[Football] Euros 2024 - Quarter Finals (England vs Switzerland, Netherlands vs Turkey)

[Jackthelad]

I think in ET we were playing with Eze as a left wing back and Shaw as the centre back. By that point we had Eze, Saka, Bellingham, Foden, Palmer and Toney on the pitch, I'm not sure we had any defensive shape left!

Eze looked very good defensively.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The narrative on here today would 'of' been markedly different if Shaqiri had scored direct from that corner

 

[Bodian]

England in this tournament remind me of that south park baseball episode. The one when the kids keep trying to lose because they're so bored but inadvertently just keep end up progressing to the next round.

I wonder what Southgate will do for the next game. Does guehi come straight back in? He's done pretty well but so did konsa. Will shaw being back mean he wants to start him for yhe left footed balance and experience he'll bring? Or will he pit him at wing back? Back to a back 4?

I think in ET we were playing with Eze as a left wing back and Shaw as the centre back. By that point we had Eze, Saka, Bellingham, Foden, Palmer and Toney on the pitch, I'm not sure we had any defensive shape left!

Along those sorts of lines and thoughts - this is a good read

England lose control and embrace the chaos to rise from the canvas again | Jonathan Liew

Gareth Southgate’s plans are in tatters but his side are in the semi-finals and none of it makes the slightest sense

www.theguardian.com

 

[Weststander]

I think in ET we were playing with Eze as a left wing back and Shaw as the centre back. By that point we had Eze, Saka, Bellingham, Foden, Palmer and Toney on the pitch, I'm not sure we had any defensive shape left!

And I don't think that was by design, Southgate the new radical going for it. Just an unstructured, ill disciplined ET from England, outclassed.

 

[Sorrel]

Now we're in the semi-final I'm ok with all the "questionable" decisions as they seem to have worked. Maybe Southgate's done some of deal with a higher/lower power and this is how it plays out.

 

[BadFish]

France or England winning the tournament would be the biggest mockery of European football since the Greece win 20 years ago. Arguably even worse since they played like they had to rather than what they wanted to. Both France and England are playing a kind of football that would destroy the sport if it was the main way of playing it.

Maybe that's the plan, turn it into turgid boring shit and hope everyone else gives up.

Once we are the only country playing we can reign supreme and football will have completely come home.

Southgate IS a genius.

 

[Eeyore]

England winning this tournament would be a bit like Labour winning the general election.

Had the odd flash of brilliance, but their performance didn't really improve much overall. The big names were simply taken down by other teams and they sneaked through the back door.

 

[BadFish]

Wow this is so deluded. cherry picking stats to make us look poor and/or lucky, then ending your post admitting our game plan is working

We played 2 teams in the knockouts who did not come to play football, theri game plan was to put everyone behind the ball and man mark our danger players, still won from losing positions which shows character

I bet you hated it when that 5th penalty went in

I saw two teams that didn't want to play football.

As soon as we went behind and started playing we looked decent.

I just don't understand why we wait.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Maybe that's the plan, turn it into turgid boring shit and hope everyone else gives up.

Once we are the only country playing we can reign supreme and football will have complete come home.

Southgate IS a genius.

Tournament football is very different to other football. In the last two Euros the only time the winners have conceded more than one goal in ANY game is Portugal’s 3-3 draw with Hungary in 2016, a group game where they had to score goals. Else the against total is 1 or 0 in every game.

People see this data and prioritise defence, or at least not conceding and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

If you played like that in the Premier League you go down, or your fans would die of boredom or both.

 

[BadFish]

Tournament football is very different to other football. In the last two Euros the only time the winners have conceded more than one goal in ANY game is Portugal’s 3-3 draw with Hungary in 2016, a group game where they had to score goals. Else the against total is 1 or 0 in every game.

People see this data and prioritise defence, or at least not conceding and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

If you played like that in the Premier League you go down, or your fans would die of boredom or both.

I guess we are spoilt in the premier league and especially at Brighton.

Maybe I should be more accepting of the status quo and tactical choices of Southgate but it is hard work getting up at 2am to watch England.

Maybe I should get up at a reasonable time and watch the, ahem, 'highlights'.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I guess we are spoilt in the premier league and especially at Brighton.

Maybe I should be more accepting of the status quo and tactical choices of Southgate but it is hard work getting up at 2am to watch England.

It’s a hard watch at a normal time, but the data says defend.

Maybe next time round we’ll get an Ange, a Bielsa (who’s raged against this football globally recently), a dare I say it RDZ, who’ll crash the whole tournament with 6-4 wins. But it won’t be this one.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

we played another team who set their stall out to defend and frustrate, but that was somehow Southgate's fault. He brought on Toney and TAA to take pens, they both scored and we won. But apparantly it's just 'luck'

A lot of egg on a alot of face

WC semi
EURO Final
EURO semi (at least)

But he's a shit manager and doing a bad job

“played another team who set their stall out to defend and frustrate” - yet Switzerland managed same amount of shots on target AND more off target.

As I have said for at least 2 decades now, England will lose to the first top 10 ranked team they meet in the knockout stage. I have seen nothing to change my mind.

 

[Motogull]

I guess we are spoilt in the premier league and especially at Brighton.

Maybe I should be more accepting of the status quo and tactical choices of Southgate but it is hard work getting up at 2am to watch England.

Maybe I should get up at a reasonable time and watch the, ahem, 'highlights'.

Spot on. Last season I think I left the Amex after a defeat a couple of times pleased I had been there because despite the L I had seen a great game.

Under Southgate, watching England is like being in a dutiful loveless marriage. Going through the motions with no fun along the way.

 

[Pinkie Brown]

“played another team who set their stall out to defend and frustrate” - yet Switzerland managed same amount of shots on target AND more off target.

As I have said for at least 2 decades now, England will lose to the first top 10 ranked team they meet in the knockout stage. I have seen nothing to change my mind.

As soon as they run into genuine quality they are gone. It's always the pattern and I don't expect this year to be different. England have received stick in the past, sometimes a little unfairly, but this tournament without exception the performances have been awful and dismal to watch. Despite having the so called softer side of the knockout draw they've struggled and can consider themselves fortunate to be in the semi final. Had they been paired with the likes of France, Germany or Spain, they'd have been gone before now.