Kind of my point, a top manager isn't a magic wand.
I'm not sure how much difference it makes but I would say that in the sporting realm Australia punch well above their weight.
I saw a solid 1-0 win, which we were defensively astute, against a decent Serbian side, we won the game. Our best opportunities came out of Kane holding the ball up. Whats the point of putting Gordon on the run on the left wing, when you’ve got a right footed LB, who needs to cut inside every time. The obvious sub was Palmer for Foden, and TAA was arguably one of our best players first half. Serbia never looked like scoring except from a long range shot from Vlahovic. People’s expectations are far too high, I understand why people call it the impossible job, when people call Southgate an imbecile for winning games at tournaments, something that a lot of England managers this century found very difficult to do.
I need to watch back Euro 96 again. I have a feeling we all look back with rose tinted glasses.
So how far do you think we will go in this tournament if when pressed Pickford just pumps the ball aimlessly up field?
I think he fell out with Dunk too - that was why he was inexplicably out of the squad for so long.
Wouldn't disagree. However the RWC was a failure judged on Australia's very high levels of success. Wise after the event is too late.
True dat.
Pickford doesn’t pump it aimlessly though? Against other teams we’ll play differently, towards the end of the season, playing out got us absolutely nowhere and sometimes you need to go direct. Gallagher made us better in midfield when he came on, and a bit more robust. Kane‘s hold up play was superb at times, the person losing the ball the most in the second half were Saka and Foden when we tried playing through them. I watch football to watch us win games, which we did and Ive seen us playing like that multiple times this season. I think you expectations are far too high, we are simply not going to win every game 3-0 without a worry in the world. Serbia have some very decent players and tried to do a job on us at the back. Kane scores the header and we win 2-0 and none of this happens. I think people moan about Southgate for the sake of it, or because they can’t with their club team. When we beat Villa 1-0, Forest 1-0 and AEK 1-0, under the cosh for large spells, I didn’t leave thinking wow how crap, RDZ is an imbecile, I think on a below par night we managed to grind out a result, which is what you need to do in the group stage. No good winning 6-0 against Serbia, if it means absolutely nothing.
I agree with your points, especially the last. I assume this will be Southgates last tournament and it will be interesting to see who is next and what they do with this set of brilliant players. I believe we also have to acknowledge the great work Southgate has done with the England team.
I think you will be disappointed because I think Southgate plays the exact same football as potter.
It wasn't clever football, for sure.
How many times a year does an international group get together? You can’t get to intricate tactically. Every job Potter is lined up for some Brighton fans first line is I hope they give him time, you don’t get time in international football. Fail to qualify for a tournament and he will be on the back page of the red tops with donkey ears.
Nonsense. In the knockout stages I think England rarely ever beat top 10 ranked teams. I think they’ve done it once or twice in like 4 decades.
Crikey. Football truly is a game of different opinions.
This squad is better than the golden generation, that group of players gets slated, but the current squad is miles better.
But Potter wouldn’t need as much time to either coach, or buy, players to fit the way he wants to play. At the international level you can just choose them. And he’ll have higher quality players who by this definition can adapt quicker to his system. In short I don’t buy the time argument.
Fairs, Im just seeing similarities to the last few months of Conte when he lost the changing room, starting 11 seem happy enough, but the squad doesn't seem overly happy.
England made a bunch of mistakes at the back and Pickford just pumps the ball upfield when under the slightest pressure, that was not defensively astute. The only thing which prevented an, at best very average Serbian team, scoring was their woeful ability in the final third. Anyone half decent and England would have been taken apart last night. I know you can only beat what’s put in front of you but England hardly put down a marker for the tournament like some other nations have. In fact I’d actually say the exact opposite, they gave Denmark and Slovenia hope. Thankfully, due to this new crap format, you probably only need one win to go through.