[Football] Victory Over Germany- The Sword of Damocles For Southgate

[schmunk]

Yeah this luck argument is utter ****ing bollocks.

We had the two best chances in the game - tap ins from 6 yards, from carving them open.

Bar the Muller chance, they didn't carve us open once. We were the better side against a very good tournament side.

Also, the more you control a game, the more "luck" you have. We controlled the majority of that game, and went in for the kill at precisely the right moment. Southgate got it spot on.

Apparently the England xG was 1.35 and Germany 1.36 - make of that what you will...!

 

[Mellotron]

Aren't you forgetting Pickford's save against Timo Werner?

I'm still not sure it was a "carving open", certainly wasn't as good a chance as our two tap ins - he was pushed wide and Pickford made it a tough angle. Decent chance, sure.

We deserved to win that game though.

 

[Mellotron]

Apparently the England xG was 1.35 and Germany 1.36 - make of that what you will...!

We all know of course that Brighton should be champions of Europe, by that metric...

Not saying it's worthless, and yes it was a tight(ish) game, but I felt we certainly deserved the win and controlled the game for large parts. There are decent articles on the Athletic showing how we shackled their wingbacks and they didn't really have another answer.

I honestly couldn't believe how negative the match thread was on here (well I could, because I know how hysterical NSC can be when it comes to England games...)

 

[Reinelt12]

What utter crap. It was so obvious in 2018 that Southgate was happy to concede to Belgium and finish 2nd in the group. This time I'm not saying he's engineered it but it has worked out more favourably for us as you surely can't believe that a draw with Spain, Belgium and Italy is the same as Czech, Ukraine and Denmark?

But people were saying half way through the group stage that coming 2nd would be better because we would avoid the group of death in the next round… you can’t have it both ways, the draw has fallen how it has, and major nations have gone out, but the so called lesser nations have deserved to win.

Surely some respect also needs to be given to those nations who knocked out the big guns, the very fact they did that shows they aren’t pushovers…

 

[Seaview Seagull]

But people were saying half way through the group stage that coming 2nd would be better because we would avoid the group of death in the next round… you can’t have it both ways, the draw has fallen how it has, and major nations have gone out, but the so called lesser nations have deserved to win.

Surely some respect also needs to be given to those nations who knocked out the big guns, the very fact they did that shows they aren’t pushovers…

Absolutely this. If Spain had finished ahead of Sweden they would be the opposition on Saturday. Can't be GS fault Spain finished 2nd.

 

[drew]

But people were saying half way through the group stage that coming 2nd would be better because we would avoid the group of death in the next round… you can’t have it both ways, the draw has fallen how it has, and major nations have gone out, but the so called lesser nations have deserved to win.

Surely some respect also needs to be given to those nations who knocked out the big guns, the very fact they did that shows they aren’t pushovers…

My point was in respect of a KZNSeagull who seem to be suggesting that after the qualifying there are no favourable draws. In my post, I never suggested that Southgate has tried to engineer the route we now have, it's just how the dice have fallen. Respect to Switzerland, surely, but what big guns have been knocked out by our side of the draw? Really only Czech Repunblic knocking out Holland and that's not such a giant killing.

 

[Eeyore]

My point was in respect of a KZNSeagull who seem to be suggesting that after the qualifying there are no favourable draws. In my post, I never suggested that Southgate has tried to engineer the route we now have, it's just how the dice have fallen. Respect to Switzerland, surely, but what big guns have been knocked out by our side of the draw? Really only Czech Repunblic knocking out Holland and that's not such a giant killing.

There was also some good fortune in that Spain failed to top their group and fell into the stronger side of the draw as a result.

They were earmarked as potential quarter final opponents. But Sweden took their slot and then Ukraine kicked on.

I think the original, with form, path was:

Germany/France/Portugal
Spain
Netherlands

or

Sweden
France
Belgium/Italy


But the Euros always throws up a bit of madness. That's why I prefer it to the World Cup, which tends to go more with expectations (2018 excepted).