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The 2023-2024 Football Thread
- Thread starter Scepticalscribe
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Another nervy performance but best match they’ve had of the tournament so far. A solid and confident penalty performance too and being English, it’s not something we are used to seeing.
Is it bad that I was nervous seeing Trent step up? I should have had more faith
Is it bad that I was nervous seeing Trent step up? I should have had more faith
I was nervous for the whole match. Well done England. I just hope we sort out the left hand side from the start in the next game. We were too one sided for the first 70 odd minutes.Another nervy performance but best match they’ve had of the tournament so far. A solid and confident penalty performance too and being English, it’s not something we are used to seeing.
Is it bad that I was nervous seeing Trent step up? I should have had more faith
Fair play to Eng did not expect them to win.
Saka the one who stepped up today
All the pen takers looked cert.
Feel for Akanji but it was an awful pen. Maybe don't let a defender take the first pen unless proven.
Slowly improving performances from Eng but still look like they play on a knife edge
Saka the one who stepped up today
All the pen takers looked cert.
Feel for Akanji but it was an awful pen. Maybe don't let a defender take the first pen unless proven.
Slowly improving performances from Eng but still look like they play on a knife edge
Netherlands just equalised. I was hoping Turkey would win this one as they are the team I got in the sweepstake.
The final will be anyone's game because all those through to the semi-final have done so bumbling and wobbling along the way. Not one of them has shown that they deserve to win the Euro's. They have all been lacklustre, struggle to make chances and score goals.
A couple of games aside, the quality of the Euro tournament has not been great. Conservative tactics + squads exhausted from long club seasons. There's only so much blood one can squeeze from that modern footballing turnip, but all the leagues and footballing bodies will keep twisting the screws out of pure greed.
Spain looks like the strongest team left, but there's not much separating any of the four remaining squads. France is really the best team on paper, but they're missing that creative spark that would really unleash Mbappé. Put Paul Pogba next to Kanté in that midfield and they would cook, or at least they need Griezmann to discover some form again.
The more Luke Shaw can play, the better off England will be. They finally had some balance on the left side with him on the pitch.
Spain looks like the strongest team left, but there's not much separating any of the four remaining squads. France is really the best team on paper, but they're missing that creative spark that would really unleash Mbappé. Put Paul Pogba next to Kanté in that midfield and they would cook, or at least they need Griezmann to discover some form again.
The more Luke Shaw can play, the better off England will be. They finally had some balance on the left side with him on the pitch.
Spain's creativity from the wings from Nico Williams and especially from the incredibly impressive Lamine Yamal — how is that guy only 16 years old!? — have set them apart from the other teams in the tournament. I can't see either England or the Netherlands getting past them.
I didn’t know that if you get 2 yellow cards (not even in same match), you’re out next match in the European Women’s Football's qualification.
Might be risky, but our coach is not resting any of those who have a yellow card earlier in the EURO against France on Friday. We need a win and have the best team possible, we're already missing some players, and If we don’t win this, it’s the end of the Euro anyway. We need a win against France!
Will watch the last game in Men’s EURO that I can see for free tonight on our national channel - England - Netherlands.
Then my attention goes to the Women’s games.
Might be risky, but our coach is not resting any of those who have a yellow card earlier in the EURO against France on Friday. We need a win and have the best team possible, we're already missing some players, and If we don’t win this, it’s the end of the Euro anyway. We need a win against France!
Will watch the last game in Men’s EURO that I can see for free tonight on our national channel - England - Netherlands.
Then my attention goes to the Women’s games.
So far very entertaining match.
Probably a bit nerve wracking for those with skin in the game.
Probably a bit nerve wracking for those with skin in the game.
Oh my goodness! We just scored the winner. They are much improved tonight.
Good one by Watkins, good match. Now I can sleep rather than wait in extra time or penalties. 🤣
Better performance by England tonight, we deserved that, great to watch.
I fail to understand much of the sustained criticism that has been directed at, or levelled at, Gareth Southgate; to my mind, he is one of the very best managers that England has ever had, and his record speaks for itself, surpassing those of all of his predecessors, with the possible exception of Sir Alf Ramsey.
I think it’s seeing good quality players put in really poor performances that upset the fans. But last night, especially the first half we looked much better. Running off the ball, looking towards the goal not back at our own.
Fodden in particular looked more like the City player I know.
The fans expect too much.
These days, most international teams are nowhere nearly as good as (let alone as well resourced, or well trained) as the best of the national teams in the best of the respective domestic leagues.
Above all, the very best of the domestic teams play to a system - a well-drilled, well-oiled, well trained - system, -
which is manifestly not the case with international football, where there is neither the time nor the bottomless resources to train individuals to play to any such system.
Moreover, an international manager can expect to receive (or choose, or select) players from a number of teams, teams that are playing a number of different systems where the players are well used to playing with one another; with time pressure (and demands from entitled and intolerant fans, not to mention the media) he is still required to somehow craft, or create, a functioning and coherent team from several disparate (and not always equally talented or gifted) individuals.
Thus, - unlike in the past - international teams tend to play at a less sophisticated (and less regimented) level than do the best of the domestic club teams.
Given the resources (not least, the actual individual players) at his disposal, I think that Southgate has done brilliantly since his appointment as manager; his teams have reached the finals (not just the semi-finals, which would be an already exceptionally impressive achievement) of two international tournaments, and done so in the complete absence of scandal, idiocy or controversy on the part of the team or officials.
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