.

My head says 3-0 Germany, with Southgate and Kane being dragged over the coals by the fans/media like Deschamps and Mbappe are for France right now.

Sidebar; I really hate that we're (apparently) not playing Saka tonight despite his excellent, driving performance last time out, and not playing Grealish despite him getting an assist last time out. Also, Kane. Our last game didn't really matter (we were through no matter what), so why didn't we put Calvert-Lewin on to start, and bring Kane on in the second half, when his energy levels might have more closely matched those around him?
 
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How could he even consider leaving Saka out tonight? Mr Cautious as ever. These young players like Saka, Foden, Mount and Sancho don't have any fear, let them loose. They receive the ball and their first thought is to run at the other team more often than not. As for Grealish, set pieces have generally been our main weapon under Southgate so surely it makes sense to play a player who will probably win you 5-10 dangerous free kicks in the game?

Instead of worrying about them and being cautious why not set out to use our attacking talent and give them plenty to worry about instead? It wouldn't surprise me if he played Trippier at LB again with Walker at RB. Nothing against Trippier, he's solid enough and does put in good deliveries on free kicks, but it makes little attacking sense if as expected he'll play Sterling at LW because he'll look to come inside and Trippier won't overlap because he'll cut back on his right to cross, where as Shaw or Cresswell would go outside Sterling and get some crosses in from good positions. Walker also doesn't offer a great deal going forward in comparison to James.

Our best ploy tonight is surely to get in behind and exploit Hummels lack of pace with the pace all our wide players have.

I think we have more than enough to win the game but I'm not confident we will as we are more than capable of losing it too through being negative and cautious rather than using our best young talents to get at them.

Edit: Just thinking about the pace angle as well, there's an argument to be had I think to play Sterling up front up against Hummels with Grealish on the left, Saka on the right and give Foden a free role behind Sterling.
 
Chris Davies said:
Usually at this point I am in full "it's coming home" mode and I can't help it.

But I've seen a few "combined XI" tweets today, and realised that I really think the spine of the German team, e.g. Neuer, Rüdiger, Hummels, Gündoğan, Gnabry, Kroos, Havertz, Müller...

...absolutely destroys ours - e.g. (supposed starters tonight) Pickford, Stones, Shaw, Phillips, Rice, Foden, Sterling and Kane.

I love Foden - I think he's my favourite player in world football right now (not because he's the best but because of a mixture of patriotism and the joy of his game). But honestly, I think I'd take 1-2 English players over the German players at an absolute push.

Recent performances as an overall unit (England's clean sheets, and Germany's wobble in their last game) suggest that we have a chance - but on paper, it feels to me like a game between a top four Premier League side vs. Burnley (who've somehow got Sterling and Foden on loan).

My heart says 1-0 England, and that's what I've bet on.

My head says 3-0 Germany, with Southgate and Kane being dragged over the coals by the fans/media like Deschamps and Mbappe are for France right now.

Sidebar; I really hate that we're (apparently) not playing Saka tonight despite his excellent, driving performance last time out, and not playing Grealish despite him getting an assist last time out. Also, Kane. Our last game didn't really matter (we were through no matter what), so why didn't we put Calvert-Lewin on to start, and bring Kane on in the second half, when his energy levels might have more closely matched those around him?
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I know what you mean Chris, about the it's coming home mode, we have been here too many times before, and we know what normally happens next.
Hopefully the German's will be over confident and under estimate us. However like Matt says It will count for very little if we are over cautious. How can you have belief in getting the job done with such a negative style? (i have a suspicion though, Southgate is trying "Greece 2004")

Foden is a cracking player, and to be honest by all accounts so his Bellingham and Sancho. The Germans must be laughing at the fact they are not up against one of our players they truly rate has a danger in Sancho. Also if like you say we have no Grealish or Saka?? What the actual f**k is going on!!

We will never (for probably Decades) never ever have a chance like this. If Southgate fails tonight we all know the slaughtering that's heading his way.

Whatever happens we are all in for a tense nailbiter.

So take heed Gareth, and listen to our Brian....... (Fabio didn't)

 
Buzzy said:
If Southgate fails tonight we all know the slaughtering that's heading his way.
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I'm hoping I imagined seeing it but aren't the FA supposedly going to extend his contract regardless of tonight's result? If we start to play well and go on to do well, fair enough, but if we lose being cautious tonight with this squad then surely it's time for a change of approach?
 
Saka keeps his place so that's something! Walker, Trippier and Shaw so three at the back then presumably. Why have four CB's in the squad and only use 2 when you play 3 CB's? I get Walker's pace but if you don't trust those CB's you picked then why bother picking them?

I just know this will be the game that Werner suddenly works out how to shoot on target
 
mattmid said:
I'm hoping I imagined seeing it but aren't the FA supposedly going to extend his contract regardless of tonight's result? If we start to play well and go on to do well, fair enough, but if we lose being cautious tonight with this squad then surely it's time for a change of approach?
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If that is the case Matt, and we lose, then we should demand the FA committee be replaced.
 
Heart says England are due one over Germany one of these days, every teams luck and record changes at some point especially with that we have seen so far, but after scoring only 2 goals so far were going to need a real Kick up the arse for this one.

I've also stuck a fiver on Germany & both teams to score for some insurance. But if England win, then I've paid a fiver for it 😂
 
It might well work and we'll hit them on the break, Hungary certainly showed they are vulnerable to it but I'd like to think we'd take the game to them but the defensive nature of the line up doesn't suggest it.

Have to say the Football's Coming Home song still gives me goosebumps. To think another 25 years have passed since the original thirty years of hurt line is mad.


MafiaMurderBag said:
I've also stuck a fiver on Germany & both teams to score for some insurance. But if England win, then I've paid a fiver for it 😂
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Don't knock it, I single handedly got Pompey promoted from League 2 by putting trebles on our three rivals the last 8 weeks of the season. We won it on the final day after leaders Doncaster lost 5 in a row and I didn't win one of those trebles :LOL:

I've also had a couple of quid on Werner to score seeing as he hasn't been able to hit a barn door all season for Chelsea it's inevitable this evening!
 
Can't really understand the criticism of Sterling from some English media/fans.
"Only two goals"
Yeah the only one's England has scored.
Plus he has 14 (or is it 12) goals the past 19 games.
Think he's brilliant.
 
rockstrongo said:
Can't really understand the criticism of Sterling from some English media/fans.
"Only two goals"
Yeah the only one's England has scored.
Plus he has 14 (or is it 12) goals the past 19 games.
Think he's brilliant.
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Got to admit I'm not a massive fan. Very good player but he wastes a lot of really good chances, a lot of his goals are 6 yard tap ins from De Bruyne passes. His final pass is often not great either and he does tend to run into players. I think he's best when it's instinctive, when he has time to think it usually doesn't work out the best. That sounds like I'm really knocking him now :LOL: Hopefully I'm about to change my mind :D
 
mattmid said:
Got to admit I'm not a massive fan. Very good player but he wastes a lot of really good chances, a lot of his goals are 6 yard tap ins from De Bruyne passes. His final pass is often not great either and he does tend to run into players. I think he's best when it's instinctive, when he has time to think it usually doesn't work out the best. That sounds like I'm really knocking him now :LOL: Hopefully I'm about to change my mind :D
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Yeah get what you mean Matt.
Don't know how criticised Kane has been in this championship,but to me (in this championship) that's a stinker.
He'll probably score a hattrick tonight:)
 
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