England wasting one of the most talented squads ever assembled on Southgate

There's one thing that no one seems to mention.
Some say that England should be using City players more in these qualifiers. Why? So we can beat Malta 6-0 instead of 4, or N.M. 9-0 instead of 7?
This is all very well, but why risk using the crème de la crème when England are playing fotballing minnows?
Why subject them to the risk of injury?
There is simply no need to do that.
City players have had probably the most gruelling season of any club ever.
Let them enjoy their break and come back refreshed and ready for the new season.
 
Ithryn Luin said:
England will never beat a team ranked the same or above them in the latter stages of a competition with Southgate in charge.
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Pretty difficult to do when you're ranked 3rd-5th in the world.

England have won 15 knockout games in their entire history. Southgate's won 6 of them.
 
BlueHammer85 said:
Embarrassing thread for self entitled anti England fans that only really care about there own teams players being picked and don’t want England to succeed.

Southgate has one of the highest win percentages, took us to final of the Euros only losing on penalties and to a World Cup semi final - he has achieved far more than pretty much every manager since Alf Ramsey.

Going into the tournaments he has picked one of the youngest squads and starting line ups in the world, has managed to keep the unity and team spirit within the camp and has cemented himself as Englands manager after our performances at tournaments.

The reality is no England manager will ever please , it’s a massive ask to win a major tournament but even if we did , whoever is the manager will still get criticised, that’s the reality of modern day internet fans - all crying, whinging and moaning constantly mainly because they have a gripe against certain players being picked.

Euro 2020: Is Gareth Southgate England's greatest manager since Alf Ramsey?

www.sportinglife.com www.sportinglife.com
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I’m not anti England or self entitled.

The first name on that team sheet should be the keeper at Brighton.
And build from there.

Once you’ve seen your team play out from the back. You won’t accept the long ball constantly for ninety minutes


One thing that West Ham and City had in common was trying to play football.
Sometimes we were good and sometimes you were good.
Most of the time we were both bad. But we tried to play all the same.
I just want England to be brave and do the same.
Let’s play to win for a change
 
Ithryn Luin said:
Croatia...Lost
Italy...Lost
France....Lost

The other 6 knock out matches we were expected to win.....says it all!
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Perhaps we've come across the actual problem?

I've just told you that in the 100 year history of English football before Southgate the team had won 9 knockout matches and your reaction is that you expected him to win 6 so they don't matter.
 
I have nothing against Southgate on a personal level, seems like a decent bloke.

But I haven’t watched an international game since the world cup and I don’t plan on doing any time soon.

I have zero natural in-built patriotism and I struggle to get past the cognitive dissonance involved with the fact if I could have chosen anywhere to be born it wouldn’t be here. I don’t really feel any connection to any one country just because I was born in it, it feels totally arbitrary, a bit like picking a team at random and choosing to support it.

As a teenager I chose to go to another country for university and as an adult I chose to get married in another country. I genuinely feel more European than English in terms of world view, philosophy, etc.

I can sometimes at least overlook my lack of patriotism if what I’m watching is sufficiently entertaining (the ashes is a good example). But this England team is not entertaining, it’s dull and functional. I’m not going to sit and slate from the sidelines, I’m just not going to care and that’s not something I can pretend to do.

I wish I could admire our team on the strength of the players and entertaining football in the same way many neutrals admire City, but I can’t. Because the way we play is bereft of excitement.
 
Hard to judge when you are playing lower ranked teams; the defence did what was expected of them, which wasn't much - all tidy and unhurried, ending with a clean sheet. The one I feel for is Foden. What was he meant to do? In both games he ran around, harrying the opposition, but why? As far as I could see he was the only one using energy in this way, and as we were winning comfortably was it necessary? An attempt to impress Southgate or just acting on the instructions of the boss? A player of his ability should expect to receive the ball, not to go hunting for it (if that is what he was doing). In a game last year (can't now remember which) he was stuck on the left wing, waiting for a ball which hardly ever came. I can't make sense of it.
 
Don't mind Southgate but he's clearly quite limited.

This group would be extraordinary under Pep.

Perhaps we'll see it one day (not too soon!)
 
Grassland Blue said:
There's one thing that no one seems to mention.
Some say that England should be using City players more in these qualifiers. Why? So we can beat Malta 6-0 instead of 4, or N.M. 9-0 instead of 7?
This is all very well, but why risk using the crème de la crème when England are playing fotballing minnows?
Why subject them to the risk of injury?
There is simply no need to do that.
City players have had probably the most gruelling season of any club ever.
Let them enjoy their break and come back refreshed and ready for the new season.
Click to expand...
Don't select them and give them a further week on holiday might be an idea which most of us would support
 
I generally agree with the title of the thread, but I don’t think the last two matches against Malta and North Macedonia are example of the issue.

City players were knackered (and likely still pissed) after their efforts in the last few weeks of the season, so not playing them against Malta was understandable.

That said, I didn’t like Southgate’s comments about—and treatment of—our players generally. That was yet another example of poor, biased management (that would have not happened if United, Liverpool, or Arsenal had won the treble and celebrated as our lads did).
 
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Southgate might get results but he bores everyone with slow and predictable football. Yes you can beat what's in front off you but we still a long way off from being Europe's best.

Our players have the talent but not used correctly.

If we are playing San Marino then get rid off the Defensive Midfielder and add an Attacking Midfielder. If its France then definitely add a Defensive Midfielder.
 
Bluemoon2393 said:
Southgate might get results but he bores everyone with slow and predictable football. Yes you can beat what's in front off you but we still a long way off from being Europe's best.

Our players have the talent but not used correctly.

If we are playing San Marino then get rid off the Defensive Midfielder and add an Attacking Midfielder. If its France then definitely add a Defensive Midfielder.
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We just played North Macedonia with Henderson and Rice holding …

We won 7-0
 
Any1aBlue said:
Are they? How many England players are actually’world class’? We’ve got several at the level below, but France have the same number plus a few genuinely world class ones. That makes the difference. We always big up our domestic hero‘s. When you look at those from the past that we thought were world class: Gerard, lampard, scholes, owen, Lineker, Gasgoine, hoddle etc etc - actually, compared to teams we eventually went out to, they just weren’t good enough.
foden is the first Englishman I’ve seen with that innate natural ability those players above lacked and other top country‘s have had. And yet still Southgate doesn’t recognise it - that’s why we fail.
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World class..

Stones
Walker
Rice
Foden
Saka
Kane
Grealish
Bellingham

Level below
Shaw
Rashford
Henderson
James
Chillwell
Ramsdale.


We often or should have a great squad. Argentina just won it, they are full of average players.

I don’t personally like Southgate, but he’s cultivated something England have t had since 1990. A squad that is together, that plays together.
My issue with him, he’s tactically inept and scared of what he has.

He’s deservedly still in the job, but he could really do with a well grizzled and tactically astute sidekick. Someone a little braver and more tactically adventurous.
 
I think a lot of England would like to see..

Ramsdale

Walker
Dunk
Colwill

Rice
Stones

Grealish
Bellingham
Foden
Saka

Kane.

With some real talent on the bench.

Pope
Rashford
Maddison
Willock
James
Chillwell
Shaw
Arnold
Watkins
Wilson
it’s
Etc on the bench.
 
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