Group B: England, Iran, United States, Wales (England and USA qualify)

[Vedder]

1 hour ago, La Parka said:

Sterling is a liability. 

 

Mount is fucking shit.

 

The gap between the forward 4 and rice and Bellingham was too far.

 

Not one of the centermids can pick a pass through the lines .

 

The pressing was utter shit, they'd be better off sitting in shape in a low block. 

 

Kane is our best player with the ball at his feet, but he's often too deep if saka and theoretically sterling get in behind.

 

Trips was shit. He misses almiron. 

 

The passing was ponderously slow, predictable shit. There was no urgency. 

Agree 100%.

 

if we’re playing Chelsea, I’m not worried about Mount or Sterling (this season) starting for them. They’re very average. 
 

Foden should definitely be in the team. 

 

On the positive side, Luke Shaw has been better than I expected in the two games so far. 

[Ben]

So if Wales beat us they go through even if we have the same points and a better goal difference 

[astraguy]

Didn't watch it but looking at Livescore it's laughable foden or Wilson didn't come on,Foden is our world class player imo

[Rich]

28 minutes ago, Ben said:

So if Wales beat us they go through even if we have the same points and a better goal difference 

Eh? (They don’t)

[ponsaelius]

37 minutes ago, Ben said:

So if Wales beat us they go through even if we have the same points and a better goal difference 

 

No. It's on goal difference, not head to head.

[joeyt]

1 hour ago, Shearergol said:

Kane’s been world class over the years. I just think we needed an in the box striker on the pitch last night.

 

There wouldn't be a manager in the world who would have left him out last night, especially after how good he was against Iran

[Ben]

13 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

 

No. It's on goal difference, not head to head.

So we are through then unless something horrific happens ?

 

 

Edited November 26, 2022 by Ben

[Yorkie]

Rubbish game and a poor performance but so was Scotland in the Euros. Ultimately it's a useful point because all that matters is getting through the group stage; Portugal won the Euros without winning a single match in the group stages. 

 

People (not pointing to anyone here) criticise results at international tournaments as if they're comparable to 38-match league campaigns, when the competitions couldn't be more different. It's a short and condensed schedule where progress is about fine margins. 

 

Obviously we'll have to improve but I just find the "Gotcha!"s re Southgate so tedious whenever we have a poor game. The only result that matters in this setting is the last one. 

[ponsaelius]

2 minutes ago, Ben said:

So we are through then unless something horrific happens ?

 

Yup. Through unless we get howked.

[ponsaelius]

Just now, Yorkie said:

Rubbish game and a poor performance but so was Scotland in the Euros. Ultimately it's a useful point because all that matters is getting through the group stage; Portugal won the Euros without winning a single match in the group stages. 

 

People (not pointing to anyone here) criticise results at international tournaments as if they're comparable to 38-match league campaigns, when the competitions couldn't be more different. It's a short and condensed schedule where progress is about fine margins. 

 

Obviously we'll have to improve but I just find the "Gotcha!"s re Southgate so tedious whenever we have a poor game. The only result that matters in this setting is the last one. 

 

Also club football is about building a style, fluidity and intensity over that extensive period. Over years and year even. I'm always amazed people watch international football and expect the same thing. It simply doesn't happen from any of the teams really. They're a bunch of players hoyed together. You will always get duff performances.

[Shearergol]

13 minutes ago, joeyt said:

 

There wouldn't be a manager in the world who would have left him out last night, especially after how good he was against Iran

But would another manager make a change when they see it’s not working?

[hakka]

USA game was painful to watch. So much lack of urgency, seemed only when Grealish and Rashford came on did we have a bit of something attacking.

 

I really didn't get the tactics. Maybe USA need more credit, but they attacked in numbers, with pace and very good movement. We always seemed lethargic, unbalanced and running in to dead ends. I genuinely thought our only hope towards the end was giving it to Grealish, getting him in the box and then hoping he wins a penalty.

 

You would think we would have learned from the Italy final that we have to do something different when a team is adequately nullifying us in our base formation. Simply replacing like for like players and doing same thing late in the game is not recognising tactically it's not working.

 

I struggle with Kane a lot, he was so often so deep again that it's becoming silly. He shouldn't need to leave the forward areas. I don't understand the point in Mount, may as well replace for Wilson and go two up top.

