[Football] Get England to penalties and they’re ****ed

[vagabond]

I thought it showed real football nous to bring on the excellent penalty takers to give ourselves an advantage in the shoot-out - it was going to be another Southgate masterstroke

Problem was, it turned out they weren't excellent penalty-takers.....

It was also weird to take Walker and Henderson off and leave us playing a couple of minutes with a striker at right-back, if Sterling and Grealish weren't even lined up to take a penalty... and our two most experienced players would have been good to have on the pitch to help the youngsters through the pens.

and, as I'm sure half the country is wondering, wasn't that fifth penalty just made for Henderson to bury it? Saka might have been banging them in in training, but to be that inconsolable after missing showed that he didn't have the mental strength for it, not at this young age anyway...

Thats the pain of it, that two youngsters were brought on to do nothing but take a penalty, and a 19-year old who was an outsider for the squad in the first place missed the decisive one. That's three kids who are going to live with it for a long time, not to mention all the disgusting online abuse they've received. If Walker, Henderson, Sterling take them and miss, well at least they have enough credit in the bank and experience of life and football to cope with it.

But as I felt at the time, it could have been a master-stroke......

No doubt, some questionable decisions from Southgate last night. And there are criticisms especially around the penalty strategy. It looks to me like he bottom stacked the penalty takers assuming we’d get past the first 5 and into sudden death.

Problem is with penalties all these plans can go out the window in the heat of the moment and players miss. All correct criticisms, all fair, and I agree with most (especially Saka taking the crucial fifth pen) but all easy for us to say in hindsight.

As it is we were beaten by a better team on the night. Italy deserved to win. Southgate still took us to a final for the first time in our lifetimes and is raising the bar for England going forward.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Bizarre decision IMO not having Grealish taking a pen.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Bizarre decision IMO not having Grealish taking a pen.

He’d have tried something clever and missed.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

He’d have tried something clever and missed.

We'll never know.

Southgate said it was his decision as to who took the pens.... why would you give a 19 year old the fifth pen?

Very strange IMO.

 

[beefypigeon]

Bizarre decision IMO not having Grealish taking a pen.

Apparently he said he wanted to take one but wasn't chosen

 

[zefarelly]

I don't believe Gsouth told those players to take penalties, but carrying the can for them is arguably a good thing to do going forward.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I don't believe Gsouth told those players to take penalties, but carrying the can for them is arguably a good thing to do going forward.

I agree - but by saying that he (Southgate) made the decisions as to who was taking the pens, he leaves himself open to massive criticism for choosing Saka and not Grealish - especially when Grealish said he wanted to take one....

 

[peterward]

The tactic worked yet again and will work for generations and generations to come.

Fed up with knock out football. My 7th England penalty heartbreak although I wasn’t sobbing in the stands in another country and then trying to get a flight the **** out of there.

I’m done.

Going to concentrate on the Albion from now on.

I love the Albion as we all do, but theres nothing like the collective national euphoria when England are doing well. For all the embarrasing idiots, last night as I drove on the North circular approaching Wembley, the streets were lined with people waving England flags as were the bridges over the road. Digital signs erected saying "Come on England" and "bring it home" it was amazing.

I absolutely love the euros and WC which are no different to many domestic cup competitions, thats the rules and gives lesser teams the chance to KO smaller teams like Switzerland/France. It should put the onus on teams to try and win it in normal time if they have such records as England.



Youre playing against a giant Italian keeper whose won 5/5 pen shoot outs, and your'e England who have lost 7 of 9, its for you to win the game, its for you to attack and find the second goal in the first half ascendency, its for you to be braver with attack minded subs in game time.

Pens are not the problem, conservatism and pragmatism during the 120 minutes are. We had the attacking talent to win. If it gets to pens, there should be no buggering about with hops and stutters, Kane and maguire hit them as they should, hard to the corners or down the middle....... still think high corner is unsavable, and surprised nobody tried down the middle once. Asking such young guys to take such crucial pressure spot kicks, some of whom had been on the pitch 90 seconds was a big mistake by Southgate and one I hope he learns from.

 

[A1X]

Should have done what the ICC did for the cricket world cup and decided the final on "corner count-back"

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I don't believe Gsouth told those players to take penalties, but carrying the can for them is arguably a good thing to do going forward.

I agree - but by saying that he (Southgate) made the decisions as to who was taking the pens, he leaves himself open to massive criticism for choosing Saka and not Grealish - especially when Grealish said he wanted to take one....

