The 2020-2021 Football Thread

[Apple fanboy]

All the hype but all mouth no trousers. First England result was a lucky 3 points, Scotland's passion in the second game exposed them. Maybe 3 or 4 true world class players in the squad but none of them on top form notably Harry Kane (and I am a Spurs fan). No way this team should get beyond the group stages and if they do will be eliminated in the first stage of the knockouts.

What do they need? Gareth Bale or his enthusiasm and pride and drive. Made a wonderful goal for Ramsey, missed a penalty which would have floored lesser players then had two goes at a cheeky 'keep it in the corner' tactic which payed off the second time around. I mean how did they allow him to do it twice duhhh

Then there was Scotland, took the game to the opposition, supposedly out gunned but stuck it to England big time.

Passion, self belief, drive, motivation, never give up attitude. I think it's time for a UK team rather than an England team then we might win something.

I think there is going to be little enthusiasm for a U.K. team. Who wants that? Not the fans. Not the FA. We need to drop Kane for the next match. Play Foddn and Greelish together from the start and do some running and crossing. Fed up with sideways and backwards balls.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Predictably hysterical reaction by the English press to the draw against Scotland. Apparently Southgate is a hapless boob, Kane is washed-up, Sterling is unreliable, Trent would have won the game singlehandedly and Grealish is just not good enough.

All of which is nonsense of course, even if there is a grain of truth in the complaints. Southgate is not exactly a master tactician. International football squads usually struggle to find cohesion, and England are clearly barely a sum of their constituent parts at best. Lots of room for improvement.

On the other hand, England are not alone here. France and Germany are clearly also struggling to find fluidity, as today's France-Hungary match demonstrated (it also demonstrated the value of a home crowd!). I had higher expectations for France in particular. They may still be the best squad in the competition, but they are stuck in second gear right now. Belgium are weak at the back, but really dangerous in attack. They can beat anyone, but also concede to anyone.

So, this tournament is still really open and that's a good thing from a spectator's point of view. Nobody looks dominant. Even Italy have had the big benefit of home advantage and relatively mediocre opposition, so the jury must remain out on them for the moment.

At the end of the day, this tournament is just waiting for one team to step up and take the bull by the horns. Who will it be?

EDIT: also, I was wrong about Argentina - Uruguay last night. A relatively cagey affair with few chances. Argentina won 1-0 but neither side look like potential champions despite all the Big Names on the pitch...

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I think there is going to be little enthusiasm for a U.K. team. Who wants that? Not the fans. Not the FA. We need to drop Kane for the next match. Play Foddn and Greelish together from the start and do some running and crossing. Fed up with sideways and backwards balls.

Yeah I agree, UK team? No thanks lol. Definitely play Foden and Grealish from the start. At least with Grealish he’ll go down a lot around the oppositions penalty area and we should get some free kicks for set pieces. Kane is clearly not on his game and shouldn’t be in the starting line up.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Yeah I agree, UK team? No thanks lol. Definitely play Foden and Grealish from the start. At least with Grealish he’ll go down a lot around the oppositions penalty area and we should get some free kicks for set pieces. Kane is clearly not on his game and shouldn’t be in the starting line up.

Trouble is if he drops Kane and loses, everyone will say should have played Kane. But I think his mind is elsewhere at the moment. Sorting out his transfer to Manchester!

 

[Lord Blackadder]

England missed Henderson. Whether he should be there or not in his current state is another debate, but a fit, in-form Henderson would have given England a better midfield foundation and leadership.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I think there is going to be little enthusiasm for a U.K. team. Who wants that? Not the fans. Not the FA. We need to drop Kane for the next match. Play Foddn and Greelish together from the start and do some running and crossing. Fed up with sideways and backwards balls.

Agree that a UK team is a non-starter, especially ever since the Brexit referendum.

Typical over-reaction by the English media.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

In defense of Southgate and Kane, not that I have any reason to defend them...but a truly elite striker is a rare commodity. Even the best international sides count themselves lucky to have one in the squad. When that striker is half-fit or out of form at a tournament, the manager is faced with a very difficult choice. Drop the striker and employ an inferior replacement for crucial one-off matches, or keep him and hope he can summon at least some of his magic. Neither is especially attractive, and pundits and fans will howl regardless, but a choice must be made. It's always going to be a gamble either way.

There is a third alternative - Plan B, shuffle the whole system at the last minute to try and accommodate different players. Typically an even bigger gamble, unless the team have practiced Plan B - but few international sides have even had enough time to practice Plan A.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Columbus 2-0 Chicago

Dos a Cero. A scoreline that became a byword at Columbus Crew Stadium over several memorable USA-Mexico clashes flashes up one more time as Columbus win the final match to be played at the first soccer-specific stadium built in the modern era in the US. Beating old rivals Chicago made it all the more satisfying. Our next home match, in July, will be in the New Crew stadium.

I came close to making it down there to see one more match but it didn't work out. I will miss the place. Happily it will move on to a second career as the centerpiece of the team's new training center.

