I'd say put money on France 2-0 but with the run I'm on I'd back everything but.
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I'd say put money on France 2-0 but with the run I'm on I'd back everything but.
This.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yevrah
The same thing happened when we conceded against Colombia, and if I'm ultra critical it kind of did against Tunisia as well for a while.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yevrah
They are good players and were set up well, but against the experience and yes, phonics, LEADERSHIP of people like Perisic, Mandzukic, Modric etc they just came heavily second in the big moments. Alli I don't mind and I don't think he was ever fully fit at this tournament, but Jesse Lingard, for example, was demonstrably out of his depth in a 'big game' and you could also say that about Kane and others.
I think Modric could run a record setting marathon time and still play a 60 yard outside the boot pass onto a sixpence on the finish line. I just don't think that's 'leadership'.
There's a risk of overreaction here. England were largely very good, which is a damn sight better than they've been for a while. You've got a popular team and a platform to build on. Don't do the classic post-tournament evisceration - just enjoy that you're really relevant again.
That's the long lens take, but we will have to be about 200 times better than this to ever win a World Cup as the draw will never open up in this way again, so not to reach the final is properly crushing.Quote:
Originally Posted by ItalAussie
But then Gerrard, Lampard etc were exactly that for their clubs at least.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
They didn't actually do it for England though, whereas Mandzukic et al actually do do it for Croatia.Quote:
Originally Posted by Magic
But the team has really obvious scope to get better. "Leadership" is in no small part the experience and confidence of having been there before. Half the players in the side I'd never heard of two years ago. Two players got their first England goal in this tournament. It won't have to be like that next time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
Yeah, you need to improve. But there's heaps of scope for that to happen naturally. You've got a strong base and time to build. They'll only get better.
It's not coming home.
I think I'm being reasonably level-headed, I just take umbrage with the notion that we'll definitely kick on from here, when we might well not.Quote:
Originally Posted by ItalAussie
It was a huge occasion and we did so well to get there, but we looked like losing that game for 60 minutes and had absolutely no answers whatsoever. Had the draw been different we could have easily drawn Croatia in the second round, lost and nobody would be talking about us being challengers in two and four years time. I guess a bit of perspective and appreciation for how easy the draw was is what I'm after.
And I know I'm right, because from the internet, to the call-ins, the tv studio (Roy Kean aside), people are a bit confused as to why we weren't good enough.
As will everybody else. Back to the point I've just made, play a good team in the second round (we didn't meet one this time until the semi's), go out and no one is talking about us winning it in future.Quote:
Originally Posted by ItalAussie
I've spent all my life before this tournament watching dramatically more talented England teams put out dramatically worse tournament performances than this one, so I can only feel happy overall with how we've done.
I mean there was a time we could field a team of:
David James
Ashley Cole
Rio Ferdinand
John Terry
Gary Neville
Joe Cole (I guess)
2 of Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard
David Beckham
Wayne Rooney
Michael Owen
and we still looked shitter then than we have this tournament.
Well everyone else won't, because many teams have older players who will have retired/declined by the next time. There's nothing to say the players in the next generation who replace them will be as good/better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yevrah
And players that will have replaced those older and retiring players.Quote:
Originally Posted by randomlegend
Do you really think this England team exists in a bubble that will make only them improve and no-one else? And I've not even mentioned the draw in that response.
I don't understand what you're trying to say in that first line since I've already addressed it with my second sentence.
I think this England team has one of the youngest and least experienced squads of the big teams. They therefore have more room for growth going into the next few tournaments than most others. There are obviously exceptions (e.g. France) but looking at a team like Croatia today, Modric and Mandzukic will be gone by the next World Cup and the chances of them being replaced by better players are basically zero.
Teams don't all just improve forever, which is basically the argument you are making. Some teams will benefit from the next few years as their players get older and more experienced and will improve, others will suffer from big players retiring/aging and get worse.
Player for player this is one of the weakest England sides in memory. They have punched above their weight massively in getting to the semi final. To declare they're never winning a tournament off the back of it seems an odd conclusion.
More crushing than a loss in the final?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
I'd be more excited about some of the kids who haven't played yet than about 50% of the current team.
Well yeah obviously Angel Gomes will be the one captaining us to glory in 2022, that goes without saying.
Neville with the face of someone who's had to put up with Roy Keane his entire life.
