12 Jul 2021 16:58:49
Just my two cents on the game yesterday

Honestly, Italy deserved to win the game on reflection of the entire game. Of course England’s early goal meant Italy had to go on the front foot but even after the equaliser, England just played like a team that mentally thought they were lucky to be in the final unfortunately, and we’ve seen that before from England sides. Italy started the competition and ended it as the best team, regardless of how dirty they played, I thought England should have been dirty back but players like Kane just allowed themselves to get bullied imo.

I thought the officiating was bad in the big decisions, it was clear that he was going to let a lot of things go but be harsh on England when he could be, probably because of the old cliche of not wanting to get bullied into making favourable decisions for the home team. A lot of people are saying it’s karma for the Denmark game, but stuff like the jack grealish challenge are not karma (which was a clear red), Sterling not getting a pretty standard penalty in the second half is karma. Those decisions didn’t lose us the game, but they could have won us the game, so it just depends how you look at it.

As always with loses, there will be criticism of the decision making, I think southgate has earned a lot of respect and I have no qualms about him staying on as England manager, he’s proven a lot of people wrong, even though I do understand some of the criticism he does get for his brand/ style of football, but in knockout tournaments, it’s less about style and more about results, so as long as he gets them, it greys the debate. I do think he miss timed his changes, and didn’t capitalise on Italy losing momentum and taking off their best players, it seemed as though we were content with taking it to pens. The energy levels of players like Kane seemed to suggest that, who as a 27 year old jogged around all game even when we were on the counter and got beaten in the air time and time again, he had yet another poor game and I don’t think he’s anywhere near what people make him out to be or the amount being quoted for him. He’s very much a traditional striker without some very important traditional striker intangibles. Still a top quality player but overrated, and needs players that play for him rather than being able to adapt as most world class players do. Saka was probably the only other player that I thought had a very poor game for any meaningful amount of time but on the whole I thought we did well to stay in the game.

The line up for pens was the decision I had the most problem with, two players that had just come on, and a 19 year old with the deciding pen. Is sancho known for pens? Is saka? It seemed like we tried to romanticise a euro final win with that line up and it’s backfired massively. Players like stones, grealish and Sterling should have all been first, it takes a lack of foresight from someone who got dogs abuse for missing one himself in his playing days to go with that ending line up on pens. Rashford miss was particularly very ugly and hard to watch, a pogba style of penalty. But pens are pens, and they shouldn’t be getting any personal abuse. Criticism in game is different from anything outside the game and people need to educate themselves on that line. Rashford is an impeccable young man outside the game, I don’t rate him too much as a player though, especially for England, both things can be true, and it’s not racist to say so, like some people are trying to make out.

Italy aren’t the team or nation I would have wanted to lose to, as much as we have been called arrogant, they’re just as if not more. The players either learn from this and get mentally motivated by bonucci screaming ‘it’s coming rome’ into the camera, or they down tools and allow themselves to get bullied again, next time these two teams meet in a big game competition. I hope it’s the former.


1.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 17:31:39
You think the ref set out to be harsh on England kman? Sorry mate but I think that is just those tinted glasses I think the referee was pretty good and let the game flow between two teams who are well known for the slight theatrics.


2.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 17:32:03
Kman England team and fans are the arrogant ones, Italy dominated them and put them in there place.


3.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 17:45:10
Italy dominated England all game bar the early goal England offered nothing no shame in admitting English arrogance got in the way again.


4.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 18:25:00
Kman, England are horribly arrogant. The media first of all placing Southgate on a pedestal as the saviour of English football. He had an easy World Cup run then was outplayed by Croatia in the semifinals. Then, we had an easy run in this Championship. You can argue Germany, but that is the worst German team I can remember. We were outclassed by a better team as whole.
I’d also add that players like Saka, Mount, Foden are again put on a pedestal by the media. If they were any other nationality they’d be just another player. Chiesa and Veratti bossed the game, and Southgate put two yard dogs in Rice and Phillips to do a job and they were outplayed.


5.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 18:44:15
IPC12 as normal you are talking the brown stuff because Rice had a excellent game.

{Ed0666's Note - I would say Rice was excellent a little bit undercooked for my liking.


6.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 19:35:59
Good man Ed0666😂.


7.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 19:38:14
Rice played well, one of England’s better players. I thought overall it was quite a poor game. About 3 or 4 chances in 120 minutes.


8.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 20:24:44
Kman, Italy arrogant? Nah, bro. You lost me right there cos a lot of your post, I agree with. It wasn’t Italy singing “it’s coming home” after their first game vs Croatia. It wasn’t Italy pundits waxing lyrical about how great Southgate was whereas we all know he is pants.

Also look at how calm and gracious Mancini who literally rebuilt the Italian setup from scratch after the fiasco of not making the last WC, was after the game. If you think a team like Italy who’s players sacrificed themselves for the cause and stuck together thru thick and thin are arrogant then, you are gravely mistaking them for the English mate.

England got what their arrogance and hubris deserved as in, got beaten by a better team in the main despite literally “hosting” the tournament with all the advantages that comes with it whereas Italy had NO such advantages and did it with the odds stacked against them.


9.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 19:53:48
I thought Rice was probably Englands best outfield player. Along with Phillip's. Shaw and Trippier started well but couldn't defend. Maguires distribution was awful. Kane played well first 20 mins then hardly won a ball in the air and again his passing was rubbish. Sterling and Sako were poor and Mount may of well not been on the pitch.


10.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 21:21:04
You all know that ‘Football’s Coming Home’ was composed and produced by a Scouser and Liverpool fan, right?
It wasn’t written out of arrogance and the game was invented here too?


11.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 21:17:22
I thought Rice England's best player.

I'm happy England had a good tournament, but my God, the media and fans.

The best team won. Plain and simple.

{Ed025's Note - i cant argue with that mate..


12.) 12 Jul 2021
12 Jul 2021 21:33:15
You do know Italy played 3 games at home? An advantage? Certainly.


13.) 13 Jul 2021
13 Jul 2021 00:16:22
The tackle on Grealish that you claim wasn’t karma as it should have been a red was maybe karma for Kalvin Phillips escaping a red card for a similar challenge against Germany in which he went over the top studs showing and he got none of the ball, unlike Jorginho.


14.) 13 Jul 2021
13 Jul 2021 01:23:09
Im sure very few songs are written out of arrogance, Juicer. Its the manner it is adopted and the media use it every international tournament to suggest the cup will be back in the rightful owners hands. They build up the hype and expectations and unfortunately that song has become more symbolic of failure the more it is played. 45 years of hurt?


15.) 13 Jul 2021
13 Jul 2021 12:12:35
I find it funny how singing “it’s coming home” has made us arrogant all of a sudden but not the previous 25 years when we have been rubbish!
I’m pretty sure other nations have been heard signing it or an adapted version cause it’s a catchy song.


16.) 14 Jul 2021
13 Jul 2021 18:17:01
My 2 cents worth
We were lucky with the side of the draw that we were in, but we reached the final.
I was embarrassed to see Italy centre backs playing in our half in open play and us keeping 11 players behind the ball, why Southgate didn't tell Sterling to go and stand on the halfway line is beyond me, this would have occupied two players and given us an out ball instead of just giving the ball back to Italy. However reaching the final is an improvement and we now have 18 months for our players to improve. That is assuming that Southgate will actually get them on the pitch.