 

[Apple fanboy]

In defense of Southgate and Kane, not that I have any reason to defend them...but a truly elite striker is a rare commodity. Even the best international sides count themselves lucky to have one in the squad. When that striker is half-fit or out of form at a tournament, the manager is faced with a very difficult choice. Drop the striker and employ an inferior replacement for crucial one-off matches, or keep him and hope he can summon at least some of his magic. Neither is especially attractive, and pundits and fans will howl regardless, but a choice must be made. It's always going to be a gamble either way.

There is a third alternative - Plan B, shuffle the whole system at the last minute to try and accommodate different players. Typically an even bigger gamble, unless the team have practiced Plan B - but few international sides have even had enough time to practice Plan A.

But I think that’s where Southgate struggles. There isn’t a plan b. He has no idea how to change things up in a match if plan a isn’t working.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Turkey have been a massive busted flush at this tournament. Given their talent they should have done better than Pld 3 W0 D0 L3, with a -7 goal difference. A really bad showing.

Kudos to Wales on the other hand for qualifying for the knockout stages despite a 0-1 loss to Italy. Italy won without having to dig deep but Wales gave them a better game than their previous opponents.

But I think that’s where Southgate struggles. There isn’t a plan b. He has no idea how to change things up in a match if plan a isn’t working.

To be fair, I don't think most international squads have a great Plan B if plan A doesn't work (Turkey in this tournament are an example). Southgate is a cautious, conservative manager, and to a certain extent that suits international tournament play. But many of his players play for club sides that are highly 'system'-oriented and play a high-tempo pressing style.

I don't think he has a totally clear idea of what his best team is and what it should be doing to win, especially when facing packed defenses. But at the same time it's not like Hodgson did any better and doubt Big Sam would have either (and people would have cried bloody murder of the style he prefers to play).

I think it's fair to say Southgate is a long way off the best international managers in terms of getting the most out of his squad and changing games when needed, though he's also far from the worst.

 

[Silencio]

Italy has been by far the most consistent and impressive team, but they haven't faced any particularly tough tests yet, and they played at home. Still, all the other big sides have underperformed in at least one of their matches, and the managers of the favored sides have all come under scrutiny for their chosen lineups and tactics. The rubber really meets the road in the knockout stages.

Southgate really does get so little out of such an abundance of attacking talent. He needs to play someone who can actually get the ball to Kane in the area, like Sancho and Grealish. Sterling and Foden not getting it done.

Portugal is in for similar criticism, especially after losing so heavily to Germany. Ronaldo is a wonder out there on the pitch doing what he does at his age, but he's a black hole offensively, and the other attackers are starving for oxygen. They play so much more fluidly without him, but you can't drop him — such a catch-22.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Italy has been by far the most consistent and impressive team, but they haven't faced any particularly tough tests yet, and they played at home. Still, all the other big sides have underperformed in at least one of their matches, and the managers of the favored sides have all come under scrutiny for their chosen lineups and tactics. The rubber really meets the road in the knockout stages.

Southgate really does get so little out of such an abundance of attacking talent. He needs to play someone who can actually get the ball to Kane in the area, like Sancho and Grealish. Sterling and Foden not getting it done.

Portugal is in for similar criticism, especially after losing so heavily to Germany. Ronaldo is a wonder out there on the pitch doing what he does at his age, but he's a black hole offensively, and the other attackers are starving for oxygen. They play so much more fluidly without him, but you can't drop him — such a catch-22.

I prefer what Ronaldo does off the pitch! CocaColagate was hilarious.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Man City bid £100 million for Kane. That will test Spurs resolve.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Man City bid £100 million for Kane. That will test Spurs resolve.

Yes, I saw this reported earlier today.

 

[JamesMike]

I see Marcus Rashford received the Pat Tillman Award for his service. A big thumbs up to him!

 

[Lord Blackadder]

The Danes are through to the last 16 after grinding Russia into a fine paste. Excellent news.

Man City bid £100 million for Kane. That will test Spurs resolve.

At that price I think Levy will be resolved to sell him. Even if he doesn't say that publicly. Kane is unlikely to win anything with Spurs. At ManCity he'll probably win something whether he plays well or not himself. And he'll make a bank.

 

[Apple fanboy]

The Danes are through to the last 16 after grinding Russia into a fine paste. Excellent news.

At that price I think Levy will be resolved to sell him. Even if he doesn't say that publicly. Kane is unlikely to win anything with Spurs. At ManCity he'll probably win something whether he plays well or not himself. And he'll make a bank.

You can’t blame Kane to be honest. Spurs aren’t going to win any trophies any time soon. He’s also at the right age for a big move.
But given his England form I’d be asking for a discount!

Hope Grealish and Foden start together. I’d love to see some running at defenders rather than sideways passing. Mount and Chilwell are self isolating due to Covid, so it will be a different line up for sure.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Spurs don't have to sell, of course - and they don't want to. But the problems they face are 1) he doesn't want to stay long-term, and 2) I doubt they'll win anything before his contract runs out regardless of when that happens, and 3) he'll be 30 and potentially well past maximum value when his contract does run out.

