11 Jul 2021 23:34:21
We might not be the best team in Europe, but if we learn from the mistakes we made, we might end up being the best team in the world next year. Poor game management in the 2nd half but we can build from this. What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.

{Ed014's Note - not with coco at the helm, that ain’t never happening

12 Jul 2021 01:08:31
Well, you certainly played like you were the best team in Europe, not Italy, in the first half. But Southgate's luck finally ran out I think, because whatever he told his players at half time and the tactics he suggested, clearly are responsible for the complete turnabout in the second half. Every Tom, Dick and Harry knew one goal would never be enough against these Italians. The pressure should never have been switched off. Mancini the Master against Southgate the Novice. (I won't even go into the choice of penalty takers) .

12 Jul 2021 01:25:53
I thought at the beginning of the tournament Italy the best. They were lucky to be in the final. Spain is a better team and bossed them in midfield in their match. The pass sideways, pass backwards of England's earlier matches made me think they had little chance. The performance against a poor German team didn't show how good or bad we were. We did well against Ukraine and my view of Southgate improved. Denmark could have gone either way.
The first 40 minutes against Italy was quite good. Then Italy started to take control. The match stats are revealing. Italy had 66% of possession, England 34%. Italy 19 shots at goal, England 6. Italy 4 times as many fouls as England, which is pathetic, they didn't need to do so much fouling.

England have a very good squad of players.
They need a quality manager who is a great tactician and has actually won things.
Not enough creativity.

I am not anti Southgate, I just don't think he is good enough.

12 Jul 2021 02:35:38
England finally paid the price for Southgate’s pragmatism, Italy were there for the taking first half but they tried to sit on their lead and Italy deserved to get back into the game. I fear Southgate will waste this generation of players.
Also, picking a 19 year old kid to take such an important penalty was massively unfair, it’ll be tough for Saka to get over that.

11 Jul 2021 23:57:18
I feel very sorry for Saka he should never have put in that position.

12 Jul 2021 00:01:05
I agree he might be the best manager, but he is doing something right. One more step is all that is needed. Learn from the mistakes and build from what we have got.

12 Jul 2021 00:05:16
Ah well. Liverpool Pre season training kicks off in the morning, UP THE REDS! YNWA.

12 Jul 2021 00:08:35
Gotta feel sorry for Pickford. How many keepers will save 2 penalties during a shootout in a game of this magnitude and still finish on the losing side?
From elation to despair in 9 or 10 kicks of a ball.
Who would be a goalkeeper?

12 Jul 2021 00:27:47
A number of criticisms were leveled at England BEFORE the final:

Southgate is tactically inept
‘World class’ Kane is anonymous when it matters
Sterling falls over more than an Italian international
And England always choke on penalty shootouts

What a pity they reverted to type. Feel sorry for Saka, Sancho and Rashford. Southgate should’ve known better having been through that experience himself.

12 Jul 2021 05:01:44
You have to question southgate. Bringing on players at 120th min for the pen? . How early were they informed? Was this always the decision and if so did the players train on penalties at all? Because from evidence it didn't seem so.

Also its comical that the England best players of the tournament luke shaw and raheem sterling didn't take the penalty and players with the least minutes in the tournament of the bunch sancho and rashford did.

I think its clear southgate chose glory over logic. He was in thinking what i will say in the press conference about it before england had even won.
Penalties are all about confidence and best players of your tournament should take it because their confidence is sky high
It should have been kane maguire sterling shaw and stones
This has to be owned by southgate, he made three wrong decisions.

12 Jul 2021 08:36:02
I reckon TAA woulda put one of those penalties away. Just saying.

12 Jul 2021 00:21:23
Ed, when Southgate said that stuff about Germans and WW2, I just thought “Partridgesque”. He’s the Alan Partridge of football management.

{Ed014's Note - I didn’t wait to listen to his waffle mate, I’ve not been sucked into the hype surrounding him.

He has all that talent with no genuine clue what to do with it, he’s winging a job he should never have got in the first place!

12 Jul 2021 09:14:03
Yuri01, I literally stopped reading when you said Italy were lucky to be in the final. Now, that is hilarious and laughable. Italy were far and away the best team in the tournament and even tho they looked a bit jaded in the final couple of games, they were still well in the game and NEVER gave up against a BANG average England team that played Tony Pulis Ball (with much better players) all tournament long. The Ukraine? Really? Stevenage would have battered them, they were that poor.

England scored in the first 2 minutes of the game in literally their only fluid attacking move of the game. That's it and not surprising since Tony Pulis Ball is the standard of measurement here. Whereas Italy kept opening England up with quick passing, movement and swift interchange.

These Italy players are nowhere near the solar system where the likes of Nesta, Maldini, Canavaro, Totti, DelPiero etc reside BUT as a team, they are absolutely brilliant cos they fought for each other all tournament long never gave up even when things were looking bleek. Saying Italy were lucky and bigging up England for parking the bus all game long is just sour grapes, man.

12 Jul 2021 12:18:02
My inference was that Spain should have beaten them. When Chiesa went off, Italy played for penalties. Winning the last two matches via penalties is not the best team in the tournament.
I would put Spain, France, Belgium and perhaps Portugal in front of them. They played very well in the early stages but then reverted to type. Negative and inclined to foul.
Southgate should have wrapped things up in the first half. What has he got against Grealish?
Chiesa is a brilliant player. Italy has a couple of others and a great goalkeeper. They were not the best team in the tournament, very good manager in Mancini.
Southgate is confirmed as the manager for World Cup 2022.
It will be more of the same. Yawn.
I feel sorry for our excellent young players.
I wonder how Rafa Benitez would manage them?

12 Jul 2021 14:25:07
Yuri01, Spain were better on the day and Italy did not play with the high tempo they normally play with on that day cos Spain were all over them. That said, a sign of good teams is knowing that when you are not playing well, you know when to go into survival mode and and get stuck in and secure the result which was in this case, penalties.

You say they were negative in the latter stages. Could it be that their physical exertions on the pitch and esp. traveling to other countries (something ENG knew NOTHING about, btw) had something to do with that? Spain, France, Portugal and Belgium ahead of them? That's just sour grapes, bro. Portugal were useless. France were a disgrace and their manager was so incompetent (playing 4 diff. formations in 4 games) even the players' parents could see it. Talented? Yes, Better team? NO WAY. Belgium were exposed for their deficiencies that even their media talked about (I live here so I would know) . Spain? One good game in 5 (helped by Michael Oliver's blunder vs the Swiss) won't cut it, sorry.

England should have had things wrapped up in the first half. How? How were they supposed to do that with the Waist Coat playing Tony Pulis park the bus footie? Italy looked jaded in the first half yet turned things around by turning the tempo up two notches and ENG couldn't get near them all second half and the goal came.

Italy had the best team cos they had the best group of players who were guided by a good coach who got everyone to buy into his philosophy and ran thru walls for him. Having the best players has NEVER meant that you have the best team. France had the most talented team YET their players were at each other's throats all comp. long. Do not conflate the two.