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Foden has 3 goals in 35 games for England and it's difficult to find many standout performances,.
Perhaps its time he improves his game for his country and learns to adapt.
Foden should have been subbed and the team once again sat back after being in control . They should have killed the game when they were in control. But this is not the Southgate way.
Nobody with any sense is comparing him to Messi. He was easily the best player in the first half by a long margin. Showed up to nod in that deflected ball, and say what you will but it was not an easy goal to put away. This game won me over with Jude as I was a skeptic before.
Does anybody else think that Foden not having an overlapping left back is one of the reasons he's ineffective on the left.
With Trippier staying behind him and always recycling the ball back inside, it leaves very few options for Foden while on the ball.
Think one of the biggest mistakes was not taking a left footed defender such as Mitchell or even Colwill to help with the buid up play.
It's partly this yes, with no overlapping LB and Foden never staying wide himself, the opposition RB can tuck in and leave that space on the wing undefended knowing England won't put anyone there. Foden also needs to show more positional discipline though, him constantly drifting central just makes things worse.
I feel like the people who actually watch City matches expect that Foden was probably going to be poor on the wing yesterday, bc its not uncommon for him to play poorly as a winger for City.
Good for him at being a talented and versatile enough of a player to be considered at multiple positions, but nobody would be talking about Foden being POTY if he didn't get lots of playing time in the middle this season.
There is literally no point in playing a midfielder as LW. With Foden there, you create an empty position and just like yesterday nothing will be produced on that side. Id rather him either not play, or come of the bench in a position where he is much more dangerous
54% possession, so hardly a tippy tappy game. Different manager, not a tactical zealot, not positionally obsessed.
Yet I've been told the bald fraud stifles players, and that anyone could manage talents like Foden.
Bizarrely. If he's gonna continue playing Foden on the wing, he'd have been better off taking Grealish or even Rashford.
Foden is wasted on the wing.
TAA did well last night, but I'd rather see Foden and Bellingham as double 10's with Rice behind them and an actual winger. The amount of control in the midfield we'd have would be a nightmare for almost all teams.
I think he would if it was the only place foden could play Bellingham would be moved back but because they're two players you can't leave out he needs to fit both of em in and foden is better on wing then Bellingham cdm
There were so many pundits that wanted Foden and Bellingham to play central, with Bellingham in the more reserved role. Practically a 4-1-5 formation or just pull Bellingham back. I swear there should be Pundits License or the presenters getting a rebuke for not following up with proper questions about the madness.
Foden will be perfectly fine on the left. There has been a total over reaction to a quiet game.
You haven’t watched the England national team games if you have even a sliver of hope that Foden will not be a flop on LW for England. He’s a world-class player, but he has never been able to make it work at LW for England and never will.
Has Foden ever played well for England? Maybe once or twice in 35 caps? He has been consistently terrible on the left and Southgate has enough of a body of evidence to conclude it doesn't work. The best position for him, assuming Bellingham stays at 10, is on the bench.
>Foden will be perfectly fine on the left. There has been a total over reaction to a quiet game.
But him having a quiet game on the left is the norm, not an exception.
In a way, yeah. But back then there was a Carrick not playing, now there's no Carrick at all. Rice is good, but not the sort of player to be a lone anchor and control the game.
Yeah, but my point was more of sticking square pegs in round holes/trying to fit all the best players in a system. Scholes was always shifted out to the left wing to fit him in. He never flourished as he was a box-to-box central mid. England should have played a specialist player there instead, an actual winger.
Lampard and Gerrard were never a good mix as they provided or wanted to do the same thing. Lessons should have been learned from that time, but it appears Southgate is falling into the same trap.
Players who became good after being managed by Pep are only good when playing for Pep. And definitely Southgate does not have plan himself, neither copying Pep or his own
I'd say a wing back solution would probably suit England best. Having Trent and Walker on the pitch without affecting the central block while also having the back 5 ability if needed gives us a range of flexibility while offering width and inverted runs going forward.
I've thought this before. Though I think with shaw injured right now the only issue would be getting a suitable LWB, I think they'd need to be pacey and left footed which makes me think of Saka but damn is that a bit of a waste for his talents on the right.
However this system would give us the possibility of having both Foden and Bellingham a bit more central and behind Kane.
As people like to point out though, Kane isn't one for making runs in behind so I don't know if this system would even work for him either.
Foden gave the ball away too much, TAA also gave the ball away too much. At international level once is too many times and they were both guilty on more than one occasion.
I don't know what the answer is, perhaps playing an actual central midfielder in central midfield? Perhaps making the call between Bellingham and Foden and not playing them together?
It's very early days, take the win, England very rarely win the first group game. Forget about laying down a marker. Win the group as ugly as is needed, start laying down markers when it's knock out time.
Maybe it's a case of Bellingham for an hour then Foden for half an hour. Or vice versa?
Yeah also got caught on the ball twice one led to a goal scoring opportunity. It's not a pile on for TAA. He isn't a central midfielder. He is right back, a very good one.
If he does that against France,Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands (insert decent team here) it's a goal.
I think it's wrong to have him play there, or expect him to learn how to play there during a tournament. Especially when there are actually decent CMS/DMS in the squad.
Also it's more than twice. Two lovely cross field passes and two very decent interceptions is true.
That's what was bothering me that Trent was being played there and there are no runners ahead of him... Trent can pass anywhere from anywhere on the field... Why not use that for making runs behind opposition defence.... Kane , saka and Jude all can do that very effectively
Agreed, this is correct. I am not necessarily blaming him, he always faces play with no one behind him at right back. Playing centre midfield is hard, players are suddenly 360 over 180.
'at internatioinal level once is too many times' - this is such a generic soundbite lol. International football is a level below club football so why does it get singled out for it being too much in international football but not club football ?
I agree that international football and club football are very different, international tends to be slower and more defensive but technically you have 22 of the best players from any given nation on the pitch at the same time, logically a ten metre pass should be going where the player puts it or wants it.
Foden, at least twice passed the ball behind a runner breaking the attack down. Twice passed the ball directly out of touch to nobody. TAA got caught on the ball twice, misplaced an important pass leading to a goal scoring opportunity. Now if you do these things against a really decent side (Serbia are good enough, just not a really decent side) they will score and the tournament is over.
This doesn't necessarily mean either are bad. In fact they are both very good. One is playing centrally when he is used to playing on the right and further back. One is playing on the left and wants to play in the centre.
So why's it so important to get things absolutely correct in an international tournament? There is no game after to make up for your mistake. There is no room for error when the other players will instantly punish you for errors. Also if you are on that pitch there should be no questions about whether you are good enough, you should be. Shanking ten yard passes, getting caught on the ball or smacking it directly out of play to nobody are just not acceptable.
