Clueless Southgate

[Wally Banter]

Another predictable, negative and boring display for most of the game.
We will be punished by any top level team.
Personally I woudnt watch England if I was given a free premium ticket and a chauffeur driven car there and back.

Did you watch tonight’s game?

[Mistadobalina]

Another predictable, negative and boring display for most of the game.
We will be punished by any top level team.
Personally I woudnt watch England if I was given a free premium ticket and a chauffeur driven car there and back.

We weren’t playing a top level team though.

Southgate adjusts our play depending on who we are playing and what’s at stake. He is very pragmatic.

Teams that attack us and allow space will play into our hands with the players we have.

Sterling and Saka would have a field day against Germany's 3-5-2, but they'd absolutely murder a Rice - Phillips midfield. Czech's got into plenty of dangerous situations and had a fair number of half looks. Kimmich and Kroos would take that space and create a ton.

[BiggsyMalone]

Another predictable, negative and boring display for most of the game.
We will be punished by any top level team.
Personally I woudnt watch England if I was given a free premium ticket and a chauffeur driven car there and back.

We weren’t playing a top level team though.

Southgate adjusts our play depending on who we are playing and what’s at stake. He is very pragmatic.

Teams that attack us and allow space will play into our hands with the players we have.

Sterling and Saka would have a field day against Germany's 3-5-2, but they'd absolutely murder a Rice - Phillips midfield. Czech's got into plenty of dangerous situations and had a fair number of half looks. Kimmich and Kroos would take that space and create a ton.

No they wouldn’t

[PoundhillO]

Another predictable, negative and boring display for most of the game.
We will be punished by any top level team.
Personally I woudnt watch England if I was given a free premium ticket and a chauffeur driven car there and back.

Did you watch tonight’s game?

Yes, unfortunately.
I can’t stand predictable, negative and boring tactics for the majority of the game at any price.

[Mistadobalina]

We weren’t playing a top level team though.

Southgate adjusts our play depending on who we are playing and what’s at stake. He is very pragmatic.

Teams that attack us and allow space will play into our hands with the players we have.

Sterling and Saka would have a field day against Germany's 3-5-2, but they'd absolutely murder a Rice - Phillips midfield. Czech's got into plenty of dangerous situations and had a fair number of half looks. Kimmich and Kroos would take that space and create a ton.

No they wouldn’t

Based on Germany's games so far, their defence is slow as hell and their wing backs leave acres of room open defensively. If Sterling gets the right supply, it's the sort of situation where he is most effective and his England form has been fantastic for a while now. England would still get mullered, both literally and figuratively as their midfield would dance rings around us, but we'd get our fair share of chances.

There's a lot of similarities to how we and Portugal set up imo, think the end result would be pretty similar.

[KVN]

Sterling and Saka would have a field day against Germany's 3-5-2, but they'd absolutely murder a Rice - Phillips midfield. Czech's got into plenty of dangerous situations and had a fair number of half looks. Kimmich and Kroos would take that space and create a ton.

No they wouldn’t

Based on Germany's games so far, their defence is slow as hell and their wing backs leave acres of room open defensively. If Sterling gets the right supply, it's the sort of situation where he is most effective and his England form has been fantastic for a while now. England would still get mullered, both literally and figuratively as their midfield would dance rings around us, but we'd get our fair share of chances.

There's a lot of similarities to how we and Portugal set up imo, think the end result would be pretty similar.

I agree but germany would give us a bit of excitement before we went out.

[BiggsyMalone]

Sterling and Saka would have a field day against Germany's 3-5-2, but they'd absolutely murder a Rice - Phillips midfield. Czech's got into plenty of dangerous situations and had a fair number of half looks. Kimmich and Kroos would take that space and create a ton.

No they wouldn’t

Based on Germany's games so far, their defence is slow as hell and their wing backs leave acres of room open defensively. If Sterling gets the right supply, it's the sort of situation where he is most effective and his England form has been fantastic for a while now. England would still get mullered, both literally and figuratively as their midfield would dance rings around us, but we'd get our fair share of chances.

There's a lot of similarities to how we and Portugal set up imo, think the end result would be pretty similar.

Portugal who Germany comfortably beat 4-2 and who’s full back scored and the other got 2 assists?

[KVN]

Sean Dyche could be a good replacement for Southgate if we are setting up as defencive, he would probably be a good replacement if given the chance.

[tuffers#1]

No they wouldn’t

Based on Germany's games so far, their defence is slow as hell and their wing backs leave acres of room open defensively. If Sterling gets the right supply, it's the sort of situation where he is most effective and his England form has been fantastic for a while now. England would still get mullered, both literally and figuratively as their midfield would dance rings around us, but we'd get our fair share of chances.

There's a lot of similarities to how we and Portugal set up imo, think the end result would be pretty similar.

Portugal who Germany comfortably beat 4-2 and who’s full back scored and the other got 2 assists?

Yes but they still have Ronaldo .
https://youtube.com/shorts/FRukXcZY_RQ?feature=share

[ContrifibulatoryFred]

Gareth Southgate is an anagram of dRoss Embleford
- they are one and the same person

[Dunners]

State of this thread.

Think back to the 2014 WC, where we're eliminated in the group stage. 2016 we lose to Iceland. Southgate has since got us to a WC semi final and, so far this year, we've got through the group games without a loss or conceding a single goal.

England do not have the quality to win a tournament, but give the team and manager some f*cking credit.

