England

[ohmelads]

Think the praise he's had and the criticism are both fair. We haven't scored in 500 minutes now. He's picked 12 defenders in a squad lacking creativity, and sticks with the likes of Maguire and Grealish, who can't get a game and are low on confidence, but can't see any place in a big squad for someone like Maddison, who has been in top form for ages and brings attributes the team badly need.

 

I get that you can't always just pick form players or you'd chop and change your XI every time, and you need players you trust to fit into a system. But what kind of message does it send to the group when you clearly have your favourites who have barely kicked a ball all season and walk into your team? I used to like the fact Southgate didn't let the media and fans dictate his selection, but by stubbornly sticking with the same group, it's now too late to call in players who deserve their chance because he "doesn't know them". Maddison for example has 1 cap for England.

 

 

Edited September 24, 2022 by ohmelads

[Ste]

Far too much turn and return football. Majority of players had the mentality of ‘don’t be the one to lose the ball’, they weren’t working decent passing angles in attack, they played the ball in the final third in ways that ensured the man receiving it would be the one to lose it. Bellingham and at times Foden were the only ones thinking ahead to their second touch to take them forward, the rest knew they were going to instantly shield it and lay it off. 
 

We’ve been told it’s a happy camp, the divides between players are gone, but they either don’t trust the system or don’t trust each other.
 

Kane and Sterling played like they’ve just found the other in bed with their lass. 

 

When does Tomori get his chance if it’s not in his stadium against players he’s most familiar with? 

 

[Anon]

Utterly baffling performance tbh. It should be either the last chance to see a few new players which he largely didn't, or strengthen the final system, which, if that's the case, we're utterly fucked.

[Cronky]

Didn't see the game, but there are 3 particular players who, on past performances, I wouldn't have picked.

 

Sterling - has his moments, but doesn't use his brain.

Walker - good defender, but we need someone better in possession

Rice - at international level, doesn't really seem to make things happen. Phillips is injured and can't get a game, but Ward-Prowse, although not a DM would be a decent alternative. We need a proper threat from midfield.

[hakka]

Did we really not even put Toney on the bench, but we put two keepers there?  struggling for goals but we don't bother even having an in-form striker in team to bring on.

 

Saka left wing back?

 

Is Eric Dier at centre back really best we have?

 

Just feels some baffling decisions get made. I sort of get why some players like Maguire get picked even though I disagree with the policy of picking players who clearly aren't in form or even starting for their clubs.

[gbandit]

Sterling has his moments? He’s been amongst our best three performers on average for years even though his level has dropped since the Euros. Walker, I agree but for different reasons, his legs are starting to go. He’s been one of our best outlets for years getting us up the pitch so it’s a strange comment about his possession. Rice, is a difficult one, he’s a good player but because we’re so static going forwards he’s really not that great in this system

[Heron]

We'll go out in the last 16 and Southgate will be sacked. Ruthless business is international football. Hero to zero.

 

For me, at least he made us likeable again. 

[hakka]

Just now, Heron said:

We'll go out in the last 16 and Southgate will be sacked. Ruthless business is international football. Hero to zero.

 

For me, at least he made us likeable again. 

 

Think this is what will happen. 

 

I credit Southgate with making me care about England again. We were absolutely stinking in 2016 when we went out to Iceland and I finally snapped and hated the national side after that.

 

While Southgate has done great at turning things around in his tenure, seems like his brand of football and ideas are tanking fast now. Not being able to set us up to be more attacking or better utilise the attacking talent we have will be his downfall.

[Lush Vlad]

Agree with both of the above. Seems like we have some genuinely exciting players and ones that maybe offer something a bit different to previous squads. 
 

Yet we still play woeful football, with no discernible style of play. It’s all very slow and negative and it didn’t take him long to do what every England manager used to get criticised for. Picking players he likes, regardless of form or who is available. 
 

Just seems really rigid with his selections and tactics.  

[Cronky]

26 minutes ago, gbandit said:

Sterling has his moments? He’s been amongst our best three performers on average for years even though his level has dropped since the Euros. Walker, I agree but for different reasons, his legs are starting to go. He’s been one of our best outlets for years getting us up the pitch so it’s a strange comment about his possession. Rice, is a difficult one, he’s a good player but because we’re so static going forwards he’s really not that great in this system

 

My feeling about Sterling is something akin to ASM. His individual contribution might be impressive at times, but does his lack of team awareness create a bigger problem, when it comes to trying to build a side that's going to reach the top? 

 

At international level, I never get the feeling that Walker wants the ball. He's a great athlete, but not comfortable in possession. At times, he looks like a blunder about to happen, however good his defending might be at other times. I'd have Chilwell and James as full backs.

 

Rice - great athlete, but I've never joined in the fuss, which seems to be dying down anyway. If we're going to actually win something, we need to take some risks, and Rice seems a risk-averse choice.

