UEFA EURO 2024 .. June 14th - July 14th

[dontcallme]

 

[Yid-ol]

Scotland had a chance to come out of this group in 2nd or 3rd if they played like they did in the qualifies. Just needed to keep this game score down and not do anything stupid.

Well they fucked that bit up!! Still could be close Vs hungry and the swiss, but they are playing such negative football here.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Scotland are getting kilt.

 

[Cochise]

Nagelsmann has got the German side playing some nice stuff. Kroos dropping into little pockets and moving the ball around, their full backs coming in off the line to make options in midfield and the rest just mixing it up and giving the Scottish defence all kinds of head aches. And they press well too.

I said a couple of weeks ago to a friend that I though Germany would do well. They have a decent first team, but they have a coach who can get the most out of the players.

Scotland sadly look like a team that has a few players that look below standard. Only McTominay looks like he can go toe to toe with the German side. That Porteous challenge was horrific.

 

[ItsBoris]

This is an example why I can never get with the England not winning tournaments is a failure!!!!! brigade.

On the scorecard it looks like it is Wirtz and Musiala who have done the damage, and England have those sorts of players in Bellingham, Foden, etc.

But make no mistake about it, the two who are running this game, running rings around Scotland, and putting Germany in the right positions are Kroos as the deep midfield conductor and Gundogan as the advanced midfield one. In comparison for England it is just a black hole of zero established options.

And that has largely been the difference for England in previous tournaments. Say what you want about tactics or whatever, or bad luck on penalties, but in tight games Croatia had Modric et al to control possession and the game. Italy had Jorginho and Verratti to keep the ball.

The winning teams almost always control the centre of the park, either defensively rock solid as part of a functional unit or outstanding controllers of the football match. England basically never pass this test, and for this tournament need to work out what can work best for them.

A few upcoming players in Mainoo, Wharton, and possibly Gray who can do that kind of thing but obviously too early for this tournament.

Still it's not absolutely necessary, look at last world cup neither France nor Argentina really had that kind of conductor you're talking about. It's just about a coach who can set a team up to exploit its strengths and limit its weaknesses, which is what England never have.

Look at when we had Carrick Scholes, exactly the kind of players you're talking about, and we didn't even play them lol. England could have had a Carrick Gerrard Scholes midfield and instead played 4-4-2. For as long as I can remember the fault has mostly been the manager's. Germany this tournament have a competent manager which is why they could win.

 

[Frozen_Waffles]

The good..

Kroos running the game from left centre back
Musialia (dribbiling) and Gundogan (passing) both all over the place in a good way
Early whipped in crosses from the right (Beckham style)
Pressing in packs from the Germans
Long balls stretching the back line, mainly from Rudiger.

The bad...

Scotland

The ugly...

Also Scotland

 

[HildoSpur]

Scotland getting absolutely tonked unfortunately.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Kroos 55 passes attempted 55 passes completed

 

[HildoSpur]

This is an example why I can never get with the England not winning tournaments is a failure!!!!! brigade.

On the scorecard it looks like it is Wirtz and Musiala who have done the damage, and England have those sorts of players in Bellingham, Foden, etc.

But make no mistake about it, the two who are running this game, running rings around Scotland, and putting Germany in the right positions are Kroos as the deep midfield conductor and Gundogan as the advanced midfield one. In comparison for England it is just a black hole of zero established options.

And that has largely been the difference for England in previous tournaments. Say what you want about tactics or whatever, or bad luck on penalties, but in tight games Croatia had Modric et al to control possession and the game. Italy had Jorginho and Verratti to keep the ball.

The winning teams almost always control the centre of the park, either defensively rock solid as part of a functional unit or outstanding controllers of the football match. England basically never pass this test, and for this tournament need to work out what can work best for them.

Yeah this is why I don't think England will win anything anytime soon - the midfield is unbalanced and just doesn't have the quality required. Rice is a good player but outside of him who do you have? A wing back looks likely to partner him in midfield in your first match. It's wild.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Kroos 55 passes attempted 55 passes completed

And he slipped on a half-dozen of those passes…

 

[Cavehillspur]

"He catches him".

- Ally McCoist

"its a challenge he has to make..... And its a good one" lol

In fairness he let out a big sigh when they showed the slowmo replay lol

 

[Johnny J]

A few upcoming players in Mainoo, Wharton, and possibly Gray who can do that kind of thing but obviously too early for this tournament.

We really should have bought Wharton or Scott

 

[Hazelton]

Kroos 55 passes attempted 55 passes completed

"Generational talent" is used far too often but Kroos is a genuine generational midfielder, has everything you'd want. What a career.

 

[npearl4spurs]

Is Angie anywhere in this so far? How’s he doing/coming across?

 

[Cochise]

Not sure how I feel. On the one hand, the Scottish fans love to dish out the "banter" to England fans every time we lose an important game. On the other hand, they are an underdog here and no one likes the underdog getting completely smashed.

 

[Johnny J]

Is Angie anywhere in this so far? How’s he doing/coming across?

This isn't the Eastenders thread.

 

[dontcallme]

Not sure how I feel. On the one hand, the Scottish fans love to dish out the "banter" to England fans every time we lose an important game. On the other hand, they are an underdog here and no one likes the underdog getting completely smashed.

I always support Scotland when not playing England. But I can still find stuff like this game funny.

 

[mpickard2087]

A few upcoming players in Mainoo, Wharton, and possibly Gray who can do that kind of thing but obviously too early for this tournament.

Still it's not absolutely necessary, look at last world cup neither France nor Argentina really had that kind of conductor you're talking about. It's just about a coach who can set a team up to exploit its strengths and limit its weaknesses, which is what England never have.

Look at when we had Carrick Scholes, exactly the kind of players you're talking about, and we didn't even play them lol. England could have had a Carrick Gerrard Scholes midfield and instead played 4-4-2. For as long as I can remember the fault has mostly been the manager's. Germany this tournament have a competent manager which is why they could win.

I agree it is about setting up with balance. Eg, Argentina picked a lot of runners and worker bees to compensate for Messi and allow him a totally free role.

That's what I hope for England and why I never get on board with the calls for just put Bellingham next to Rice and play all the attackers, it is abdicating responsibility for choosing a balanced team. To be fair Southgate for all the stick he has got has largely done this, he played a back five for defensive solidity and were good at set pieces in 18, played Rice/Phillips and had a balanced secure functional team even though he got stick for it in 21, and then in 22 eventually found a functional team with Henderson/Rice in midfield and were pretty unlucky against France eventually.

However I stick by that having such a vacuum of playmaking controllers in the centre of the park is a long standing problem for English football that must be fixed, and until then will always be a problem and in crunch games if you are giving up the deficit in this area you're more times than not going to lose the game.

As for 2000's England, totally agree. I've said on here before that the midfield for those teams should have been something like Carrick (controlling passer) and Hargreaves (runner/worker/ball-winner). Two selfless performers who could lay a platform a few stars then ahead of them could be given freedom. Of course that was far too sensible and tactically proper for the English football world at the time.

 

[BuryMeInEngland]

I do like the new rule that only the captain is allowed to talk to the referee. Will that be adopted in the PL?

 

[tommo84]

Not sure how I feel. On the one hand, the Scottish fans love to dish out the "banter" to England fans every time we lose an important game. On the other hand, they are an underdog here and no one likes the underdog getting completely smashed.

Nah. My preferred outcome tonight was for Scotland to score first and give Germany a proper game worth watching. From the moment they went 2 down the only way this game was going to stay interesting was if Germany handed out a proper humbling.

I want a cricket score.