Italy v England | Euro 2020 Final

[Gray]

Whilst I agree with your last sentence I must take issue with your comparison with 1966. Now I am not old enough to remember it and I don’t know if you are but that World Cup winning team was defensive with some great attacking talent. Before the final the games were low scoring, there was no 4 nils. I have also read a bit about that campaign and English football was normally played with 2 wingers which Ramsey didn’t use at all and also our key midfielder, Charlton, was told to mark Beckenbauer for the final rather than attack.

Hi mate, I was 20 years old when that world cup took place and remember it vividly. Had all the home advantage we needed and used it well. Only 16 teams in those days so it was the elite of World football, our group was England, Uruguay, France and Mexico. Started with a goalless draw with Uruguay then two 2-0 wins to top the group. Difficult quarter final with Argentina who had Ratin sent off in the 35th minute so we squeaked through 1-0. Brilliant semi against possible the best team in the tournament Portugal which we won 2-1 with both scored by Mr. Combover, one being an absolute stunner. The Final was superb and far more entertaining than the dross last night, the result hinged on the dubious Hurst goal which Hunt always claimed he saw crossing the line. I however think to this day that it didn't so we got the lucky there and ran out 4-2 winners, the last two goals scored in extra time when the Germans were knackered.

So in 1966 England played 6 games to win the World Cup with 5 wins and 1 draw scoring 11 goals and conceding 3.

In 2021 England played 7 games with 5 wins 1 draw and 1 loss scoring scoring 11 goals and conceding 2.

Statistics wise not much difference, but I can assure you the style of play was like chalk and cheese, with the 1966 team being far more attack minded and attractive to watch. The best team Portugal just happened to come up agains an England side that played superbly in that semi-final.

The 1966 team won the World Cup against 15 of the best teams on the planet. The 2021 team just failed to win the Euros against 23 of the best teams in Europe that included the likes of Finland, Noth Macedonia, Scotland and Wales.

 

[Bluesince88]

Sergio got more shit for his miss against Chelsea. At least Sergio had his fantastic career in the bank. Rashford thinks he untouchable. The rag deserves every bit of shit which imo will not materialise as it will be swept under the rag carpet

If sterling missed we’d moan the media was battering him. Rashford misses and you want him hung. Horrible our fans some times. Treat others how you wish to be treated. Shite pen, but I want nobody battered in the media. Only Southgate. He forced players to take pens who may not have wanted to.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

The main issue was our midfield, no penetrative passing, no carrying the ball past a press, no goal threat. Our forwards probably received the ball from Stones and Maguire more than they did from Mount and Phillips.
Rice was actually playing brilliantly last night, winning the ball back, driving forward and trying to make things happen so Southgate subbed him off and kept the other 2 on and there lies the problem.

I assume Rice was knackered when he was taken off. We don't have a dynamic driving midfielder at the moment - Bellingham might become one - but as the wingbacks didn't/couldn't get forward at all in the second half, there was no link.

I agree entirely that that is the weak link, and I think it was known about since the squad was named with very few midfielders. In early games England's midfield wasn't any better - Croatia dominated it but had no attack threat, and England dealt with it by going long, bypassing it.

 

[mac]

Listening to the radio this morning, the narrative they're pushing is that its all Sterling's fault

Not that clueless clown Southgate, or the two rags who missed their pens... its Sterling's fault for not taking one

That didn't take long

Players will have a set turn to take them and also out of all the players Sterling has probably run the most, he may of been dead on his feet. . Raz will never win.

 

[metalblue]

View attachment 21171
Good job I didn't buy one then.

Fucking hell. What knuckle dragging cunts they are.

 

[bluealf]

No,i'm right.

Should I search out the same reply you'll have posted for Grealish?

I'm sure you will have mentioned how much of a coward he is for not stepping up to take one, also?

Sterling is shit at pens, that has been proven, the bravest thing is to say I'm shit at them lads.

Saying all of that there has been more missed than scored in this tournament has there not?

 

[Bluesince88]

There is zero evidence that Southgate "forced" players in taking a penalty. He confirmed he knew the first 5 before full time based on the penalty taking in training and when penalties arrived he probably asked that 5 if they were up for it and all 5 would of said yes. So no need to change the line up

He said he picked the players and it’s on him. That doesn’t sound like the normal players saying they want one or not. The players who took them may have wanted to anyway, but him saying he picked the takers suggests they didn’t have a choice. Your evidence is Southgate saying he picked them, you’re welcome

 

[M18CTID]

Agree with that up to a point but in the second half when it became clear that an Italy goal was only a matter of time, I would have liked to see our manager react and do something even if it didn’t work. As it was, he just sat on his hands until they scored then appeared to double down on the “what we have we hold” strategy by making negative substitutions.

On the other hand we were up against one of the game’s best in-game tacticians as we know from our own experience when he was our manager.

I don't disagree. Sometimes managers trust the players out on the pitch to turn it round though, and given that the starting eleven had done so well in the first half I don't think it was unreasonable to think they could assume control of the match again at some point before Italy scored. And for all their pressure up to their goal, they weren't exactly peppering Pickford from all angles.

 

[adrianr]

I thought they dominated for the last twenty five minutes of the first half.

They did. We had a good spell for the first 20 minutes or so, and it was mostly Italy after that. Easy to comment in hindsight but just wish we'd made the subs to go for it in normal time and risk the loss than take it to pens.

 

[lyonfish]

I'm not a big England fan, I'm not that patriotic and I don't usualy find it a very exciting experience watching them. Although in the end it could have gone either way the right (best) team won. Setup from the begining to defend with no creativity and insufficient technical ability in the team, at no point in the match did England look the better team. In fact for me that's always been the problem with England, we either don't produce enough skilfull players or if we do, they're never given enough of a chance, instead England defends well and tries to rely on 1 or 2 individuals whose face fits and have a couple of tricks to try and get them through, this time it was Sterling without whom England wouldn't have even made it out of the group, but if he has an off day or he simply gets marked out of the game there is no one else, and that's what happened here. The only mystery for me is how Italy weren't able to win it in the 90, but thanks to Southgate trying and failing to be clever with his subs the Rags buggered up the pens. I'm genuinely pleased for Italy, they've had an even worse time of it than we've had through covid and the whole country deserves this.