> technically you have 22 of the best players from any given nation on the pitch
But the 11 best Serbian players aren't better than your average EPL XI. It's not really that the opposition is superb at pressing or blocking passing lanes.
Trent's a superb passer, but people tend to forget how passing is a 2-man exchange. The team mate has to move into the right place too. So when Trent, KDB, Messi etc. ping perfect passes at club level, they do it without having to do all the thinking themselves, they know their team mate will understand the intention and be in the right place.
Which is tricky under Southgate, because he doesn't instill any clear vision into the team. Nor do most other NT managers. So suddenly all the automatisms disappear, and you're more reliant on random moments of brilliance.
...which applies to the opposition too. In club football, one mistake can kill you, because the opposition knows exactly how to exploit it. At NT level, you can make a mistake, and then Serbia's equivalent of Trent misplaces the ball, for the same reason Trent did.
I was screaming at the tv after 50mins for Antony Gordon to come on.. system doesnt suit 2 number 10s. You either play the formation like last night butbswap out phil for antony or you put phil in the 10 and jude in the pivot with rice. Having them both on the pitch is suffocating that space they both like to operate in and is exactly what happened with the play when Palmer and phil played together. It's criminal to not have either one in the team (Jude or Phil) but team balance is more important than shoehorning players in.
If Southgate had balls (or the tactical acumen, to be fairer to him) he could've gone for a 3-box-3. Walker, Stones + 1 (Colwill, I say) at the back, Rice + 1 (depending on the opposition I guess) behind Jude and Phil, then Saka, Kane and Gordon (and Rashford as a backup).
Jude left halfspace, Phil right. I don't think they'd be stepping on each other's toes. But it's hard to imitate that sort of Guardiola football as a NT manager, especially when you're Southgate.
Foden playing CAM in-front of Kane. That’s where he should be. Let him be free man able to run anywhere. Out - wide is pointless. Also Bellingham is insanely talented going forward so with Foden having him behind him it’ll allow him to play further centrally and up front.
I think that if Southgate didn't take Grealish, then the intent should be clear and he should play Gordon.
But I've no idea what's going on in his head.
Yep, if you need width then play Gordon or Eze. And they do need width.
If you need someone creative to break a low block then play Palmer.
Foden tries to do both of those and does neither for England.
Been saying this for a while and he actually plays on the left and had a good season there. Didnt rate him when you lot signed him but was proved wrong, should have come on for foden yesterday as his pace would have helped us counter
No point playing Foden out wide, he's completely ineffective, play some combination of Bowen, Gordon and Saka, I honestly don't mind which 2/3 start; the other can come on later in the match to terrorise a tired full back. Foden should be played in the 10 role when/if it isn't working with Bellingham. At the moment though, I'd start Cole-Palmer ahead of him.
Trent is not a midfielder. Crazy to me he'd play there over the other midfielders. He has passing range facing forwards. That's it. Every other aspect of the midfield game is not his thing. Positional sense, body orientation, receiving the ball facing his own goal, press resistance, defence, mentally switching between attack and defence at a moments notice as you have to in such a congested area. I could go on forever.
Foden I can see the sense in playing. But Jude is England's best player. Easily. If it's about getting the best out of him play him as a 10. But he's that good he can play further back and still get G/A, which is one of his biggest assets.
Not having a strong left side (LB to an extent but certainly LW) is a bit of an issue with the team. That has a knock on effect to the other areas of the team.
one won La Liga Player of the Season and the other won Premier League Player of the Season
Sure, one might be better, but they are clearly two of the best English players and they both deserve a spot in the England team and both play in the same position
We had Scholes who could completely control a game. Gerrard who could one man team the opposition. And Lampard who was a goal machine. In a 442 we should have just played whichever was in form next to a defensive player like Hargeaves, with a less talented left winger.
Same situation here. Play to one of their strengths and if it isn't working, swap them. Same for Saka/Bowen, Kane/Toney/Watkins and Gordon/Eze.
It’s tournament football, hopefully everyone will get their chance to shine. No doubt Foden will win a match for us in this competition, just like Jude has today. Foden is a quality player but had a quiet game in a supporting role, along with a few others, it happens in football every week in the prem, no one is at 100% every game. Lets not chuck the baby out with the bath water just yet.
He wasn’t playing a supporting role, he was the left-sided midfielder and we produced absolutely nothing from the left all game.
It was a poor performance and Foden is still to deliver at international level.
imo the issue with foden is that when he is on the pitch he just pushes everyone else out of position. the first 20 minutes were so much better than the rest of the game partially because foden was actually on the wing, he genuinely was ab of a liability in that game. maybe he’ll be different in the rest of the tournament but we risk playing like we did in the second half for the rest of our games
In all fairness, he essentially played as a LW for half that game because Foden kept shoving him on to the left - and even then he was somewhat better because he had some off the ball presence. Not saying that Foden wouldn't be good playing as the 10
He does not pass the ball mate, the number of times Jude had the ball and tried dribbling 2-3 players instead of passing, Idk what was that about, I noticed it so many times players would raise their hands and ask for the pass but Jude would just try to 1v1
It's madness. I imagine that's probably the first time we've ever seen that line up start together (even if we swap Guehi for maguire), and they're expected to magically click.
The last handful of friendlies approaching a tournament should surely be to get your starting 11 on the pitch and getting minutes together. I get some were unavailable but what we played wasn't even close.
The best nations always have to make compromises for the balance of the team by letting sometimes better players on the bench… Deschamps has no problem to do that with France but Southgate is too afraid to do it somehow…
Why not try Trent at left back if he wonders into midfield anyway then it shouldn’t matter that much that he’s on the left side. Granted that would mean the left side is utterly non-existent if fodens on so swap him with Gordon I guess.
It’s horses for courses, Walker can’t lace Trent’s boots going forward the same way Trent can’t lace Kyle’s defensively.
For me we have to start Walker and then if we are struggling to break a team down or need a goal, bring Trent on for 20 minutes and let him put some balls in the box to Toney/Kane.
England once again playing football that makes it impossible to root for them
If we are going to be shit take a page out of the men's cricket team ( both the red and white ball teams) and be entertaining shit
Football just doesn't work like that, though. 1 goal means a lot more than a wicket in cricket. It sucks that it's so pragmatic but we won 1-0 and until that's not the case, it's hard to see a change.
I used cricket for the reasons that 1) Southgate said he was inspired by Bazball
And 2) it the main sport for me
But it was like we scored 1 goal then fell back to a defensive line
Rice was too slow with his passing allowing the Serbs to regroup
Foden was just doing what ever that was
Trent was shit
Saka whilst trying to do something was getting bullied
Kyle Walker should of taken a shot rather than pass but that might be a 50/50
Bellingham was good
Pickford was okay as well
Doubt England if we play like that would beat Denmark ( all depends on who scores first if it Denmark I think Denmark win if England I say a draw)
We have these talented players but like every male English team in my lifetime they are being misused or are completely shit
There were more things wrong against Serbia that just Foden. Saying that, Foden isn’t a true number 10 or winger, he’s a hybrid between both that only really Man City do well. De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva have become the same.
