England v Denmark

[Pepe the Horseman]

Everyone getting on Foden's back, yet he still looked our biggest threat when he played through the middle. Personally think it's worth dropping Bellingham deeper if it means getting the best out of Kane and Foden.

[Royal Rother]

Millions of football fans have ideas how to fix the problems (some good, many bad because... well, football fans are a pretty think bunch on the whole) but the guy paid millions to make the big decisions has none.

[Franchise FC]

This Trent experiment is really not working

No point selecting a player renowned for picking out runners when your attackers don’t run

Or renowned for being a crap defender and lazy at tracking back. It's like Rice is having to do his job for him. His lack of spacial awareness was there for all to see on the Denmark goal. He was covering nothing.

I don’t want TAA in the side but to blame him for a horrendously misplaced ball from Kane putting the whole team out of place is way over the top

[Snowflake Royal]

Complete arsegravy.

Contrary to popular opinion, I thought Foden was one of the only England players trying.

Alexander-Arnold and Kane stunk out the place second game running. But this time were joined by Bellingham, Rice and Stones as well.

This smacks of Stam with the players thinking they just have to turn up and the opposition will part like the red sea to let them win.

This time they didn’t even try to dominate possession. No movement, no plan, even when there was a runner no one tried the pass. Huge amount of basic errors.

People will blame Southgate, but the players are out on the pitch, not him. These players are good enough, senior enough and successful enough to play even shit tactics well, or just ignore the manager and perform.

We've seen Southgate's management for years, it's organised and its cautious. It isn’t an instruction to play shit miss time passes and not try. He was going mental at them, because they weren't doing what he was telling them.

Still, at least Guehi looks like he can establish himself for years to come.

Gallagher brings energy, but so does a terrier, doesn’t mean it can play football. Eze might as well have not come on. Watkins looked a real threat.

[Royal Rother]

A good manager looks at the players at his disposal and works out how to form the most effective team from them, utilising their best attributes in their best positions, but always thinking how the mix can gel together to be a properly cohesive team.

For sure it’s not easy, but I don’t think Southgate has the vision to do that, which is why we have square pegs in round holes, and keep seeing very ineffective and disjointed performances.

[Stranded]

A good manager looks at the players at his disposal and works out how to form the most effective team from them, utilising their best attributes in their best positions, but always thinking how the mix can gel together to be a properly cohesive team.

For sure it’s not easy, but I don’t think Southgate has the vision to do that, which is why we have square pegs in round holes, and keep seeing very ineffective and disjointed performances.

Well he's clearly got it right in tournaments more than he's got it wrong but he is absolutely getting it wrong at the moment.

The players do need to stand up to be counted as well, the 2 England games have been, for me, the least enjoyable of the tournament - though Austria-France pushes it close.

[Royal Rother]

A good manager looks at the players at his disposal and works out how to form the most effective team from them, utilising their best attributes in their best positions, but always thinking how the mix can gel together to be a properly cohesive team.

For sure it’s not easy, but I don’t think Southgate has the vision to do that, which is why we have square pegs in round holes, and keep seeing very ineffective and disjointed performances.

Well he's clearly got it right in tournaments more than he's got it wrong....

But even then, in the big moments, he so clearly got it wrong.

[paultheroyal]

Man City and Arsenal know how to win games and play good football.

Just set the team up with the best available players to play this way. It really is not rocket science. Round pegs square holes is a throwback to the scholes era etc.

It was just an utter mess last night. They all looked confused and lost and with that brought about mistakes, missed passes etc. it was utter turgid.

[Franchise FC]

A good manager looks at the players at his disposal and works out how to form the most effective team from them, utilising their best attributes in their best positions, but always thinking how the mix can gel together to be a properly cohesive team.

For sure it’s not easy, but I don’t think Southgate has the vision to do that, which is why we have square pegs in round holes, and keep seeing very ineffective and disjointed performances.

Well he's clearly got it right in tournaments more than he's got it wrong....

But even then, in the big moments, he so clearly got it wrong.

At least, notwithstanding 2024, he's managed to get us to big moments

There's plenty of his predecessors that haven't even managed that

[WestYorksRoyal]

A good manager looks at the players at his disposal and works out how to form the most effective team from them, utilising their best attributes in their best positions, but always thinking how the mix can gel together to be a properly cohesive team.

For sure it’s not easy, but I don’t think Southgate has the vision to do that, which is why we have square pegs in round holes, and keep seeing very ineffective and disjointed performances.

Well he's clearly got it right in tournaments more than he's got it wrong....

But even then, in the big moments, he so clearly got it wrong.

I don't think anyone looking at the big picture can call his reign a failure. The national team was a toxic environment before he was there, players didn't enjoy playing. He's got us our best results in major tournaments since '66, has for a lot of his time got us playing good football and has really connected the nation and team again. That people now consider failing to win a tournament "failure" shows how good a job he has done. If your view is only winning is success, that shows a lack of understanding for how difficult it is and how much work is involved in laying foundations.

But he is becoming a victim of his own success in that very few of us back him to make the final step. It may need a different man to finish the job. And I agree he has shown similar failings in the big moments; see the 2018 SF and 2021 final which were lost for the same reasons.

