Phil - Scapegoats and witch hunts

[Scaring Europe to Death]

Foden will never be a left winger, and he's not really a natural number 10 playmaker in the way that David Silva used to dominate possession and control the flow.

He's a 15+ goals per season midfielder, which without penalties is absolutely phenomenal. Indeed, if he stays healthy, he might beat Alan Oakes' appearances and also Aguero's PL goals (he's already scored a third).

However, England don't have a Rodri controlling the tempo, and even Stones plays far deeper in tournament football.
Add to the mix, the lack of an inverted Doku/Grealish on the left or Bernardo on the right, plus Haaland stays where is (and gets belittled for lack of touches) whilst Kane follows the ball like a 10 year old.

 

[johnevans]

Foden will never be a left winger, and he's not really a natural number 10 playmaker in the way that David Silva used to dominate possession and control the flow.

He's a 15+ goals per season midfielder, which without penalties is absolutely phenomenal. Indeed, if he stays healthy, he might beat Alan Oakes' appearances and also Aguero's PL goals (he's already scored a third).

However, England don't have a Rodri controlling the tempo, and even Stones plays far deeper in tournament football.
Add to the mix, the lack of an inverted Doku/Grealish on the left or Bernardo on the right, plus Haaland stays where is (and gets belittled for lack of touches) whilst Kane follows the ball like a 10 year old.

They could do with you over at the Pundits' Centre in Berlin..! Mind, they'd probably give you the boot/the 'Summerbee treatment' after one appearance..!!

 

[mancity dan]

 

[ancoats]

Foden will never be a left winger, and he's not really a natural number 10 playmaker in the way that David Silva used to dominate possession and control the flow.

He's a 15+ goals per season midfielder, which without penalties is absolutely phenomenal. Indeed, if he stays healthy, he might beat Alan Oakes' appearances and also Aguero's PL goals (he's already scored a third).

However, England don't have a Rodri controlling the tempo, and even Stones plays far deeper in tournament football.
Add to the mix, the lack of an inverted Doku/Grealish on the left or Bernardo on the right, plus Haaland stays where is (and gets belittled for lack of touches) whilst Kane follows the ball like a 10 year old.

Foden is at his best when you let him play with the ball, He can play right across the park and demands the ball
You have to be like a brick wall to bounce the ball off and back to him. He will be even better when he learns to stand up for himself and gets that little bit of controlled anger into his game.

He can be a 20 goals a season player from here on in, Mr Nice needs to be Mr Nasty

 

[supercity88]

Said on his player thread, this gives Southgate a great excuse to bench him and play a left winger, which will naturally help the balance of the team. Foden will probably get pelters from people for leaving the squad for such a meaningless event (not my thoughts). "He's already got two, why does he need to be there for the third" and all that sort of nonsense.

He'll be back ready to sit on the bench for the rest of the tournament as England's balance is improved.

 

[CC1]

Said on his player thread, this gives Southgate a great excuse to bench him and play a left winger, which will naturally help the balance of the team. Foden will probably get pelters from people for leaving the squad for such a meaningless event (not my thoughts). "He's already got two, why does he need to be there for the third" and all that sort of nonsense.

He'll be back ready to sit on the bench for the rest of the tournament as England's balance is improved.

I take it you’re being facetious because nobody will think or say any of that. If they’re at all normal they will wish him all the luck. What’s more important- your family or shit Southgate football watched by stupid critics in the media

 

[eastmanc]

Drop Phil, I don't give a fuck about England you don't deserve him you set of ungrateful fuckers.

 

[Agueroooooooooooo]

It's woke gone mad ;)

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

I think Mainoo is a decent young talent. Real Madrid are under no obligation to pay silly money for a player just because he's English - Bellingham is clearly genuinely world class. Foden for me is a generational talent.

I just think they are all shagged out, have a manager who did well to instil belief but may have reached the level of his capability, and lack the confidence to perform - especially with an entitled and exceptionalist media - outside of their club comfort zone. I also know that as dull as they have been so far, I have seen enough shit England performances in the last forty years to know that we simply aren't a great national side even though I do believe we have the world's greatest league.

Who knows what happens with this tournament, but next tournament I pray for some decent opposition early. I would rather see us get schooled with an early exit and forced to take a long look in the mirror than see us keep scraping through with a combo of easy draws, long balls, flukey 1-0 scorelines and pens and then telling ourselves that qualifies us as serious contenders.

Bellingham is world class? Where are those world class performances now? Where were they when he faced city in the CL?
RM basically walk that league, and they're expected to. But that's opinion. What is fact is Bellingham has been flapping his arms, kicking the floor, poor performances on a world stage... I don't see that as world class.

As for being shagged out.. is that only English players ? Every other team with more minutes, more excuses, are doing better than us. Bellinghams team m8s are out performing him at these euros.
Mainoo... he's good because utd friendly media tell us that. His stats are far, far worse than his contemporaries at "lesser" clubs. But they don't get covered by our utd-centric sports media.

Southgate just exacerbates all of the issues.

 

[Jazzyblue]

Bellinghams team m8s are out performing him at these euros.

Can't disagree with that and I'm not bigging up RM. But if you're good enough to play alongside some of the world's best players, for one of the world's most storied teams, in the world's best competitions...what else can you be called but world class? I don't think La Liga is more competitive than the PL but it's still one of the world's best leagues, the CL is still one of the world's best competitions and Real Madrid are one of the best teams in the world. Which makes the likes of Bellingham world class.

For me, the 'issues' are much older than Bellingham, Mainoo and Foden or whoever's else abilities we want to question out of frustration. Time and time again we've seen star England players play much better for their club than they do for England. Time and time again we've seen England hyped up by the press and then struggle against mid opposition. Time and time again we've seen them look knackered, shit passing, pub team tactics, not gelling - Euro 2020 was an exception not the norm. I don't think it's because individual players lack talent. I just don't think we're up there as a nation when it comes international tournament football. Our history flatters us, our premier league flatters us, our media flatters us, and the draws we get flatter us. I'd love to be proved wrong on that but we've all been waiting to be proved wrong for years now.