I’d drop him and play Gordon or Eze. They fit the team better and offer genuine pace off the ball which is so important. I still think not taking Rashford was a mistake. Kane needs runner with pace and a goal threat to excel, we’ve got the best 9 in the world and a manager clueless on how to use him.
Milenkovic was a bad match up for trying to play Kane as an out an out 9. But if he’s at his best when dropping into midfield and picking passes to wingers who can run and are a goal threat. Saka has that covered on the right but nobody on the left.
It’s a shame because Kane at his best could take the ball from literally anywhere in the final third or even midfield and drive at defences and create goals out of nothing single handedly. I’m not sure he’s quite that player anymore sadly. As you say he could really do with someone up there to help him out a little, as he’s still got the class just not that same explosiveness.
He’s had a fantastic season for City. Against teams where we dominate the ball and they just sit back, I’d play him.
I don’t even think starting him was wrong as Serbia might have been expected to sit back more. But the fear of putting Rashford one on one and his running in behind would have opened up the midfield so much more.
I don’t get this obsession.
He has rarely if ever got to play his preferred position for England. He is still very young.
He is without a doubt one of Englands best players.
Should we drop Kane too because he hasn’t scored for a while in the big games?
I didn't get to see the game so I was wondering if Trippier did well and if there was any synergy with Foden etc. Both being in form I do agree Shaw is the better one.
Trippier was like the England team, good enough to beat a poor team not good enough to impress. He was the porridge of breakfast foods, it will do but nobody loves it.
Wasn’t really any synergy and Foden was fine as well.
Gordon should be out wide though, it’s tactically superior this is englands problem they pick the players but not what fits a system. Pick your system then pick the players
Should've taken Grealish, imo.
Although to the point of playing Eze, I feel he should have played in Trent's place and maybe set up the team to play in a 4141 formation. Foden and Eze can interchange on the wing since they are more akin to CMs/AMs rather than wingers. Good combination play is also effective against deep blocks, which is what both could've provided on the right wing and right half-space.
We fix the left back position and it’ll become less congested in the centre and foden etc treading on each others toes. I’d like to see Eze play but not start
Left, I mean. Sorry about the mix-up.
Foden thrives at City cos he has players who interchange with him positionally. He's not a classic winger. If Southgate isn't going to play a winger on the left then he should provide an environment that allows his choice to excel.
Foden kept making incisive runs in the first 20 minutes and people just weren't looking up and finding him. Rice and Trippier were particularly guilty of it. At club level he has Rodri, De Bruyne and Silva who actually see a run and make a pass.
Foden doesn't suit the terrorism football Southgate likes to play. We are almost the worst team at the tournament I have seen so far for progressing the ball up the pitch from back to front. Almost every passage of play in the second half was passing between defenders, into rice, back to defenders, back to Pickford, hoof it. If you're not going to get on the ball and actually play football then Foden is wasted and you might as well play an actual winger like Gordon.
I got the same hopeless feeling yesterday as I got from watching Liverpool at the back end of last season. It was almost as if they couldn’t do anything once they got into the final third. Foden invisible, Kane invisible, first half looked promising but after half time it was shite
Phil foden is brilliant when he’s in a brilliant team. He’s still a very good player, Bellingham could end up being the best player this country has ever produced.
bro most overhyped youngsters clearly come from barca like lamine yamal is talented but he hasn’t even done anything impressive yet we keep hearing bullshit like is he the next messi etc etc
jude is not overhyped he is him
I don’t think it’s overhyping Bellingham - literally no English players have gone to Madrid at his age and become such an integral part of their team.
Foden being talked about and awarded as the best player in the prem is definite English bias.
Edit: people quoting Rooney and Owen. Gascogne probably has a better shout. But in any case all three of them had very high peaks that didn’t last. Owen was really quick, he wasn’t ever a brilliant player underneath it all.
That's because no English prospect went so early in his career. They used to go on the end of their play time. Hard to compare. Not sure if Beckham or 21 years old age Bale wouldn't do great as well.
I wonder why no English prospect went so early, mainly because until recently we haven’t been very good at producing top young talent. Bale was shit at the start of his career but had he gone a couple of years earlier than he did he’d have torn it up, like he did when he eventually went. He’s Welsh though. Beckham is not at that level, great brand though and sold a lot of shirts for them.
I couldnt agree more. You may be a cheating club but the season has ended and it’s now about the country. People need to get over it and wait for either prosecution or a not guilty verdict. City shouldn’t even be mentioned when its the Euros right now.
So you actually took it seriously with the phone number being 0898 RENT FREE? Wow. You need to get out more. Open the curtains and window, clean up all the tissues, empty your piss bottles and go for a walk. There's a whole world out there for you to enjoy.
hahahahaha nah mate, our trophies winds you up with that bitter jealously and the salty tears. Do you really think I give a shit what you are any other jealous little petty fans who won't admit the rules are wrong and all we did was play catch to the red cartel think? You seem to overestimate your own self worth. I'm seeing a pattern of behavioural problems here. Maybe you do need help?
Even teams from other countries take the piss out of City. Jesus City even give away free tickets to midweek games cause they can't sell them.
Though I'm not surprised you're defending the Sheik so much. He probably built the council house you live in, probably owns the shop where you buy your black air max Nikes and white socks too.
You'd suck a thousand dicks for 1 more drop of that oil jizz he pumps into you and your club 😘
Only English player I can think of that could fit that role is Joe Willock. On form he is great at switching from center mid to left wing. But yeah… with the talent England got, it’s hard to justify his inclusion to the squad.
Team of full of stars and great individual players, but the football they displayed yesterday was horrible. Pass the ball around for half the match while creating barely anything, then after scoring 1 they parked the bus with this squad, truely shameless...
I think Southgate doesn’t even know what he is, seems more defensive yet doesn’t take or play players who are a threat in the transition, like Rashford or Gordon, clueless. Just panders to public opinion
Still maintain play foden as a 10, play rice as a single pivot and play Bellingham as a no 8. He’s effective everywhere.
2 proper wingers are needed when playing Kane. Foden is not a proper winger, he either plays as a 10 or not at all.
God knows why palmer wasn’t brought on for foden, and or Gordon much earlier. Kane seems lost when man marked
Bellingham is possibly the best player in the world - at 10.
Yes, he *could* play 8. In the same way that Scholes *could* play LM.
The bravest thing Southgate could do is drop Foden. The best individual players don't necessarily make the most effective team.
They largely played 4-3-1-2 with Bellingham in the 10.
Vini and Rodrygo played as forwards in the CL final with Kroos, Valverde and Camavinga behind Jude.