 

Thank you for disagreeing with me politely, by the way.

[STM]

Originally he organised the mess, now it's an organised mess.

 

Ultimately he's just not a good manager, despite doing a decent job at times.

 

The options are grim.

[Armchair Pundit]

Always the same with England, a manager comes in who is out of touch with reality, using players out of position and playing players on reputation rather than form. Southgate is atrocious, trying to overcomplicate things or play 'safe', fortune favours the brave.

[Ben]

3 minutes ago, Armchair Pundit said:

Always the same with England, a manager comes in who is out of touch with reality, using players out of position and playing players on reputation rather than form. Southgate is atrocious, trying to overcomplicate things or play 'safe', fortune favours the brave.

TBF we are just going around circles, we got Keegan in to play attacking football and was immediately accused of being nieve, " you can't play like that in tournament football", Southgate started off really well with the youth but has now fell into the trap of 7 defenders to avoid risk and its basically boring.

[Nolberto Disco]

 

 

England is a squad of good guys; Southgate is a wimp.

[Guest]

Scrap having a permanent manager. Let the FA pick the Head Coach on a game by game basis depending on the opposition for example. Let that Head Coach pick the squad for that respective game. Could have Howe one game, Potter another, etc.

[Aiston]

Have Howe for the World Cup.

 

Cannot be a worse option than Southgate.

[gbandit]

Errr, no 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

1 hour ago, Ben said:

TBF we are just going around circles, we got Keegan in to play attacking football and was immediately accused of being nieve, " you can't play like that in tournament football", Southgate started off really well with the youth but has now fell into the trap of 7 defenders to avoid risk and its basically boring.

Southgate was more selected for a rebranding job on English football though, I’m not sure how much was to do with tactics or style. The job was toxic and everyone hated the national team. 
 

They needed a nice man in an M&S waistcoat to bring people together. 
 

Arguably they’ve persisted with him a bit too long, but I’m not sure how good a job international management is anyway. The elite managers aren’t doing it. 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2022 by AyeDubbleYoo

[Interpolic]

The Maddison one is bizarre. He has been one of the best players in the league for years now and gives you attributes that could unlock tight and frustrating games, many of which England seem to be involved in. Ridiculous he'll be sat at home. 

[manorpark]

1 hour ago, Aiston said:

Have Howe for the World Cup.

 

 

Definitely N O T !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nobody]

1 hour ago, Interpolic said:

The Maddison one is bizarre. He has been one of the best players in the league for years now and gives you attributes that could unlock tight and frustrating games, many of which England seem to be involved in. Ridiculous he'll be sat at home. 

Doesn't play for a big enough team 

[Interpolic]

25 minutes ago, Nobody said:

Doesn't play for a big enough team 

 

Hasn't stopped him selecting Rice, Phillips etc in the past though. Albeit in positions with less options. 

 

I think Mount over Maddison sort of sums up my issue with Southgate overall. He could be selecting a really exciting player who I personally enjoy watching, but instead he picks probably the most boring Attacking Midfielder of the decade. Or that's how Mount looks in the England team anyway. 

 

Regardless of that though, Maddison never even gets near the SQUAD. There's no excuse for that imo. 

[David Edgar]

3 hours ago, Aiston said:

Have Howe for the World Cup.

 

Cannot be a worse option than Southgate.

 

He's head and shoulders above Southgate in managerial ability.  

 

Would make for the perfect England manager.

[Armchair Pundit]

Bring in Ted Lasso

[ohmelads]

2 hours ago, Interpolic said:

The Maddison one is bizarre. He has been one of the best players in the league for years now and gives you attributes that could unlock tight and frustrating games, many of which England seem to be involved in. Ridiculous he'll be sat at home. 

 

It's like he is saying "I can't work with this type of player, no matter what he does. Sorry, he can't work with my system". It's his job to build the best team with the pool of talent we have. There's no chance he'll admit he's wrong now and call him up to the world cup for his 2nd cap. 

 

Going by Southgate's past quotes and how he's set the team up in tournaments with two defensive midfielders, I think he believes that the best way to win tournaments is to shithouse your way through it. Be hard to beat and hope you can nick a goal or win the shootout. To some extent, Italy did just that in Euro 2020, scraping through games against the better sides and winning the semis and final on penalties. Spain absolutely dominated them in the semis, but went out on pens. It was an Italy side that failed to quality for the world cup before it, and the world cup after it, but somehow they found a way through the three big games they had in Euro 2020. I feel Southgate sees that as the template for England. I hope he's right, but I'm not sure if Italy set out to do it that way. They played very good football in the group stage, and adapted when they needed to. We seem to set up negatively from the outset.

 

 

Edited September 24, 2022 by ohmelads