[Mistadobalina]

No they wouldn’t

Based on Germany's games so far, their defence is slow as hell and their wing backs leave acres of room open defensively. If Sterling gets the right supply, it's the sort of situation where he is most effective and his England form has been fantastic for a while now. England would still get mullered, both literally and figuratively as their midfield would dance rings around us, but we'd get our fair share of chances.

There's a lot of similarities to how we and Portugal set up imo, think the end result would be pretty similar.

Portugal who Germany comfortably beat 4-2 and who’s full back scored and the other got 2 assists?

Portugal who scored twice and got behind Germany's defence time and time again despite being totally outclassed. Clearly not saying I think it'd mean we'd win, but that playing on the counter against gung ho wing backs and a slow central defence is the sort of situation that suits our wingers pretty well.

[Mistadobalina]

State of this thread.

Think back to the 2014 WC, where we're eliminated in the group stage. 2016 we lose to Iceland. Southgate has since got us to a WC semi final and, so far this year, we've got through the group games without a loss or conceding a single goal.

England do not have the quality to win a tournament, but give the team and manager some f*cking credit.

How we go out next round will determine how fair the criticism has been imo. Playing ultra cautious football against mediocre opponents is hard to stomach once you inevitably go out against the first decent opponents you play, particularly when you've got the attacking options we have. Pragmatism is only popular when it gets you somewhere beyond what being more idealistic could.

[Give it to Jabo]

Message to Southgate: go for it man! It is boring to set up a team not to be beaten.

Will he change his approach now that it is a knock-out format?

(I think we know the answer to that question, sadly.)

What about a rule change to football: players must NOT pass the ball backwards, otherwise it's a free-kick to the opposition

[Millennial Snowflake]

When was the last time we beat a top team in a major tournament though? I can only think of Argentina in the 2002 World Cup.

Any team with a midfield that can dominate possession is very likely to beat us

[Dunners]

When was the last time we beat a top team in a major tournament though? I can only think of Argentina in the 2002 World Cup.

Any team with a midfield that can dominate possession is very likely to beat us

Exactly. We're a decent, hard-to-beat, 2nd-tier national team. We're never going to set a tournament alight but, can usually expect to progress until we meet a 1st-tier team. At that point, unless we have an amazing day and they a horrid one, we're going out. Nothing to be ashamed of in that.

[OyinbO]

It always pays to be contrarian when it comes to England. Two decades of inflated expectations, punctured every time - the Iceland/Brexit double finally seemed to reset English expectations for good. Lo and behold, it's a World Cup semi and a perfectly decent start to the following tournament, with three of the last four matches to be played at Wembley (and the one that isn't likely against relatively weak opposition).

Football fans are notoriously poor judges, and England fans may well be the worst of all.

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

When was the last time we beat a top team in a major tournament though? I can only think of Argentina in the 2002 World Cup.

Any team with a midfield that can dominate possession is very likely to beat us

Exactly. We're a decent, hard-to-beat, 2nd-tier national team. We're never going to set a tournament alight but, can usually expect to progress until we meet a 1st-tier team. At that point, unless we have an amazing day and they a horrid one, we're going out. Nothing to be ashamed of in that.

Can someone please tell the Engerland fans this.

[Jack]

i'm finding it hard to even watch England now. Its so boring.

As soon as an England player wins possession, in his own half, he's looking for a sideways or backwards pass, and it goes on and on.

Baka was the only player actually bursting to attack and get forwards, and no doubt Southgate will be looking to knock that trait out of him soon

[Give it to Jabo]

I am hoping for an England/Germany tie. A proper game of football and Southgate takes the shackles off.

[Give it to Jabo]

i'm finding it hard to even watch England now. Its so boring.

As soon as an England player wins possession, in his own half, he's looking for a sideways or backwards pass, and it goes on and on.

Baka was the only player actually bursting to attack and get forwards, and no doubt Southgate will be looking to knock that trait out of him soon

I wonder if Saka will keep his place in the team, I hope so.

[one o in huntingdon]

I am hoping for an England/Germany tie. A proper game of football and Southgate takes the shackles off.

There are no shackles to be taken off, who or what do you think is being held back?

I'm hoping we get ripped apart and get shot of this defensive rubbish along with Southgate.

Rather lose going down fighting, no wonder the crowd are so lifeless nothing to get even mildly excited about.

[Give it to Jabo]

I am hoping for an England/Germany tie. A proper game of football and Southgate takes the shackles off.

There are no shackles to be taken off, who or what do you think is being held back?

I'm hoping we get ripped apart and get shot of this defensive rubbish along with Southgate.

What about starting with Foden, Saka and Grealish? Drop Rice, for one. It seems to me that the afore mentioned three players go out on the pitch without fear. If we lose, we lose, but at least the good name of football is not ruined.

[Give it to Jabo]

Like you One 0, I am fed up with endless sideways, slow passes. Foden, Saka and Grealish inject pace and excitement, would you not agree?

[Dunners]

i'm finding it hard to even watch England now. Its so boring.

England have been consistent in their playing style throughout most of their history since the 1970s.

Think back to the Sven-era, when the tactic was to collect the ball in defense, long-ball it up to Heskey for him to lay on to Owen in the hope that he'd attract a foul. Once again, we were a decent, hard-to-beat team that hoped to nick the odd goal from a corner or free kick.

Aside from a brief dip, under Southgate you're simply seeing a return to the norm. This is us.