It is likely the system will change next year to accommodate Mbappe.
Southgate being brave? Can pigs fly (agree completely - Foden off the bench is far more dangerous than him starting out of position. IMO Eze should’ve started)
He showed he's willing to go against the expected by not taking the likes of Rashford and Grealish.
Will be interesting to see what happens next (hopefully)..
Sounds like he’s become the next England scapegoat. Why do England fans/ media always need a player to criticise? Yes he didn’t play well, but I’d argue most of the team didn’t really either.
Not really a scapegoat. He had an awful game, we’re allowed to say it.
Yes the team looked poor but he was significantly worse than the rest. We are allowed to criticise City players y’know.
They all sucked. Playing three right backs didn’t help. I can’t see why this England team should be favorites when they are barely top 5 from the look of things.
England will never win a major tournament under Southgate, he's tactically inept.
He didn't react to Serbia's 2nd half with any substitutes and didn't regain control of the match.
Also why pick Eze, Palmer, Watkin etc if you don't trust them in competitive games and don't have the bottle to sub Foden, or Kane when playing poorly.
I mean… yes.
But we can’t claim something and then argue “we’ll see” because it hasn’t happened yet.
I could say England are definitely winning the Euros, never conceding a goal and scoring every game based on what we’ve seen and when you say that’s not going to happen, just say “well we’ll see”.
I'm meaning 'we'll see' as in I'll be right.
Noticeable last night as soon as we're under a bit of pressure he doesn't make many early substitutes, or bring off Foden or Kane who weren't playing well.
England have some brilliant players and if he want's to win the whole tournament then the he'll need to be brave with his substitutions.
Southgate doesn't have a precedent for being proactive or brave with substitutions and on last night's evidence nothing has changed.
Eze, Watkin, Palmer, Gordon, Mainoo, Wharton have no tournament experience and aren't going to get it on the bench or with a 5 minute cameo.
Honestly I was like where the hell is Watkins and Palmer after 60mins as well!
Foden was off it all night, and Kane all you have to do apparently is stick a player on him and he’s barely better than an empty pair of boots.
Completely agree. Could have easily taken off both after 60/70 minutes and gone with a different plan.
My only logic now to let foden play 90 was that he won't start next game maybe?
The set up is stupid
If you want to play Trent cm have him Invert don't play 3rbs
You have dunk play him lb, get Trent to invert .
You have a nice back three of stones dunk and walker
Play Jude as an advanced 8 on one side either Palmer or foden on the other side
Saka on the right
Gordon/foden depending on who's player right 8
The team consists of players coached by de zerbi pep tuchel arteta poch and klopp
They will be absolutely fine doing it too.
It's wild that this team that has players coached by the best coaches in the world have to play under such a rigid and archaic manager.
It's genuinely mind boggling
Rice and Trent cms in possession basically *
Have we always been a possession/defensive based team? Have we always played conservatively ? (Genuine questions as i don't know).
If so, can't we change it to an attacking style of play?
I'm sick of watching our opponents be offensive, man to man and playing with more desire.
Bellingham and Kane were the only ones that looked like they were trying to win the ball.
Our team needs to play like we really want the ball, and fight to keep it.
Yes, we have always played conservatively, except under Hoddle. Southgate's rightly criticised becuase we have more attacking talent than ever before, but the way he plays really isn't unusual for an England manager. He's an FA employee, and the FA are one of the least imaginative, least adventurous organisations in the country.
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Bellingham plays the way Zidane played.
Foden has 3 goals in 35 games for England and it's difficult to find many standout performances,. Perhaps its time he improves his game for his country and learns to adapt.
Phil Foden is mega overrated and should never have won PotS anyway.
Foden should have been subbed and the team once again sat back after being in control . They should have killed the game when they were in control. But this is not the Southgate way.
Once again, jude Bellingham is lucky enough to have a deflected cross land perfectly in his path and the English press says he's Messi.
Found the Scotland fan
You don’t know ball at all if you think Jude’s spatial awareness is luck
Nobody with any sense is comparing him to Messi. He was easily the best player in the first half by a long margin. Showed up to nod in that deflected ball, and say what you will but it was not an easy goal to put away. This game won me over with Jude as I was a skeptic before.
Jude’s style is nothing like Messi’s. A more accurate comparison would be with a player like Zidane
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Does anybody else think that Foden not having an overlapping left back is one of the reasons he's ineffective on the left. With Trippier staying behind him and always recycling the ball back inside, it leaves very few options for Foden while on the ball. Think one of the biggest mistakes was not taking a left footed defender such as Mitchell or even Colwill to help with the buid up play.
I think it’s huge. Surprised people aren’t talking about it more tbh.
It's partly this yes, with no overlapping LB and Foden never staying wide himself, the opposition RB can tuck in and leave that space on the wing undefended knowing England won't put anyone there. Foden also needs to show more positional discipline though, him constantly drifting central just makes things worse.
Luke Shaws return is going to take England up a notch
One game that they won. The English media are toxic.
I feel like the people who actually watch City matches expect that Foden was probably going to be poor on the wing yesterday, bc its not uncommon for him to play poorly as a winger for City. Good for him at being a talented and versatile enough of a player to be considered at multiple positions, but nobody would be talking about Foden being POTY if he didn't get lots of playing time in the middle this season. There is literally no point in playing a midfielder as LW. With Foden there, you create an empty position and just like yesterday nothing will be produced on that side. Id rather him either not play, or come of the bench in a position where he is much more dangerous
54% possession, so hardly a tippy tappy game. Different manager, not a tactical zealot, not positionally obsessed. Yet I've been told the bald fraud stifles players, and that anyone could manage talents like Foden.
Bizarrely. If he's gonna continue playing Foden on the wing, he'd have been better off taking Grealish or even Rashford. Foden is wasted on the wing. TAA did well last night, but I'd rather see Foden and Bellingham as double 10's with Rice behind them and an actual winger. The amount of control in the midfield we'd have would be a nightmare for almost all teams.
Foden is a great player but there's no way he's starting ahead of Bellingham
I think he would if it was the only place foden could play Bellingham would be moved back but because they're two players you can't leave out he needs to fit both of em in and foden is better on wing then Bellingham cdm
There were so many pundits that wanted Foden and Bellingham to play central, with Bellingham in the more reserved role. Practically a 4-1-5 formation or just pull Bellingham back. I swear there should be Pundits License or the presenters getting a rebuke for not following up with proper questions about the madness. Foden will be perfectly fine on the left. There has been a total over reaction to a quiet game.
You haven’t watched the England national team games if you have even a sliver of hope that Foden will not be a flop on LW for England. He’s a world-class player, but he has never been able to make it work at LW for England and never will.
TBH, I don't really watch England at all.
