Italy v England | Euro 2020 Final

[inbetween]

I don't get why people think we didn't try to do this while we had the upper hand. While we didn't create too many chances, we were on the front foot and showing plenty of attacking intent before Italy started getting back into it and on occasions we were literally just a single decent pass away from increasing our lead. On another day we'd have been 2 or 3 up before they got a kick but that's just the way it goes at times.

This is what happens when you play scared. We started well and got an incredible early goal. After that we were on the front foot, caused them loads of trouble but it all went to pot after half time.

Southgate waited ages despite the growing problems where they eventually got the goal. He made two completely pointless subs, first he took off Trippier who was having a decent game for Saka who did okay. Then he took Rice off who was having a great game for Henderson who did nothing and was shite.

He should of put Grealish on early and got Mount off who was getting nowhere. At least that would give us some control over the game instead of the usual kick and rush. Instead though he waited until the last 15 mins of extra time and Grealish didn't even get to take a pen!

The best thing about England isn't the attacking options, it's the defence. Kyle, Mcguire, Shaw and Stones have been world class in this tournament. Props as well to Mcguire for taking a penalty, not many defenders are upto that.

 

[Big Swifty]

I think the 29 Bluemooners who voted for Italy to win on penalties should identify themselves and get a pat on the back, then they can predict who'll win the PL in 2022

 

[Coljj]

Just watched the rags losing on pens to Villareal. Luke Shaw's penalty was terrible as was the keepers attempt at trying to save it. He took the 8th pen for United so that's why he wasn't one of the 5 last night.

Rashford did his stutter step but made decent contact that time and put it in the corner. I don't know why he doesn't just power it in like he did when he knocked PSG out with that bent handball Var award. Chalk it down to the Bruno/Pogba 'look at me' poser influence.

 

[supersonicblue]

Look carefully at the paper:

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

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Very little time given to congratulate Italy. Proving we are a nation of bad losers again.

How do you work that one out? Nearly to a man on here people have said we were outplayed and Mancini out-thought Southgate. A bad loser would be looking at reasons we were robbed.

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

View attachment 21180
Look carefully at the paper:

View attachment 21181

That strapline makes no sense "We can't take another 55 years of them banging on about this". Surely they wanted an Italy win to create more years of us banging on about this ;)

I'm assuming "this" means 1966.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Forget talking about goalkeepers. Let's just face it, City would absolutely BATTER England.

Yes, but that England team is a team with enough potential in it that Pep (and Klopp) would make them WC winners. Utterly convinced about this.

 

[paulchapo]

Are you really that naive? Southgate merely said that to deflect criticism away from his youngsters. If Shaw, Phillips, Raheem or Big Balls John had stepped forward, they would have been allowed to proceed.

Oh you know that for sure do you? I kind of missed you on the bench last night sat next to Southgate. So we have a defence minded coach, by his own admission, who can see it's going to penalties. He knew beforehand that was a big possibility. As he said they'd trained for them and the five players chosen were the best. Now of course he would have asked them twice if they were happy with that. Once on selection and once again when the shit had hit the fan and it was a reality. All must have said yes. Do you really think he would have said someone had to take one if they weren't happy? That would be idiotic even from a pub team manager never mind the manager of a national side. No, it suits the anti Sterling media to use his name as "Someone who should have had the balls to step up" while totally ignoring he is absolutely useless at taking penalties.

 

[LongsightM13]

I think the 29 Bluemooners who voted for Italy to win on penalties should identify themselves and get a pat on the back, then they can predict who'll win the PL in 2022

Just click on where it says ‘Votes 29’

 

[The blue phantom]

Plenty of top players do not take pens in shoot outs.

The exact reason we had Batty taking one all those years ago.

So who do we believe then?

Waistcoat and his pre-selected 5 or Grealish who says after the event he wanted to take one?

You know I want Grealish here, so I have no real issue with him taking one or not taking one.

I just feel some and you included can't wait to pick up another stick to beat Sterling with.

We all know if he has taken one and missed your day would have been fulfilled and the amount of vitriol you could spew would have reached new heights.

It is slightly sad tbh

Also, just to put it out there I don't think he is worth 300k but then I don't think KDB is worth 400k, Messi 1m, and Bale 600k per week either.

It's not worth it Alf, It's an hatred Fanny has that will simly never end with our Raz.

 

[Big Swifty]

Everything in the garden is lovely, according to Henry Winter and most other journos. Southgate is the man to lead us for the foreseeable (he is apparently more popular than Churchill now, says a poll), and England can only get better. The team achieved a near-miracle by losing narrowly in a major European tournament. It was all so wonderful and thrilling.
Compare all this (bits of it may be partly true) with City reaching a major European club competition final in Porto. All we heard was "Pep fails again to win the big one", etc, etc. No one said "City can only get better" or "Have a great chance next time".
The difference is that English journos see the national team through rose-tinted specs, and City with a jaundiced eye, looking for negatives.
Can we have equal treatment please?
Probably not.

 

[Nellies left peg]

Oh you know that for sure do you? I kind of missed you on the bench last night sat next to Southgate. So we have a defence minded coach, by his own admission, who can see it's going to penalties. He knew beforehand that was a big possibility. As he said they'd trained for them and the five players chosen were the best. Now of course he would have asked them twice if they were happy with that. Once on selection and once again when the shit had hit the fan and it was a reality. All must have said yes. Do you really think he would have said someone had to take one if they weren't happy? That would be idiotic even from a pub team manager never mind the manager of a national side. No, it suits the anti Sterling media to use his name as "Someone who should have had the balls to step up" while totally ignoring he is absolutely useless at taking penalties.

