Euro 2024 Discussion

[Bluedylan1]

I also don't buy the idea that England had markedly better players than Spain. I think Spain had the two best wide players in the tournament, I think you could argue they had the 3 best CMs in the tournament, one of whom might be the best player in the world. I think Laporte, Cucurella and Carvajal have been 3 of the best defenders in the tournament.

[Shogun]

I also don't buy the idea that England had markedly better players than Spain. I think Spain had the two best wide players in the tournament, I think you could argue they had the 3 best CMs in the tournament, one of whom might be the best player in the world. I think Laporte, Cucurella and Carvajal have been 3 of the best defenders in the tournament.

Talking about in terms of club football, not performances in the tournament. Williams and Yamal aren't better players than Saka for example. A win today sees Bellingham win Ballon D'or. You know how good Foden is. Rice has been excellent for Arsenal. Kane arguably the best striker in the world, twice the player of Morata.

Defence is arguable but the Spanish defence individually isn't a lot better than the England defence.

And that's not saying they're miles better players but it shouldn't look like an Everton (England) side going away to Tottenham (Spain) when it comes to what you see on the pitch.

[Bluedylan1]

Talking about in terms of club football, not performances in the tournament. Williams and Yamal aren't better players than Saka for example. A win today sees Bellingham win Ballon D'or. You know how good Foden is. Rice has been excellent for Arsenal. Kane arguably the best striker in the world, twice the player of Morata.

I just think we're underselling the quality of the Spain players. They are an excellent team, easily the most balanced and best coached team in the tournament on and off the ball but they also have some top class individuals who can make the difference.

I don't think there's much quality difference.

[Granite]

Almost every team looked shagged. It wasn’t a great tournament at all. Compare that to the WC in Qatar and it was night and day.

Having a tournament mid-season felt like anathema at the time but think there’s an argument for playing it when players look fresh and interested.

[Gash]

England's future should be bright but they need a more dynamic manager who'll use the talent they have in the squad properly, Southgate's too cautious for these players now.

Let them loose, let them play and see what happens. They had a great squad there not to mention the players who didn't make it. It should be exciting times.

[AjaxAndy]

England's future should be bright but they need a more dynamic manager who'll use the talent they have in the squad properly, Southgate's too cautious for these players now.

Let them loose, let them play and see what happens. They had a great squad there not to mention the players who didn't make it. It should be exciting times.

Yeah there's some amazing talent in the team and coming through... Branthwaite, Wharton, Rico Lewis, Colwill. Add Mainoo to that as he's only just breaking through.

Then Foden is still pretty young and Bellingham definitely is.

And that's just the players who I can think of off the top of my head, there's a fair few more just breaking through at clubs over the past year, or hyped but not broken through yet.

Only position I see as being potentially weak is striker as I can't think of anyone who looks like they're going to be quality, and it seems a bit of a dying art with very few in any nation coming through as traditional strikers.

[Audrey Horne]

Gutted

[Goaljira]

Yeah there's some amazing talent in the team and coming through... Branthwaite, Wharton, Rico Lewis, Colwill. Add Mainoo to that as he's only just breaking through.

Then Foden is still pretty young and Bellingham definitely is.

And that's just the players who I can think of off the top of my head, there's a fair few more just breaking through at clubs over the past year, or hyped but not broken through yet.

Only position I see as being potentially weak is striker as I can't think of anyone who looks like they're going to be quality, and it seems a bit of a dying art with very few in any nation coming through as traditional strikers.

There's a kid coming through at Spurs, and one at Palace. Both look good, but both very young.

[777Kidnappings]

I also don't buy the idea that England had markedly better players than Spain. I think Spain had the two best wide players in the tournament, I think you could argue they had the 3 best CMs in the tournament, one of whom might be the best player in the world. I think Laporte, Cucurella and Carvajal have been 3 of the best defenders in the tournament.

In the tournament is surely the point though. Think we do have better players but when they play together they are a bit rubbish.

[biziclop]

Feel for southgate. Think he deserves so much more respect than he gets but maybe a little bit of bravery would have brought a trophy home.

Ironically it's all the quiet good work he's done with the team that makes it so easy to forget what an absolute fucking shitshow it was when he came in.

Is he a good enough matchday manager? No. But he's sorted an awful lot of shit out in the background.

I remember when all this was WAGs.

[Fynci]

In the tournament is surely the point though. Think we do have better players but when they play together they are a bit rubbish.

What I was trying to get at earlier. As a team they were bland and dull, I think that falls on setup and instructions, as individuals they offer much more, but not while wearing the England shirt.

[AjaxAndy]

Ironically it's all the quiet good work he's done with the team that makes it so easy to forget what an absolute fucking shitshow it was when he came in.

Is he a good enough matchday manager? No. But he's sorted an awful lot of shit out in the background.

I remember when all this was WAGs.

Yeah there's a lot to be commended for, even stuff like the players taking an extra 10 seconds after the ref blows to take their penalty is small but hugely significant.

Sadly his tactics of keeping it tight and hoping one of your players has a moment of brilliance was never going to win this tournament... It worked to an extent, but he'll never be that guy to get you over the line in a major tournament.

He'll go with a lot of credit in the bank for how he's transformed the national team and the feeling around it, but he absolutely must go, it's run it's course.

[Cozzie]

Disappointed in the end with how Phil Foden performed, just wasn't his tournament.

[Mouse]

I think Southgate made a mistake with Kane. He has come out and said "Harry has come into the tournament having had an injury at the end of the season and he has played a lot of minutes,". The obvious solution is then to not let him play a lot of minutes. It's not Kane's fault, like any player, if he's picked he plays and does his best. It just seems odd for a manager that is all about picking on form and it's not like England don't have options there. Rice also looked half the player but the options are not so obvious for his position.

Southgate has done a job for England, two finals, a semi and a quarter in major tournaments is pretty good by any standards. He just doesn't seem to have that extra quality when it comes to getting over the line, especially when up against a tactically astute manager. England has a great crop of young players coming through and a change of manager is probably necessary to get the best from them. You need a style that makes the most of their talents rather than subdues them in favour of a system

[Cereal Killer]

I think Southgate made a mistake with Kane. He has come out and said "Harry has come into the tournament having had an injury at the end of the season and he has played a lot of minutes,". The obvious solution is then to not let him play a lot of minutes. It's not Kane's fault, like any player, if he's picked he plays and does his best. It just seems odd for a manager that is all about picking on form and it's not like England don't have options there. Rice also looked half the player but the options are not so obvious for his position.

Southgate has done a job for England, two finals, a semi and a quarter in major tournaments is pretty good by any standards. He just doesn't seem to have that extra quality when it comes to getting over the line, especially when up against a tactically astute manager. England has a great crop of young players coming through and a change of manager is probably necessary to get the best from them. You need a style that makes the most of their talents rather than subdues them in favour of a system

Think that just adds another string to why Southgate isn’t up to it

Kane has an injury, don’t play him in the group games, get him fully fit, play him when he is fit

Unless he so massively doesn’t rate any of the other strikers he himself picked

Pathetic excuse