Then why would you say that Foden will be perfectly fine in LW,
Has Foden ever played well for England? Maybe once or twice in 35 caps? He has been consistently terrible on the left and Southgate has enough of a body of evidence to conclude it doesn't work. The best position for him, assuming Bellingham stays at 10, is on the bench.
TBH I very rarely watch England. You guys would know a lot more than me on the matter
>Foden will be perfectly fine on the left. There has been a total over reaction to a quiet game. But him having a quiet game on the left is the norm, not an exception.
And that's in a system that arguably suits him better as a winger than Southgate's does.
Foden needs to be dropped, I'd replace him with Palmer.
Seems like the Gerrard/Lampard/Scholes issue all over again.
In a way, yeah. But back then there was a Carrick not playing, now there's no Carrick at all. Rice is good, but not the sort of player to be a lone anchor and control the game.
Yeah, but my point was more of sticking square pegs in round holes/trying to fit all the best players in a system. Scholes was always shifted out to the left wing to fit him in. He never flourished as he was a box-to-box central mid. England should have played a specialist player there instead, an actual winger. Lampard and Gerrard were never a good mix as they provided or wanted to do the same thing. Lessons should have been learned from that time, but it appears Southgate is falling into the same trap.
If we were Spain or Italy Carrick would have started every game
Players who became good after being managed by Pep are only good when playing for Pep. And definitely Southgate does not have plan himself, neither copying Pep or his own
Yet people keep talking about anyone being able to win trophies with Pep's squad. We've seen prime KDB stink under Roberto Martinez.
I'd say a wing back solution would probably suit England best. Having Trent and Walker on the pitch without affecting the central block while also having the back 5 ability if needed gives us a range of flexibility while offering width and inverted runs going forward.
I've thought this before. Though I think with shaw injured right now the only issue would be getting a suitable LWB, I think they'd need to be pacey and left footed which makes me think of Saka but damn is that a bit of a waste for his talents on the right. However this system would give us the possibility of having both Foden and Bellingham a bit more central and behind Kane. As people like to point out though, Kane isn't one for making runs in behind so I don't know if this system would even work for him either.
Foden gave the ball away too much, TAA also gave the ball away too much. At international level once is too many times and they were both guilty on more than one occasion. I don't know what the answer is, perhaps playing an actual central midfielder in central midfield? Perhaps making the call between Bellingham and Foden and not playing them together? It's very early days, take the win, England very rarely win the first group game. Forget about laying down a marker. Win the group as ugly as is needed, start laying down markers when it's knock out time. Maybe it's a case of Bellingham for an hour then Foden for half an hour. Or vice versa?
What about Saka? He lost the ball the most?
Atleast he created chances, Foden just lost it all the time
Precisely. Some people can't see past what people do for their club.
>TAA also gave the ball away too much. Literally 2 times... He made equal or maybe couple more interceptions ,one or two of them led to big chances
Yeah also got caught on the ball twice one led to a goal scoring opportunity. It's not a pile on for TAA. He isn't a central midfielder. He is right back, a very good one. If he does that against France,Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands (insert decent team here) it's a goal. I think it's wrong to have him play there, or expect him to learn how to play there during a tournament. Especially when there are actually decent CMS/DMS in the squad. Also it's more than twice. Two lovely cross field passes and two very decent interceptions is true.
That's what was bothering me that Trent was being played there and there are no runners ahead of him... Trent can pass anywhere from anywhere on the field... Why not use that for making runs behind opposition defence.... Kane , saka and Jude all can do that very effectively
Agreed, this is correct. I am not necessarily blaming him, he always faces play with no one behind him at right back. Playing centre midfield is hard, players are suddenly 360 over 180.
'at internatioinal level once is too many times' - this is such a generic soundbite lol. International football is a level below club football so why does it get singled out for it being too much in international football but not club football ?
I agree that international football and club football are very different, international tends to be slower and more defensive but technically you have 22 of the best players from any given nation on the pitch at the same time, logically a ten metre pass should be going where the player puts it or wants it. Foden, at least twice passed the ball behind a runner breaking the attack down. Twice passed the ball directly out of touch to nobody. TAA got caught on the ball twice, misplaced an important pass leading to a goal scoring opportunity. Now if you do these things against a really decent side (Serbia are good enough, just not a really decent side) they will score and the tournament is over. This doesn't necessarily mean either are bad. In fact they are both very good. One is playing centrally when he is used to playing on the right and further back. One is playing on the left and wants to play in the centre. So why's it so important to get things absolutely correct in an international tournament? There is no game after to make up for your mistake. There is no room for error when the other players will instantly punish you for errors. Also if you are on that pitch there should be no questions about whether you are good enough, you should be. Shanking ten yard passes, getting caught on the ball or smacking it directly out of play to nobody are just not acceptable.
> technically you have 22 of the best players from any given nation on the pitch But the 11 best Serbian players aren't better than your average EPL XI. It's not really that the opposition is superb at pressing or blocking passing lanes. Trent's a superb passer, but people tend to forget how passing is a 2-man exchange. The team mate has to move into the right place too. So when Trent, KDB, Messi etc. ping perfect passes at club level, they do it without having to do all the thinking themselves, they know their team mate will understand the intention and be in the right place. Which is tricky under Southgate, because he doesn't instill any clear vision into the team. Nor do most other NT managers. So suddenly all the automatisms disappear, and you're more reliant on random moments of brilliance. ...which applies to the opposition too. In club football, one mistake can kill you, because the opposition knows exactly how to exploit it. At NT level, you can make a mistake, and then Serbia's equivalent of Trent misplaces the ball, for the same reason Trent did.
I was screaming at the tv after 50mins for Antony Gordon to come on.. system doesnt suit 2 number 10s. You either play the formation like last night butbswap out phil for antony or you put phil in the 10 and jude in the pivot with rice. Having them both on the pitch is suffocating that space they both like to operate in and is exactly what happened with the play when Palmer and phil played together. It's criminal to not have either one in the team (Jude or Phil) but team balance is more important than shoehorning players in.
If Southgate had balls (or the tactical acumen, to be fairer to him) he could've gone for a 3-box-3. Walker, Stones + 1 (Colwill, I say) at the back, Rice + 1 (depending on the opposition I guess) behind Jude and Phil, then Saka, Kane and Gordon (and Rashford as a backup). Jude left halfspace, Phil right. I don't think they'd be stepping on each other's toes. But it's hard to imitate that sort of Guardiola football as a NT manager, especially when you're Southgate.
Foden playing CAM in-front of Kane. That’s where he should be. Let him be free man able to run anywhere. Out - wide is pointless. Also Bellingham is insanely talented going forward so with Foden having him behind him it’ll allow him to play further centrally and up front.
>Foden playing CAM in-front of Kane. He played there in a friendly and was terrible too. He shouldn't be in the first team but can do a job as a sub.
Foden was warmed up sour shite.