Levy would probably disagree with me on #2 and he also realizes that selling Kane at any price is a big PR black eye for him. The Bale money was wasted, so Spurs fans don't have any confidence that a big sale price for Kane would lead to a raft of great signings.

Kane doesn't seem to me to be the kind of player who will go on strike or cause a big ruckus to get a move, but he's made his intentions clear. What happens when they keep him, the squad stays thin, and they aren't winning anything? There's really no satisfactory solution from a Spurs perspective, given that they can't/won't spend money to keep up with the big clubs.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Spurs don't have to sell, of course - and they don't want to. But the problems they face are 1) he doesn't want to stay long-term, and 2) I doubt they'll win anything before his contract runs out regardless of when that happens, and 3) he'll be 30 and potentially well past maximum value when his contract does run out.

Levy would probably disagree with me on #2 and he also realizes that selling Kane at any price is a big PR black eye for him. The Bale money was wasted, so Spurs fans don't have any confidence that a big sale price for Kane would lead to a raft of great signings.

Kane doesn't seem to me to be the kind of player who will go on strike or cause a big ruckus to get a move, but he's made his intentions clear. What happens when they keep him, the squad stays thin, and they aren't winning anything? There's really no satisfactory solution from a Spurs perspective, given that they can't/won't spend money to keep up with the big clubs.

It’s not even like they have Champions League money coming in. If only there was a scheme were the ‘top’ clubs could stay in the CL even when they weren’t good enough? Then they wouldn’t have to sell their best players. You can tell how sympathetic I am!

Although £100,000,000 seems like a lot, we paid nearly half that for Haller who scored 6 goals before we got rid of him for half what we paid for him.

Personally I just hope he can do the business in an England shirt tonight and beyond.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Big match for England today in terms of finding out what they are actually going to do in this tournament. This is a good, but not that good, Czech side, so let's not beat about the bush: England should absolutely win this game, and should do so without having to dig deep or get terribly lucky. The Czechs will defend and England are going to have to break them down.

Scotland, on the other hand, are done barring a historically good/lucky win against a superior Croatia - though Croatia themselves are probably not much better than Scotland. If Scotland can somehow score an early goal things could get interesting. But Scotland do not score goals. And they've lost one of their best players.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Going well for England. Looked a lot more positive first half. Hopefully we can continue in the second half. Saka and Greelish have made a big difference from our last run out.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Scotland fall flat, scoring a goal but being comprehensively beaten by a non-vintage Croatia side who nevertheless have some real quality within their ranks. Croatia just earned themselves automatic qualification.

Great result for England, who started brightly and gave their best performance so far. The Czechs didn't do much however, so it's hard to draw too many lessons. England never had to shift out of second gear. And now everyone will be clamoring for Grealish to start in the next match, so another selection 'controversy' is already brewing. Happy to see Sterling score, he's a great player and while he has flaws in his game I think he gets more than his fair share of criticism.

England will need to beat (probably) Germany in the next round. The Three Lions will be playing the next match at home, have plenty of time to prepare, and have not yet conceded a goal. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Silencio]

In the end, Scotland just doesn't have the talent to compete out there. Things might have turned out different if they'd scored that second goal, but Modric and Perisic proved their enduring class in the second half to close it out.

Yeah, the Czech Republic isn't a powerhouse, but England looked more positive with the changes made yesterday. Saka was very impressive, and Grealish's creativity ultimately made the difference. Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw also had excellent performances and helped England look more dangerous in attack.

It's hard to say what you'll get out of Germany in any match. England would have a very good chance of beating them if they don't defend as clownishly as Portugal did.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I'll give everyone an opportunity to laugh at me later and predict that the semifinals are gong to be Italy-France and Germany-Netherlands. Hardly controversial, I'll admit - but also both derbies and so probably good matches.

It's hard to say what you'll get out of Germany in any match. England would have a very good chance of beating them if they don't defend as clownishly as Portugal did.

The current iteration of Germany are certainly capable of the odd poor performance.

On the other hand, I was reminded this morning that since 1966 England have never beaten a really good team in a knockout match at a major tournament. Their record is truly astonishing. They’ve knocked out Spain and Belgium since then, but those wins happened decades ago and when each of those nations were far below their current level. During the same period Germany, on the other hand, have beaten everybody worth mentioning at some point. And won the World Cup. Several times.

So while England went deep in the last World Cup, it’s really been 55 or so years since they’ve successfully knocked out a top level opponent. The young England players should see that as a big opportunity to write their own piece of history, but it should also be a warning to any overly-enthusiastic fans and pundits when it comes to managing expectations.

 

[DoM-i-NiC]

Both evening games were 2-2. Hungary are sadly eliminated.

Portugal finished third and will play Belgium next.
Ronaldo scored 2 penalties & has equalled the record of 119 international goals, as well as scoring 21 goals between World Cups and Euros - beating Germany's Miroslav Klose's 19 goal tally.

Germany finished 2nd in the group after scoring a late equaliser and will now play England in the last 16 stage.

France topped the group (W1 D2) and will now play Switzerland in the Last 16.