I don't understand these posts?

Of course Southgate decided who was taking the penalties. He literally brought on two of the takers in the last minute of extra time, just to make them take them. They didn't sub themselves on!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

We'll never know.

Southgate said it was his decision as to who took the pens.... why would you give a 19 year old the fifth pen?

Very strange IMO.

Southgate said they worked on penalties in training, and decided the order from these sessions. I don’t know why he gave Saka the first anymore than I know the order of others. But what I do know is it was a considered decision which didn’t work on the night. This isn’t strange.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Apparently he said he wanted to take one but wasn't chosen

I’m sure most, if not all, the players did. Can only choose 5 for the first round.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I don't understand these posts?

Of course Southgate decided who was taking the penalties. He literally brought on two of the takers in the last minute of extra time, just to make them take them. They didn't sub themselves on!

Sure - but WHY pick a 19 year old kid to take pen number 5 when you have a more experienced player (Grealish) who said he wanted to take a pen....

 

[peterward]

I agree - but by saying that he (Southgate) made the decisions as to who was taking the pens, he leaves himself open to massive criticism for choosing Saka and not Grealish - especially when Grealish said he wanted to take one....

I dont know what it is about Grealish that Southgate doesnt like, but there is definitely something....... He's the Captain of a PL side, he's older and more experienced than the younger lads who took them, I guess Southgate was worried Grealish will try some flair Penenka type thing rather than get the laces through it?

I actaully think Grealish is more conservative in an England shirt and passes more, whereas at Villa hes the one shooting on sight and running the show and I feel a bit sorry for him for England, he's a exceptional talent being wasted due defensive set up.

 

[Brovion]

Obviously I've seen us screw up in penalty shoot-outs before - but I think that was easily the worst. And what makes it worse is they say they practised them, and had scientifically analysed the whole shoot-out scenario. They said they had worked out who should take them and in what order, and even worked out what part of the goal they would feel comfortable aiming at. What a load of bollocks. They may as well have pulled the players' names out of a hat, told them to take a long run-up and then just lamp the ball in the general direction of the goal. The results can't have been any worse than that supposed 'scientific' approach..

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Sure - but WHY pick a 19 year old kid to take pen number 5 when you have a more experienced player (Grealish) who said he wanted to take a pen....

No idea WHY he picked them - but pick them, he did.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I dont know what it is about Grealish that Southgate doesnt like, but there is definitely something....... He's the Captain of a PL side, he's older and more experienced than the younger lads who took them, I guess Southgate was worried Grealish will try some flair Penenka type thing rather than get the laces through it?

I actaully think Grealish is more conservative in an England shirt and passes more, whereas at Villa hes the one shooting on sight and running the show and I feel a bit sorry for him for England, he's a exceptional talent being wasted due defensive set up.

Despite all you say about him at Villa - he's never bee the Villa penalty taker. Maybe he's just shit at them

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

and, as I'm sure half the country is wondering, wasn't that fifth penalty just made for Henderson to bury it? Saka might have been banging them in in training, but to be that inconsolable after missing showed that he didn't have the mental strength for it, not at this young age anyway...
.

Henderson barely ever takes penalties, looks terrible whenever I've seen him try, and as far as I can tell has only managed to score 1 in his whole career. I'd have been happy to seem him subbed for Douglas Bader in the last minute of the game.

If Rashford's kick was about 6" to the right we probably wouldn't be discussing this. If Saka's been in the top 5 in training, and he's been on the field for large parts of the match and tournament, I don't see any reason not to trust him with the penalty.

Also, there's a case to be made that sticking a younger player up with fewer worries flying around their brain will work better than an older more experienced player anyway.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Despite all you say about him at Villa - he's never bee the Villa penalty taker. Maybe he's just shit at them

Maybe every time he reaches the edge of the box on his run up he falls over?

 

[herecomesaregular]

If Saka's been in the top 5 in training, and he's been on the field for large parts of the match and tournament, I don't see any reason not to trust him with the penalty.

Unless it's Saka's resting bitch face he looked absolutely lost and terrified when he came on as a sub and did absolutely nothing. Solely on that I would have adapted and changed the penalty takers. It was no surprise to me he missed, I was dreading his penalty. No disrespect to him as previous games he was brilliant in periods however it seemed quite obvious his head wasn't right at the time, not in hindsight.

Small margins of course as Rashford's was the crucial pen, missing by inches. No blame on them, Jorginho, Mbappe, Morata all missed this tournament,.