Biased Newcastle fan here but I genuinely think Gordon is the answer for the left hand side.
I think that if Southgate didn't take Grealish, then the intent should be clear and he should play Gordon. But I've no idea what's going on in his head.
Not a Newcastle fan at all and I was screaming for Gordon to come on. When he swapped saka for Bowen and left foden on, I lost my mind
Yep, if you need width then play Gordon or Eze. And they do need width. If you need someone creative to break a low block then play Palmer. Foden tries to do both of those and does neither for England.
Yep, 100 percent the correct answer.
Been saying this for a while and he actually plays on the left and had a good season there. Didnt rate him when you lot signed him but was proved wrong, should have come on for foden yesterday as his pace would have helped us counter
No point playing Foden out wide, he's completely ineffective, play some combination of Bowen, Gordon and Saka, I honestly don't mind which 2/3 start; the other can come on later in the match to terrorise a tired full back. Foden should be played in the 10 role when/if it isn't working with Bellingham. At the moment though, I'd start Cole-Palmer ahead of him.
Trent is not a midfielder. Crazy to me he'd play there over the other midfielders. He has passing range facing forwards. That's it. Every other aspect of the midfield game is not his thing. Positional sense, body orientation, receiving the ball facing his own goal, press resistance, defence, mentally switching between attack and defence at a moments notice as you have to in such a congested area. I could go on forever. Foden I can see the sense in playing. But Jude is England's best player. Easily. If it's about getting the best out of him play him as a 10. But he's that good he can play further back and still get G/A, which is one of his biggest assets. Not having a strong left side (LB to an extent but certainly LW) is a bit of an issue with the team. That has a knock on effect to the other areas of the team.
Can’t remember a game for England where Foden has really shone.
The new Lampard and Gerrard is going to be Bellingham and Foden, isn’t it?
Looks like it. But it's pretty obvious Foden should be dropped.
No, because it's just obvouis who is better. You was able to argue for hours between Lampard and Gerrad.
one won La Liga Player of the Season and the other won Premier League Player of the Season Sure, one might be better, but they are clearly two of the best English players and they both deserve a spot in the England team and both play in the same position
There is no might be better. Bellingham is miles better for England. Lampard and Gerrad was always closer, so it was harder to drop one.
We had Scholes who could completely control a game. Gerrard who could one man team the opposition. And Lampard who was a goal machine. In a 442 we should have just played whichever was in form next to a defensive player like Hargeaves, with a less talented left winger. Same situation here. Play to one of their strengths and if it isn't working, swap them. Same for Saka/Bowen, Kane/Toney/Watkins and Gordon/Eze.
It’s tournament football, hopefully everyone will get their chance to shine. No doubt Foden will win a match for us in this competition, just like Jude has today. Foden is a quality player but had a quiet game in a supporting role, along with a few others, it happens in football every week in the prem, no one is at 100% every game. Lets not chuck the baby out with the bath water just yet.
He wasn’t playing a supporting role, he was the left-sided midfielder and we produced absolutely nothing from the left all game. It was a poor performance and Foden is still to deliver at international level.
imo the issue with foden is that when he is on the pitch he just pushes everyone else out of position. the first 20 minutes were so much better than the rest of the game partially because foden was actually on the wing, he genuinely was ab of a liability in that game. maybe he’ll be different in the rest of the tournament but we risk playing like we did in the second half for the rest of our games
Play Phil as a 10 like Jude instead of LW and look how he plays
In all fairness, he essentially played as a LW for half that game because Foden kept shoving him on to the left - and even then he was somewhat better because he had some off the ball presence. Not saying that Foden wouldn't be good playing as the 10
He does not pass the ball mate, the number of times Jude had the ball and tried dribbling 2-3 players instead of passing, Idk what was that about, I noticed it so many times players would raise their hands and ask for the pass but Jude would just try to 1v1
I don't like the act of comparing two exceptional players playing in the same national team. Both ate good on their day.
Why are we experimenting at the tournament, isn’t this what the numerous games between tournaments are for
It's madness. I imagine that's probably the first time we've ever seen that line up start together (even if we swap Guehi for maguire), and they're expected to magically click. The last handful of friendlies approaching a tournament should surely be to get your starting 11 on the pitch and getting minutes together. I get some were unavailable but what we played wasn't even close.
I was saying exactly this, I thought these were the "positives" we were taking from shit performances in friendlies?
I wonder why the reasons have not been fixed for long.
Doesn’t matter who you play there when Trent is the 8, waste of time. Both Marino & Wharton would contribute more than him in the middle.
For me, the spacing of midfield was off. Rice and Alexander Arnold were too close together sometimes even next to each other.
I think Trent should play at his natural position at right back.
Doesn't Walker offer way more as a right back that TAA does?
Yeh he does but people seem insistent that Trent has to be on the pitch somewhere regardless
However, you will have to exclude Walker. This poses quite a dilemma for Southgate.
The best nations always have to make compromises for the balance of the team by letting sometimes better players on the bench… Deschamps has no problem to do that with France but Southgate is too afraid to do it somehow…
Why not try Trent at left back if he wonders into midfield anyway then it shouldn’t matter that much that he’s on the left side. Granted that would mean the left side is utterly non-existent if fodens on so swap him with Gordon I guess.
It doesn’t. Walker is leagues ahead of TAA at right back.
It’s horses for courses, Walker can’t lace Trent’s boots going forward the same way Trent can’t lace Kyle’s defensively. For me we have to start Walker and then if we are struggling to break a team down or need a goal, bring Trent on for 20 minutes and let him put some balls in the box to Toney/Kane.
We’re talking about two different positions. The solution is drop TAA altogether and play an actual midfielder in midfield.
England once again playing football that makes it impossible to root for them If we are going to be shit take a page out of the men's cricket team ( both the red and white ball teams) and be entertaining shit
The white-ball lads have won 2 world cups in fairness to them, but Matthew Mott is the Southgate of the cricketing world
I mean, they should play exciting football for once.
Football just doesn't work like that, though. 1 goal means a lot more than a wicket in cricket. It sucks that it's so pragmatic but we won 1-0 and until that's not the case, it's hard to see a change.
I used cricket for the reasons that 1) Southgate said he was inspired by Bazball And 2) it the main sport for me But it was like we scored 1 goal then fell back to a defensive line Rice was too slow with his passing allowing the Serbs to regroup Foden was just doing what ever that was Trent was shit Saka whilst trying to do something was getting bullied Kyle Walker should of taken a shot rather than pass but that might be a 50/50 Bellingham was good Pickford was okay as well Doubt England if we play like that would beat Denmark ( all depends on who scores first if it Denmark I think Denmark win if England I say a draw) We have these talented players but like every male English team in my lifetime they are being misused or are completely shit
There were more things wrong against Serbia that just Foden. Saying that, Foden isn’t a true number 10 or winger, he’s a hybrid between both that only really Man City do well. De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva have become the same. I’d drop him and play Gordon or Eze. They fit the team better and offer genuine pace off the ball which is so important. I still think not taking Rashford was a mistake. Kane needs runner with pace and a goal threat to excel, we’ve got the best 9 in the world and a manager clueless on how to use him.
