EUROS

hibeejim21 · 17-06-2021, 19:52

It's a very open tournament, but suggesting Italy couldn't win it or aren't one of the big boys is nuts. They are 4th in the betting for a start.

I certainly wouldn't write them off. Generally speaking Italian teams of past 20 years have done quite well at the Euros. This team doesn't slow it down so much as other Italian sides. They play pressing attacking football and like to control games. They also pass out from the back very well.

The only thing against them I can see is their CBs are cracking on a bit. Chiellini is a brilliant player but he looked about 40 when he was 20 Laugh

**Lord Snooty** · 18-06-2021, 19:47

How come.......whenever the Czech Republic play, they always mention that Czechoslovakia won this in 1976, but they never mention it when Slovakia play? Unless I always miss them mentioning it, but they have as much right to claim being former winners as the Czechs.

**St Charles Owl** · 18-06-2021, 20:28

(18-06-2021, 19:47)Lord Snooty Wrote: How come.......whenever the Czech Republic play, they always mention that Czechoslovakia won this in 1976, but they never mention it when Slovakia play? Unless I always miss them mentioning it, but they have as much right to claim being former winners as the Czechs.

Very true!! I wonder if the Czechs identify more with Czechoslovakia and that Slovakians do? Just one thought.

**themaclad** · 18-06-2021, 21:47

Fair play to the Scots playing well still should be losing mind but only one to have a shot on target

**St Charles Owl** · 18-06-2021, 22:52

Garbage performance from England, Scotland well worth the point, they hassled us all game and the fact they had a plan whereas we didn't worked for them. Aside from a couple of chances we never looked like losing the game but we had nothing up front at all!! Kane was poor and marked out of the game, no one seemed to want to run at their defence, we just passed it around the defence sideways and backwards and we created so little. It will be enough to go through but not good enough if we have any ambition.

Devongone · (This post was last modified: 19-06-2021, 12:16 by Devongone.)

I've been suggesting all along that, despite having some good players, England would almost certainly play badly against the Scots, and not only were we bad, but they were pretty good. When Jason Pickford is your best player, despite his iron hands and wrists, you perhaps don't need to say more. But as usual I will!

Stones and Mings struggled a bit to hold Dykes and Adams, but at least they did. Luke Shaw's Kenny-Sansom legs convince me he is ordinary going forward and vulnerable when defending, whilst Reece James was so overawed by the situation last night he persisted with the easiest option, taking no risks and presenting no threat throughout the game. In midfield Rice was handicapped by blinkers and an anchor, and would have been ordinary in the Sunday League. The Yorkshire Pirlo tried, but the most he managed was scrapping rather than creating. Mason Mount was simply abysmal. Being outbattled by John McGinn in understandable, but by a nine-year-old apprentice jockey from the same stable, Billy Gilmour? Sterling had all the right notes on his song sheet but never got near playing them in right order, Foden was the epitome of lightweight and early on realised it was largely up to him to carry a dysfunctional team and that was outside his weight limit, whilst the Kane we got was the loanee who was trawled failing round several clubs, before coming home to Spurs to rule the world. Our manager added nothing. How much was down to Scotland being good and us being awful is hard to judge, but it comes to something when Stones is berated for actually managing to hit the post early on and providing the one moment in which we looked like a team others should fear.

My own suggestion for a team would be, (and be as critical as you like):

Iron Wrist Pickford in goal.

Back three of Walker Maguire and Stones

Wing backs would be the real Reece James rather than his rabbit twin and Ben Chilwell, who is a goal threat or failing that Trippier who definitely is .....

Midfield starts by saying Grealish comes in and is told go central or wide as he feels necessary, just play your game Jack, then we choose which lightweight we pick for his incisive skill, Mount or Foden, and we finish off with one of the 4 defensive midfielders with which Southgate has lumbered his squad. He'll go for Henderson, me I'd go with Bellingham against the Czechs as we are almost certain to qualify anyway and no result is going to guarantee us an easy game next up.

Up front Southgate has handicapped us by leaving out of his squad both Watkins and Bamford, who might have replaced Kane OR played alongside him. We have the one-dimensional Calvert-Lewin instead. That leaves Kane as the only option so we hope the real one has brought his shorts, and his partner would be Rashford / Sterling / Sancho. For me that would be Rashford every time.

As for the Scots, excellent as they were, out they go. I can't see them scoring against Croatia. Dykes and Adams won't scare their centre backs. And I'm afraid a committed Petkovic might just scare Scotland's back three. Hope I'm wrong. Last night deserves better reward. They did really well.

WakeyTerrier · 21-06-2021, 11:47

Watched it back again yesterday and on reflection the game wasn't as bad as I thought in the heat of the moment of Friday night.

Scotland deserved the point and played well.

John Stones really should score from that header he put against the post.

Southgate's plan of playing 2 holding midfielders backfired on Friday and we were back to being far too defensive, looking for that sideways/backwards pass rather than trying to create and go forward.

So much attacking talent in the squad but Kane has to be poorest of the lot out of our 2 games, Sterling despite scoring against Croatia isn't far behind him. Surely the likes of DCL, Grealish, Rashford and Sancho must be chomping at the bit to get a start on Tuesday although Southgate has already confirmed Kane will start.

Speaking of Tuesday, do we all think it'll play out to be a draw?
The group winners would play second in Group F which is could be Germany, Portugal or France where as 2nd in our Group would play 2nd in Group E which could be any of Sweden, Slovakia, Spain or Poland

**Lord Snooty** · 21-06-2021, 15:01

Too early to drop Kane. Everybody was saying drop Linekar after the first two games of Mexico 86. He ended up with the golden boot.

**Lord Snooty** · 21-06-2021, 21:56

Odd decision to make Mount and Chilwell self isolate, but not the entire Scottish squad. Huh

WakeyTerrier · (This post was last modified: 22-06-2021, 12:45 by WakeyTerrier.)

So its matchday 3 and we have the Czech Republic who last time we met in Prague beat us 2-1, a game that they fully deserved to win

We know we have already qualified its just a matter of who we play in the next round, top the Group and its likely to be France/Germany or maybe Portugal.
Second in the group and could be any from Group E Sweden, Slovakia, Spain or even Poland.
Third in the Group and it would probably be one of Belgium, Netherlands or the winner of Group E.

If we are to win the tournament then you have to play the best at some time and winning the group would mean another home game at Wembley next Tuesday tea time so that must be a strong pull for the England team.

The team I think Southgate will pick if Maguire is fit and Mount is isolating

Pickford
James, Stones, Maguire(Mings), Trippier
Henderson
Sterling, Sancho(Mount), Rashford
Kane.

Come on England!

Mount and Chilwell out and to isolate until June 28 so they could potentially miss the last 16 fixture as well