You cannot practice for a situation like Saka found himself in last night the eyes of the wprld on him and the consequences of missing

 

[Bazzmand Show]

Like going to the pub on New Year’s Eve. It’s amateurs’ night

Well said, I find it so hard to watch international games with people who just don't understand the game or really ever watch it. Brings out all the part timers.

 

[Big Swifty]

Just click on where it says ‘Votes 29’

View attachment 21182

Thanks - but I thought some might have spoken up and bragged a bit.

 

[LongsightM13]

Well said, I find it so hard to watch international games with people who just don't understand the game or really ever watch it. Brings out all the part timers.

Invariably they’re the ones with the biggest gobs as well

 

[M18CTID]

Well that's your take, I don' think we came anywhere near adding a second because we were a bit too safe personally.

Without repeating myself too much, England became less adventurous and Italy kept going until they'd fully won the midfield battle. Italy did improve but it wasn't just that, I really do think England gave up the midfield in terms of possession. We had defenders holding onto the ball too long and being dispossessed because the movement ahead of them was none existent. Kane was doing some decent holdup play but nobody was in support for him to lay it off to. Off the ball, we stopped pressing in packs, which made their passing game easier than it ought to have been. I also don't agree that England don't have a team that's suited to possession football(as others have said elsewhere), not anymore, most of those players do it at club level, there's no reason they can't play that way with England. Italy didn't look like the team who had done more minutes and more running this tournament, they were willing to work harder all over the pitch.

Credit to Mancini anyway, he had them playing the better football, as a team.

I just feel on a different day with the start that we had and that first half hour we could've added a second before they started getting back into it. I don't disagree that Southgate left it too late to change things round and even then his subs (or rather who he substituted) were a bit leftfield. Rice was about the only one showing his quality regularly during that tough second half spell so if he was going to bring Henderson on then swap him for Phillips instead.

I agree that most of the players are absolutely suited to possession football and there were spells last night and at other times during the tournament (witness the near 3 minute spell of ball retention against Denmark) where we showed that we were very comfortable with the ball.

Mancini's a quality manager but in some ways I see plenty of similarities between his early time at City and Southgate's first few years as England manager. Both adopted a defensive first strategy and if you remember, Mancini was getting pelters from many quarters - including some of our own fans - for not making best use of all the attacking options in our squad. Sound familiar? it was only really after we won the FA Cup in 2011 that the handbrake well and truly came off the following season. Interestingly enough, one of those games in the 2011-12 season was a 3-2 defeat at home to United in the FA Cup when we were hamstrung by the early dismissal of Kompany and went in 3 down at the break. Mancini changed things round and we very nearly pulled off a miraculous fightback. The ITV pundits that day included Keane and Southgate. While the former was completely dismissive of the way we played in the second half because we'd "still lost the game", Southgate provided more of an insight into Mancini's tactics and said we could learn a lot from people like him. I wouldn't be surprised if Southgate learns something from the way Mancini changed things round last night and I also wouldn't rule out a similar releasing of the handbrake (as Mancini did at City) for the World Cup.

 

[mat]

How do you work that one out? Nearly to a man on here people have said we were outplayed and Mancini out-thought Southgate. A bad loser would be looking at reasons we were robbed.

All the media I've seen today has been on how unlucky Engerland were.

Very little in congratulations for Italy being the best team in the tournament.

 

[levets]

Mount has become one of the over hyped media darlings.

Myth… never really rated him that highly. Wandered about last night and should have been subbed for Grealish at 60m. Nowhere near Foden or Grealish level.

 

[Big Swifty]

You cannot practice for a situation like Saka found himself in last night the eyes of the wprld on him and the consequences of missing

You cannot practise the situation, true, but you can practise hitting the ball in a given spot with sufficient power.

 

[coolcity]

Oh you know that for sure do you? I kind of missed you on the bench last night sat next to Southgate. So we have a defence minded coach, by his own admission, who can see it's going to penalties. He knew beforehand that was a big possibility. As he said they'd trained for them and the five players chosen were the best. Now of course he would have asked them twice if they were happy with that. Once on selection and once again when the shit had hit the fan and it was a reality. All must have said yes. Do you really think he would have said someone had to take one if they weren't happy? That would be idiotic even from a pub team manager never mind the manager of a national side. No, it suits the anti Sterling media to use his name as "Someone who should have had the balls to step up" while totally ignoring he is absolutely useless at taking penalties.

I kind of agree, but I still think they should be put on the list and told to get on with it. Surely it's not the right thing to do to let some enthusiastic kid go ahead because he wants to, when you have top class established strikers on the field that should be doing the job.

Notably two of the players he brought on just before the end specifically for the job missed their pens. I haven't read the thread but all week I haven't been able to get excited about it. I've said all along if we come up against a half decent side we'll lose, I think Southgate is too defensive, I don't think he knows when to change things when it's not working (i.e. most of the 90 and certainly the whole of the second half, and I don't think we have players who work well together. Maguire, for instance, was more interested in trying to get up the field so he could get the goal and the glory, he's not a good defender in my opinion. Phillips looked knackered after an hour, Kane did nothing again and Mount, I think there are better choices ahead of him. But as for penalties, to leave the responsibility on the kids shoulders is just plain wrong, you're asking for trouble. Saka looked scared to death.