England v Scotland....Match Thread

If we're going to have Declan Rice drop back to about 5 yards in front of the centre-backs to receive the ball only to then play a simple sideways pass to the full-backs you might as well play 3 at the back and give the full-backs more license to get forward and play them as wing-backs.

But the bigger issue is Harry Kane. Southgate has gone all in on Kane and his form is terrible and he doesn't look match sharp. But what are the alternatives? Rashford isn't a solo striker and Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the only out and out striker other than Kane is the squad. When you see the endless attacking midfielders and right-backs in the squad you can't help feeling that Southgate should have not taken Saka & either Walker or James and taken Patrick Bamford & Danny Ings instead.

For the Czech Republic game I'd like to pick this team on the basis that Jordan Henderson won't be ready to start & Harry Kane is on his last chance to find some form before we thrown Dominic Calvert-Lewin in instead...

                  PICKFORD
         MAGUIRE   STONES    MINGS
TRIPPIER                            CHILWELL
          BELLINGHAM     PHILLIPS
     FODEN          KANE          GREALISH

In reality we have less to do than Croatia & Scotland to get through to the knockout stages, then again the other piece of reality is that even in European football we’re a 2nd tier nation.

Never mind the lifeless team performance, lacking desire and quality, the use of subs was probably as bad.  Kane has had 4 consecutive tournament games where he has been poor.  

My dad took me to my only England against Poland in 1974.  We drew then and went out the World Cup but we at least tried everything to win.  Not much has changed overall in nearly 50 years.

I was asked a few weeks back if I had a problem with Southgate. Now I think a lot of people have a problem with him. He is a good man, he looks after his lads and protects them from criticism. But that ability is not the one that brings home trophies unless you get very, very lucky.

This wasn’t a game they had to win, they just had to avoid losing. I accept that. I accept that the Scots were up for it. But this is a competition, all sides will be up for it, except England it seems. Where was the pressing game? Where were the Philips runs through the middle? Where was the Sterling pace down the outside?we were back to the slow, slow, slow, slow. By the time Grealish appeared it was too late to upset the Scots, they had an ambush planned for him but Southgate is too slow to see this left opportunities elsewhere.

I fear that the first side England meets that has the same resolution as the Scots but more firepower will see us out of the tournament and no one will care if the final is in Budapest, London or Dubai.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

If we're going to have Declan Rice drop back to about 5 yards in front of the centre-backs to receive the ball only to then play a simple sideways pass to the full-backs you might as well play 3 at the back and give the full-backs more license to get forward and play them as wing-backs.

But the bigger issue is Harry Kane. Southgate has gone all in on Kane and his form is terrible and he doesn't look match sharp. But what are the alternatives? Rashford isn't a solo striker and Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the only out and out striker other than Kane is the squad. When you see the endless attacking midfielders and right-backs in the squad you can't help feeling that Southgate should have not taken Saka & either Walker or James and taken Patrick Bamford & Danny Ings instead.

For the Czech Republic game I'd like to pick this team on the basis that Jordan Henderson won't be ready to start & Harry Kane is on his last chance to find some form before we thrown Dominic Calvert-Lewin in instead...

                  PICKFORD
         MAGUIRE   STONES    MINGS
TRIPPIER                            CHILWELL
          BELLINGHAM     PHILLIPS
     FODEN          KANE          GREALISH

The problem with that is that the Czechs play 5 in midfield. Foden and Grealish will drop into midfield, which leaves an unfit and (non-Ciro) immobile Kane isolated up front.

I'd rather go out like the plucky Danes.  when they went 1-0 up against Belgium, they kept pushing forward  The Welsh too played with a spark against a physical Turkey.  Both  goals were well worked.   The second goal, they could have taken the ball into the corner to wind down the time.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

In reality we have less to do than Croatia & Scotland to get through to the knockout stages, then again the other piece of reality is that even in European football we’re a 2nd tier nation.

We're already through though aren't we? We can't finish bottom & 4 points will be enough even if we lose to the Czechs & Scotland beat Croatia with enough goal difference swing for them to pip us the 2nd. By the time we play on Tuesday night 4 of the other groups will have been completed and we will already be guaranteed qualification.

Tuesday will just decide where we finish & how difficult the path to the Final is.

We ideally want to be in the bottom half of the draw...

Top Half of Draw

B 1st - Belgium
? 3rd - 20% chance of being 3rd in England's group

A 1st - Italy
C 2nd - Ukraine/Austria?

F 1st - France?
? 3rd -

D 2nd - England (if we finish 2nd)
E 2nd - Sweden/Spain?

Bottom Half of Draw

E 1st - Spain/Sweden?
? 3rd - 30% chance of being 3rd in England's group

D 1st - England (if we win group)
F 2nd - Portugal/Germany?

C 1st - Netherlands
? 3rd - 50% chance of being 3rd in England's group

A 2nd - Wales/Switzerland?
B 2nd - Russia/Finland/Denmark?

If we finish 2nd we'd have a very winnable Round of 16 match, but then we'd have a QF against France & if we somehow got through that it would be Italy or Belgium in the SF.

If we win the group we'd have a home Round of 16 match probably against Germany or Portugal and after that it would be a QF (possibly Spain) and a SF against maybe Netherland (or Wales).

If we finish 3rd we are 80% certain of the being in the bottom half of the draw as things stand.

It gets a bit players becoming Ballon D’or winners while sitting on the bench stuff but not getting Sancho involved at all (16gls/20 assists for Dortmund this season) and not starting Grealish who draws opponents in and turns that into dead balls in dangerous areas seems very strange. I know managers have their favourites but Kane and Sterling are well off it. Kane does this for Spurs every now and again but does come back into form fairly quickly but he can’t do that without service. Persisting with two DMs and not utilising the talent we have at wingback is frustrating too but this is England in a modern game where not losing is as important as winning. Portugal won this daft format last time winning one game in 90 minutes…

Quoted from Knut Anders Fosters Voles

The problem with that is that the Czechs play 5 in midfield. Foden and Grealish will drop into midfield, which leaves an unfit and (non-Ciro) immobile Kane isolated up front.

And there we have the big problem with England (especially under Southgate)...

We always worry about what the opposition are going to do and don't just play to our strengths and have confidence that we will beat them if we do.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

And there we have the big problem with England (especially under Southgate)...

We always worry about what the opposition are going to do and don't just play to our strengths and have confidence that we will beat them if we do.

Yes, Hurst often gets blamed for that.

But as with Hurst, if you know your opponents are playing 5 in midfield, you can’t really play two.