 

Like @Yorkie has just posted, as much as the game was disappointing, we still have a good chance of going very far. This was our Scotland game from the Euros, and Portugal is good example of why we shouldn't be all doom and gloom. I'd like us to beat Wales comfortably and be confident again going in to knockout stages. 

 

 

[Dr.Spaceman]

9 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

Rubbish game and a poor performance but so was Scotland in the Euros. Ultimately it's a useful point because all that matters is getting through the group stage; Portugal won the Euros without winning a single match in the group stages. 

 

People (not pointing to anyone here) criticise results at international tournaments as if they're comparable to 38-match league campaigns, when the competitions couldn't be more different. It's a short and condensed schedule where progress is about fine margins. 

 

Obviously we'll have to improve but I just find the "Gotcha!"s re Southgate so tedious whenever we have a poor game. The only result that matters in this setting is the last one. 

 

I think the issue for me and a few others was the perceived lack of  effort (tactically) from England. We didn't press, put in any tackles, have many efforts on target, hell, me or @Sifu could have played in goal for either side and it would have still finished 0-0. So poor when you've got an elite striker like Harry Kane on the pitch, coming up against players from Fulham and the Tampa Bay Rowdies or whoever it was.

[ponsaelius]

I agree the inability to put pressure on their defence was the most frustrating thing. Even from set pieces. Were never able to overcome their intensity in midfield.

[Mike]

Woke up absolutely fucked off about the result.

[Sima]

Not surprised at Southgate’s negative tactics.

 

This is the same bloke that dropped his arse and changed his subs when Iran pulled it back to 4-1 on Monday with not bringing Wilson on.

 

As soon as we scored a fifth he made the sub.

[St. Maximin]

18 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

Rubbish game and a poor performance but so was Scotland in the Euros. Ultimately it's a useful point because all that matters is getting through the group stage; Portugal won the Euros without winning a single match in the group stages. 

 

People (not pointing to anyone here) criticise results at international tournaments as if they're comparable to 38-match league campaigns, when the competitions couldn't be more different. It's a short and condensed schedule where progress is about fine margins. 

 

Obviously we'll have to improve but I just find the "Gotcha!"s re Southgate so tedious whenever we have a poor game. The only result that matters in this setting is the last one. 

Agree it’s a useful point, but I don’t think most people are so bothered by the result as the performance and tactics. It was absolute rubbish and USA would have deservedly won with a better striker. Southgate’s limitations were shown up again and refusing to use Foden is just weird. We should be building the team around him, let alone bringing him off the bench when starved of creativity. 

[duo]

Still rumours about Kanes fitness- if he's not 100% he needs to step aside and let Wilson play. 

[arnonel]

If Kane has to play, it should be in the Mason Mount role. 

[LV]

4 minutes ago, duo said:

Still rumours about Kanes fitness- if he's not 100% he needs to step aside and let Wilson play. 

He clearly wasn’t fit last night. Should have come off early. 

[Ben]

Tuesday in Tenerife should be canny 

[Cronky]

Southgate should use the Wales game to rest a few players and try some different combinations. Even our second string is surely not going to lose 4-0 to Wales.

[LiquidAK]

7 minutes ago, Sima said:

Not surprised at Southgate’s negative tactics.

 

This is the same bloke that dropped his arse and changed his subs when Iran pulled it back to 4-1 on Monday with not bringing Wilson on.

 

As soon as we scored a fifth he made the sub.

 

The Wilson change of heart was because Maguire went down injured, nothing to do with them scoring. Wilson was about to come on, Maguire went down, he brought on Dier instead. 5 minutes later Wilson came on anyway.

[Interpolic]

Watching the game I was bored and frustrated, but hearing the interviews after I was annoyed. It appears that performance and result was pretty much the plan? 

 

Almost every player looked off it last night. Some of it you could see was instructed, for example the absolute lack of pressing from the front. Same old issues of us passing it around the back with not a clue what to do beyond that.

 

You can put some of it down to poor individual performances but how much of that is down to the players and how much of it is them being told to essentially play within themselves? 

 

I still don't get why Mount is a guaranteed starter, Sterling generally flatters to deceive for club and country for well over a year now and I think we have to play Rice due to lack of alternatives but I still don't understand his appeal. Surely it was Rice's role to link defence and attack yesterday? Yet him and Bellingham were invisible. 

 

Shit game, best forgotten. I get all the stuff about Southgate's relative achievements but his approach is bloody tedious to watch. 

[Rafalove]

Is this racism?  Or would that be a bit unfair?