[Franchise FC]

Man City and Arsenal know how to win games and play good football.

Just set the team up with the best available players to play this way. It really is not rocket science. Round pegs square holes is a throwback to the scholes era etc.

It was just an utter mess last night. They all looked confused and lost and with that brought about mistakes, missed passes etc. it was utter turgid.

Man City and Arsenal can use money to buy players to fill the round and square holes as appropriate
International managers don't have that option

[Forbury Lion]

Everyone getting on Foden's back, yet he still looked our biggest threat when he played through the middle. Personally think it's worth dropping Bellingham deeper if it means getting the best out of Kane and Foden.

I was thinking play Kane as the number 10 as he naturally wants to drop deep and can hold up the ball and pick out a pass, play Bellingham up front which is where he scored most of his 20+ goals for Real Madrid.... or maybe have them interchange during play?

Foden in midfield for Trent or play him as the number 10?

The left side is the weakness, Maybe Trent at left midfield would allow him to just cross the ball in from deep rather than being a winger, same as Beckham used to, although Beckham was better and had a right foot on the right side, Trent I assume is right footed otherwise he'd be playing left back.

[Royal Rother]

Well he's clearly got it right in tournaments more than he's got it wrong....

But even then, in the big moments, he so clearly got it wrong.

I don't think anyone looking at the big picture can call his reign a failure. The national team was a toxic environment before he was there, players didn't enjoy playing. He's got us our best results in major tournaments since '66, has for a lot of his time got us playing good football and has really connected the nation and team again. That people now consider failing to win a tournament "failure" shows how good a job he has done. If your view is only winning is success, that shows a lack of understanding for how difficult it is and how much work is involved in laying foundations.

But he is becoming a victim of his own success in that very few of us back him to make the final step. It may need a different man to finish the job. And I agree he has shown similar failings in the big moments; see the 2018 SF and 2021 final which were lost for the same reasons.

All fair comments.

[Green]

Good analysis on ITV about England before the Spain game I thought.

What did they say?

https://youtu.be/t7KVOevLswQ?si=UqDuzeCW3-h5bd9o

thanks, yeh good summary.

Find the beebs analysis dreadful these days

[Brum Royal]

An option for me would be to not start TAA but have him come on as the right wing sub for Saka and just let him get at players without having to defend, then you can structure the centre of the midfield properly.

There was a poll on Twitter running last night asking the question of who of the these former England "stars" would you have in the current squad - Ferdinand, A Cole, Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard. The runaway winner was Ashley Cole, to at least give the squad some balance down the left flank.

[paultheroyal]

Man City and Arsenal know how to win games and play good football.

Just set the team up with the best available players to play this way. It really is not rocket science. Round pegs square holes is a throwback to the scholes era etc.

It was just an utter mess last night. They all looked confused and lost and with that brought about mistakes, missed passes etc. it was utter turgid.

Man City and Arsenal can use money to buy players to fill the round and square holes as appropriate
International managers don't have that option

Yeah I get that, but the style of football, how they play is what they are used too. A large number of players in that squad are adapted to it, and as professional athletes others should be close to replicating that. So set the teams up in that style and the best available players to go into them positions.

By changing it and adapting brings us closer to the also rans teams.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

What did they say?

https://youtu.be/t7KVOevLswQ?si=UqDuzeCW3-h5bd9o

thanks, yeh good summary.

Find the beebs analysis dreadful these days

Watching Gaby Logan and Joe hart at the moment and they both seem completely dumbfounded by any criticism from last nights game

[Franchise FC]

Man City and Arsenal know how to win games and play good football.

Just set the team up with the best available players to play this way. It really is not rocket science. Round pegs square holes is a throwback to the scholes era etc.

It was just an utter mess last night. They all looked confused and lost and with that brought about mistakes, missed passes etc. it was utter turgid.

Man City and Arsenal can use money to buy players to fill the round and square holes as appropriate
International managers don't have that option

Yeah I get that, but the style of football, how they play is what they are used too. A large number of players in that squad are adapted to it, and as professional athletes others should be close to replicating that. So set the teams up in that style and the best available players to go into them positions.

By changing it and adapting brings us closer to the also rans teams.

You can set up any way you like, the fact is that the missing bits last night were the ability to play a pass, any pass with any accuracy and the lack of energy

I just don’t see what any international manager can do about the passing. What is Southgate supposed to do ? Coach them on how to play an accurate 10 yard pass ?

The energy issue I just don’t understand at all

[Winston Biscuit]

I said before game 1 Anthony Gordon should be out on the left, I said before game 2 Anthony Gordon should be out on the left. I hope to see Anthony Gordon out on the left in game 3

[Pepe the Horseman]

An option for me would be to not start TAA but have him come on as the right wing sub for Saka and just let him get at players without having to defend, then you can structure the centre of the midfield properly.

There was a poll on Twitter running last night asking the question of who of the these former England "stars" would you have in the current squad - Ferdinand, A Cole, Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard. The runaway winner was Ashley Cole, to at least give the squad some balance down the left flank.

No Kalvin Phillips option?