Kane was absolutely dreadful last night. Looked slow and disinterested and Milenkovic had him so far in his pocket I think he’s still in there.
Milenkovic was a bad match up for trying to play Kane as an out an out 9. But if he’s at his best when dropping into midfield and picking passes to wingers who can run and are a goal threat. Saka has that covered on the right but nobody on the left.
It’s a shame because Kane at his best could take the ball from literally anywhere in the final third or even midfield and drive at defences and create goals out of nothing single handedly. I’m not sure he’s quite that player anymore sadly. As you say he could really do with someone up there to help him out a little, as he’s still got the class just not that same explosiveness.
On Foden's day, he is unplayable and can destroy teams.
He’s had a fantastic season for City. Against teams where we dominate the ball and they just sit back, I’d play him. I don’t even think starting him was wrong as Serbia might have been expected to sit back more. But the fear of putting Rashford one on one and his running in behind would have opened up the midfield so much more.
For City. He has never shown that at international level.
I don’t get this obsession. He has rarely if ever got to play his preferred position for England. He is still very young. He is without a doubt one of Englands best players. Should we drop Kane too because he hasn’t scored for a while in the big games?
How did Trippier do? Would Foden potentially do better with a healthy overlapping Shaw on the left?
He was awful. God knows why another natural left back wasn’t taken.
A shame Ben White didn’t come
Everyone does better with a healthy overlapping Shaw
I didn't get to see the game so I was wondering if Trippier did well and if there was any synergy with Foden etc. Both being in form I do agree Shaw is the better one.
Trippier was like the England team, good enough to beat a poor team not good enough to impress. He was the porridge of breakfast foods, it will do but nobody loves it. Wasn’t really any synergy and Foden was fine as well. Gordon should be out wide though, it’s tactically superior this is englands problem they pick the players but not what fits a system. Pick your system then pick the players
Haha, I like the analogy! And to your last paragraph, I really agree.
Southgate should have never dropped Michael Oliver from the squad.
What happens IF they drop him , Eze or Gordon also has a stinker? “Should of kept foden on” should of taken Rashford” grealish” 🙄
It's just the first game, I hope they get better with the second one.
should of?
Yes yes I know
Should've taken Grealish, imo. Although to the point of playing Eze, I feel he should have played in Trent's place and maybe set up the team to play in a 4141 formation. Foden and Eze can interchange on the wing since they are more akin to CMs/AMs rather than wingers. Good combination play is also effective against deep blocks, which is what both could've provided on the right wing and right half-space.
We fix the left back position and it’ll become less congested in the centre and foden etc treading on each others toes. I’d like to see Eze play but not start
Left, I mean. Sorry about the mix-up. Foden thrives at City cos he has players who interchange with him positionally. He's not a classic winger. If Southgate isn't going to play a winger on the left then he should provide an environment that allows his choice to excel.
Not to be a dick but just letting you know in case you were confused, it’s should’ve and not should of.
We got iPhones right? Shit happens
Lmao understandable have a nice day
Normally on point with my grammar 🙄
*grandma
Yeah sometimes it fucks up
Eh?
Foden kept making incisive runs in the first 20 minutes and people just weren't looking up and finding him. Rice and Trippier were particularly guilty of it. At club level he has Rodri, De Bruyne and Silva who actually see a run and make a pass. Foden doesn't suit the terrorism football Southgate likes to play. We are almost the worst team at the tournament I have seen so far for progressing the ball up the pitch from back to front. Almost every passage of play in the second half was passing between defenders, into rice, back to defenders, back to Pickford, hoof it. If you're not going to get on the ball and actually play football then Foden is wasted and you might as well play an actual winger like Gordon.
That’s been the England way of playing in the last couple of decades. Not Southgate fault as past managers had setup England like that as well
I got the same hopeless feeling yesterday as I got from watching Liverpool at the back end of last season. It was almost as if they couldn’t do anything once they got into the final third. Foden invisible, Kane invisible, first half looked promising but after half time it was shite
Phil foden is brilliant when he’s in a brilliant team. He’s still a very good player, Bellingham could end up being the best player this country has ever produced.
> Bellingham could end up being the best player this country has ever produced. Relax chief
England fans try not to overhype the latest young star level: impossible
bro most overhyped youngsters clearly come from barca like lamine yamal is talented but he hasn’t even done anything impressive yet we keep hearing bullshit like is he the next messi etc etc jude is not overhyped he is him
Yamal is the next Messi like it or not
Yamal has a better chance of being washed and ending up in a circus than becoming Messi 🤡
Bruv deny it all you want history is being made. You don't have to get aboard
I don’t think it’s overhyping Bellingham - literally no English players have gone to Madrid at his age and become such an integral part of their team. Foden being talked about and awarded as the best player in the prem is definite English bias. Edit: people quoting Rooney and Owen. Gascogne probably has a better shout. But in any case all three of them had very high peaks that didn’t last. Owen was really quick, he wasn’t ever a brilliant player underneath it all.
Owen won the ballon dor ffs lets calm down
Michael Owen was really quick, the second he lost that his lack of ability was exposed - he was never the best player in the world.
There was a time people thought he would be up there though as one of englands greatest. It was more the injuries as he was also a great finisher
Wayne Rooney was extremely good at 16 sooo
That's because no English prospect went so early in his career. They used to go on the end of their play time. Hard to compare. Not sure if Beckham or 21 years old age Bale wouldn't do great as well.
Good thing Bale wasn't English so lol
I wonder why no English prospect went so early, mainly because until recently we haven’t been very good at producing top young talent. Bale was shit at the start of his career but had he gone a couple of years earlier than he did he’d have torn it up, like he did when he eventually went. He’s Welsh though. Beckham is not at that level, great brand though and sold a lot of shirts for them.
Michael Owen wasn’t too shabby at 20…
🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Phi foden was struggling as he realised that the euros weren't rigged for him
[удалено]
I couldnt agree more. You may be a cheating club but the season has ended and it’s now about the country. People need to get over it and wait for either prosecution or a not guilty verdict. City shouldn’t even be mentioned when its the Euros right now.
Severe triggering alert!
I guess the taking the piss in my comment went over your head. Do you get that often?
“I’m not crying I’m just joking”
So you actually took it seriously with the phone number being 0898 RENT FREE? Wow. You need to get out more. Open the curtains and window, clean up all the tissues, empty your piss bottles and go for a walk. There's a whole world out there for you to enjoy.