"Well, lads. We trained for this in the 2018 heatwave so we're used to this humidity."Quote:
Originally Posted by randomlegend
Wright imitating Keane's accent was a bit pathetic. He'd be in big shit if he'd done that to someone with a Nigerian accent or something rather than Keane's Irish one.
I think they have a much higher baseline to improve from than most other sides. And a much higher ceiling. Compare them to Spain, who have a fantastic theoretical player pipeline, but looked utterly bereft of ideas, and relied on almost the same names that got wiped out four years ago. Nobody is saying England has locked down 2022, but they've got enough talent to build towards it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yevrah
You're just whinging for no reason now. Just enjoy being relevant for the first time in a long time. They didn't have to win in order to not be failures.
We've always been fair game, I was only talking about it the other day sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by randomlegend
That's not an Irishness thing that's a white thing. Just look at the fucking dopey Eastern European meerkats.Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggles
Biggest surprise for me was Pickford actually being alright in net.
Uploaded July 7th:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9BbKWatZ-Q&t=2s
The midfield got done over yesterday which let Croatia control the game. The subs came too slow and made little influence.
It's been an enjoyable tournament though and now we can play Belgium in another pointless game.
Giggs, I loves ya, but you don’t half sound like a Liverpool fan at times.Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggles
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spikey M
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I need to wind the clock back and see if there was any anti-Welshness going on in 2016.
Actually, is there any reason why Slaven wasn't in the ITV studio? Maybe Keane was subbed in.
After watching the game. Croatia during the second half dominated the game. Modric was amazing and he should win the Ballon d'Or on his performance alone. Someone on here pointed out a few games ago that Kane just does not run that much during game. That was evident last night. If he was injured and could not run at full speed, surely England are better off brining someone else in instead of Kane. I thought it would be Croatia who would fatigue first given they have gone through to extra time in every round but it was England who looked tired the most.
Croatia was the better team and deserved to go through. England has slobbed their way to the semi-final. I thought they would beat Croatia but I was completely wrong. Pickford and Tripper are both the standout performaners in the tournument for me. Suspried Welbeck didnt get playing time when England needed goals as his England record is decent.
I hear all 'the lads have done us proud talk' but Croatia was there to be beaten, and England fucked it up.
I don't think Southgate was good with substitutions at any point in the tournament, but that's something for him to work on as his man management seems flawless.
So Lingard and Rashford tried the same shit as Panama did against England. This is when Croatia are celebrating their goal:
https://i.imgur.com/oy0eBzI.gifv
Ahahahahaha pointless you fuckers pointless. Was so funny listening to you all talk up your mediocre Sweden performance as a sign of things to come. Your team just isn’t very good.
England was just not good enough. Came across a team who could actually play. Surprised me. I had England winning by a landslide. Wrong on that on.
Czech Republic 0-0 Northern IrelandQuote:
Originally Posted by mugbull
Germany 3-0 Czech Republic
Czech Republic 0-0 Azerbaijan
Czech Republic 2-1 Norway
San Marino 0-6 Czech Repulbic
Norway 1-1 Czech Republic
Czech Republic 1-2 Germany
Northern Ireland 2-0 Northern Ireland
Azerbaijan 1-2 Czech Republic
Czech Republic 5-0 San Marino
Or is this the point where we find out your nationality was faked along with your tennis fantasies?
Whilst I agree that Croatia completely took hold of the game from the 2nd half onwards, if Kane and/or Lingard just put their chances away, we'd be cruising into the final. I still can't really understand how Kane misses the 2nd attempt.
Because he plays for Spurs so he bottled it.Quote:
Originally Posted by thommo
Indeed, we are short in midfield. Hopefully someone like RLC or Foden kicks on and we get a real commanding midfield which can control and see games out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yevrah
I don't understand why he didn't use Loftus-Cheek after Panama. He is a twat but he's also the perfect impact sub for a tiring Alli/Lingard.
Modric has to win the Balon D’or if Croatia win. Champions League/World Cup double and the best midfielder by a landslide the last three years.
The Czech team is a joke but no one would ever claim otherwise, that’s the difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shindig
Also, faked tennis fantasies? I faked my age and a preggo girlfriend but i never faked the tennis stuff
England shouldn't be happy or content with going out to Croatia.
If he actually said those things he should be sectioned.Quote:
Originally Posted by SincereTheRebel
Dejan Lovren with the Ether
http://www.skysports.com/football/ne...s-in-the-worldQuote:
Originally Posted by Lovren in an interview with beIN Sports.