Cronky

We weren't pretty to watch, but you have to say that Southgate's gameplan worked. Stifle the opposition and then nick it in the last 15 minutes. I hope Henderson is fit enough to start now. Rice is playing with far too much caution. Mount will improve the team too. He operates well in the lines between the opposition defence and midfield, and that's where we are lacking in creativity.

Walker and Rice are not attempting any positive passes. This is NUFC on an international level. Relying on defending and the occasional individual moment. Completely unable to pass the ball through the opposition. How many times have we fed the ball through to a player in between their midfield and defence? Zero, I reckon.

As many expected, the strategy seems to be not to lose the game during the first 70 minutes, and then go for it. We'll find it difficult to keep hold of the ball with a midfield of Trippier, Rice, Phillips and Shaw. In fact the only player in the front seven who is truly assured in possession is Saka. It's inviting pressure.

Maybe the French were over-confident. With the third Swiss goal in the last minute, they lost the ball in midfield and then a huge gap appeared between the two centre backs for the Swiss to run into. They looked like they had the game won, and their concentration seemed to go.

I thought Portugal put up a really good fight (sometimes literally). They were a bit unlucky not to take it into extra time. Hopefully France, Spain, Belgium and Italy will punch themselves out in that half of the draw, leaving the field clear (ish) for England (assuming we can beat the Germans of course)

Being linked with Mario Lemina. What's the story behind this guy's career? His youtube showing is very impressive, but his career seems to have stalled. Is he a bad boy?

Well, I guess there's an element of hype, but you only have to see the way defenders react when he gets the ball. They're scared and try to stop him by whatever means. He keeps the ball very close to his feet, and it's quite difficult for defenders to win it cleanly.

Henderson looks like a captain, and Kane doesn't.

Henderson for Rice was a positive change. Phillips went to his best position, and Henderson went further forward. Not long after that, we changed shape and we looked ragged. Assuming Mount misses the next game, it'll be three from Grealish, Sterling, Foden and Saka. I'd drop Sterling, but I'm pretty sure Southgate won't.

Grealish and Saka playing really well. Kane looking more relaxed. Still not convinced by the two man defensive midfield, but it's something Southgate believes in, so I can't see it changing. The Czechs actually look like a good side.

Yeah, I rate Saka. He looks to have the right temperament as well as technique and he won't let us down. I don't understand the clamour for Sancho. I've never seen him play well for England, though presumably he must be showing some club form.

When he's focused, yeah I'd agree. And he looks focused now. He seems to deal with the pressure of international football well.

https://team-picker.files.bbci.co.uk/england-euro2020-starting-xi-CZ-new-797c428d8d3a 18707bc5dc66f9b9cad7.html I'm not sure if Kane is knackered or is suffering from nerves, but if we're going to try something different, now's the time. DCL is in.

We were very bad at building attacks from the back, which is a traditional English fault. We should be playing only one defensive midfielder, and that should be a player who is confident enough to pass the ball forward ie Phillips. We also should have a back four who are all reasonably confident on the ball. Stones, James and Shaw are okay, but Mings looks terrified in possession. Sometimes there's 20 yards of space in front of him but he won't move forward with the ball. If Maguire or White are fit, I'd pick one of them. What was happening on Friday was Rice was collecting the ball from the toes of the back four and then knocking it back or sideways. That's a complete waste. When we have the ball, the back four should be capable of pushing up and finding someone in a more advanced position.

I wish I shared your view. I was dutifully optimistic before the tournament started, but seeing the football that the likes of Italy, Belgium, France et al have shown, I feel a bit embarrassed. We've shown in the lead up that we're capable of better football, but it needs a bolder selection, and for the team to relax. Assuming we reach the knockout rounds, maybe the pressure will decrease a bit - we look like a team that's scared of making mistakes. Understandably, Southgate has probably been anxious to avoid the humiliation of failing to progress beyond the group stage, and that's been reflected in his choices. Hopefully, that'll change.

I can remember Kane being very poor at the last Euros. I wonder if anxiety gets the better of him in tournament football. His footwork looked very laboured and that might be down to nerves.

Bellingham has looked relaxed and confident during his England appearances. I don't think he'll be fazed by the occasion, and besides, if he's good enough to hold down a place at Borussia Dortmund, he's good enough for this team. I'd drop Rice, and give Phillips the DM role. He looks the more positive. Ahead, have Mount, Grealish and Foden interchanging positions around a striker. With some trepidation, I think that has to be DCL. Kane looks very sluggish and was very easy to dispossess.

The classic problem is that a player in that position inevitably gets a lot of the ball. If they are unable or unwilling to move the ball forward when the opportunity presents, then that inhibits the whole rhythm of the side. Or even - heaven forbid - move forward in possession when a gap appears, and trust the intelligence of your teammates to cover the gap you leave behind. That's what good teams do.

I thought Rice was the chief culprit re slowing things down. He often knocked the ball back to his centre backs when there was a clear option for a ball out wide. I didn't think we played well against Croatia, and I'm not that surprised by the way we played tonight. We have to be realistic. If we are seriously aiming to win, we can't play both Rice and Phillips. Mount - Foden - Grealish I think is the best combination around a striker. Sterling makes things happen occasionally as an individual, but if we're going to establish a confident passing rhythm, I don't think he's your man. James looked nervous, but I'd give him another chance. The only good news was our keeper played well.

Tempting, but I'd much rather have a better alternative. DCL is still a bit raw.

Scotland have been much more relaxed. We look inhibited in our passing and movement. Lots of safe passing behind the receiver which is getting us nowhere. Sterling's athleticism masks a poor touch on the ball. He loses the ball too often. I don't trust him - bring on Grealish. Kane doesn't look fit.

I'm pleased about the changes at full back, which will boost the attack. I'd rather have Grealish than Sterling though.

Those Danes look mightily fired up. Doing it for Christian, I dare say.

I didn't think we 'controlled' the game at all. In the second half, we looked quite ragged. It was a good goal, but we didn't create that many chances. It was the opening game, with a lot of pressure, so if a number of players looked quite inhibited, it's understandable. But we've got to improve if we're going to come close to winning it, particularly going forward. Southgate probably doesn't trust Grealish's defensive work, but I think he offers a better package than Sterling. Foden needs to be given licence to roam a bit. Both full backs didn't contribute much on the ball, and if we're going to break down the better sides, we need to be bolder with our selection. Trippier using his right foot meant that a lot of his passes were drifting towards the touchline. Walker defends well, but he never looks confident on the ball.

The back four are good defenders, but haven't been able to contribute to the build-up. It's the debit side of Southgate's selection. The full backs in particular haven't supported the attack well. Sterling will always produce one or two good moments with his pace, but Grealish is better at delivering an end product. He needs to come on.