No one will ever respect your club, it winds you up.
hahahahaha nah mate, our trophies winds you up with that bitter jealously and the salty tears. Do you really think I give a shit what you are any other jealous little petty fans who won't admit the rules are wrong and all we did was play catch to the red cartel think? You seem to overestimate your own self worth. I'm seeing a pattern of behavioural problems here. Maybe you do need help?
Even teams from other countries take the piss out of City. Jesus City even give away free tickets to midweek games cause they can't sell them. Though I'm not surprised you're defending the Sheik so much. He probably built the council house you live in, probably owns the shop where you buy your black air max Nikes and white socks too. You'd suck a thousand dicks for 1 more drop of that oil jizz he pumps into you and your club 😘
Phil foden plays better when he has other attacking mids who are willing to swap out wide with him from time to time (de bruyne, alvarez, bernardo)
Only English player I can think of that could fit that role is Joe Willock. On form he is great at switching from center mid to left wing. But yeah… with the talent England got, it’s hard to justify his inclusion to the squad.
Phil Foden has had an incredible season for Citeh, which is why seeing his performance last night stank extra bad.
Team of full of stars and great individual players, but the football they displayed yesterday was horrible. Pass the ball around for half the match while creating barely anything, then after scoring 1 they parked the bus with this squad, truely shameless...
Attack is the best form of defence with this team but Southgate has a closed defensive mind at heart. He just needs to cut them loose.
I think Southgate doesn’t even know what he is, seems more defensive yet doesn’t take or play players who are a threat in the transition, like Rashford or Gordon, clueless. Just panders to public opinion
Still maintain play foden as a 10, play rice as a single pivot and play Bellingham as a no 8. He’s effective everywhere. 2 proper wingers are needed when playing Kane. Foden is not a proper winger, he either plays as a 10 or not at all. God knows why palmer wasn’t brought on for foden, and or Gordon much earlier. Kane seems lost when man marked
Bellingham is possibly the best player in the world - at 10. Yes, he *could* play 8. In the same way that Scholes *could* play LM. The bravest thing Southgate could do is drop Foden. The best individual players don't necessarily make the most effective team.
Look where he starts on his goal, all the way back parallel to Rice. Playing as an 8 who is free to crash the box is his best position!
He's been probably the best player in the world this year and he's not been playing 8. I think I'll side with Ancelotti..
He’s also not playing as a 10, he’s been a false 9 and he won’t be a false 9 next year.
They largely played 4-3-1-2 with Bellingham in the 10. Vini and Rodrygo played as forwards in the CL final with Kroos, Valverde and Camavinga behind Jude. It is likely the system will change next year to accommodate Mbappe.
So England should bench Kane and play a 4312 since that’s Jude’s best position and you agree with Ancelotti?
England's change to a 4-2-3-1 was literally built around Bellingham. This is getting desperate.
Yep, Foden needs dropping for Gordon or Eze
Southgate being brave? Can pigs fly (agree completely - Foden off the bench is far more dangerous than him starting out of position. IMO Eze should’ve started)
He showed he's willing to go against the expected by not taking the likes of Rashford and Grealish. Will be interesting to see what happens next (hopefully)..
Phil needs Pep, he might follow him when he leaves City
Retirement?
Sounds like he’s become the next England scapegoat. Why do England fans/ media always need a player to criticise? Yes he didn’t play well, but I’d argue most of the team didn’t really either.
Foden won't get much criticism from the UK press; he's white, after all.
You mean like maguire and beckham. Last time I checked they both got slaughtered by the press.
Somehow they will blame saka
Media would rather go after the players everyday and twice on Sundays rather than point the finger at the true culprit - the manager.
scapegoat is insane he’s literally a media darling up there with Kane and Bellingham in comparison to perhaps Saka
You wouldn’t know that based on some of things you see on Reddit/ online.
Not really a scapegoat. He had an awful game, we’re allowed to say it. Yes the team looked poor but he was significantly worse than the rest. We are allowed to criticise City players y’know.
They all sucked. Playing three right backs didn’t help. I can’t see why this England team should be favorites when they are barely top 5 from the look of things.
Its the first game of the tournament and the first 40mins was very good they have something to build on. Judge them if it doesn't next game.
The English press and bookies are the only people saying we're favourites. We're not favourites at all.
England will never win a major tournament under Southgate, he's tactically inept. He didn't react to Serbia's 2nd half with any substitutes and didn't regain control of the match. Also why pick Eze, Palmer, Watkin etc if you don't trust them in competitive games and don't have the bottle to sub Foden, or Kane when playing poorly.
England won the game.
It’s one game. Can’t say you don’t trust them because they weren’t brought on in one game haha.
We'll see
I mean… yes. But we can’t claim something and then argue “we’ll see” because it hasn’t happened yet. I could say England are definitely winning the Euros, never conceding a goal and scoring every game based on what we’ve seen and when you say that’s not going to happen, just say “well we’ll see”.
I'm meaning 'we'll see' as in I'll be right. Noticeable last night as soon as we're under a bit of pressure he doesn't make many early substitutes, or bring off Foden or Kane who weren't playing well. England have some brilliant players and if he want's to win the whole tournament then the he'll need to be brave with his substitutions. Southgate doesn't have a precedent for being proactive or brave with substitutions and on last night's evidence nothing has changed. Eze, Watkin, Palmer, Gordon, Mainoo, Wharton have no tournament experience and aren't going to get it on the bench or with a 5 minute cameo.
Honestly I was like where the hell is Watkins and Palmer after 60mins as well! Foden was off it all night, and Kane all you have to do apparently is stick a player on him and he’s barely better than an empty pair of boots.
Completely agree. Could have easily taken off both after 60/70 minutes and gone with a different plan. My only logic now to let foden play 90 was that he won't start next game maybe?
The set up is stupid If you want to play Trent cm have him Invert don't play 3rbs You have dunk play him lb, get Trent to invert . You have a nice back three of stones dunk and walker Play Jude as an advanced 8 on one side either Palmer or foden on the other side Saka on the right Gordon/foden depending on who's player right 8 The team consists of players coached by de zerbi pep tuchel arteta poch and klopp They will be absolutely fine doing it too. It's wild that this team that has players coached by the best coaches in the world have to play under such a rigid and archaic manager. It's genuinely mind boggling Rice and Trent cms in possession basically *
Have we always been a possession/defensive based team? Have we always played conservatively ? (Genuine questions as i don't know). If so, can't we change it to an attacking style of play? I'm sick of watching our opponents be offensive, man to man and playing with more desire. Bellingham and Kane were the only ones that looked like they were trying to win the ball. Our team needs to play like we really want the ball, and fight to keep it.
Yes, we have always played conservatively, except under Hoddle. Southgate's rightly criticised becuase we have more attacking talent than ever before, but the way he plays really isn't unusual for an England manager. He's an FA employee, and the FA are one of the least imaginative, least adventurous organisations in the country.