Kane was targeted by the Croatian defence yesterday, which tends to happen to world class strikers, and we used that to bring Foden and Sterling in behind the backline wherever we could. He might not have been hugely influential on the ball but as long as they were tied up trying to nullify Kane space was created for others, and that's what we exploited. Kane is an intelligent player and that's a tactic we will be using a lot this tournament. He's a world class striker, one of the very best in the world, and recipient of the Golden Boot at the most recent World Cup. And there's talk of dropping him one game into a tournament where he did his job, he just didn't score. I wonder if this happens so much in other countries' media/commentariat. Does there always have to be someone publicly targeted for criticism?
I would be interested to see Modric's passing stats. He was up for it. The issue for Croatia was that there was no space to pass into and that clearly was the idea.
that starting front 3 is likely to be man city's front 3 next year and pep doesn't tend to get it wrong - if we get a goal or 2 up against Scotland i'd like to see Grealish get involved but other than putting a proper left back in, i'd probably leave it as it is for the jocks
We won ,end of,should Grealish have played,Trippier in front of Shaw and Chilwell,a bit odd,Kane,well, one of his mates almost died yesterday.
I’m completely in the dark to football outside League 1, but I wondered if Trippier got the nod for left back because of his throw ins. 2 or possibly 3 decent attacks started from his clever throws. Possibly Shaw and Chilwell don’t have that in the bag?
You've got to remember that penalties don't count when analysing an England striker's goal record, despite them counting all the same and England being notoriously bad at taking penalties
if we are going to give Southgate credit for adapting the tactics to nullify Croatia, the same approach will surely not be the same against Scotland who will present a different challenge. Also, the three points takes an immense amount of pressure off England and I think Southgate will start Grealish and one or two others to get them up to speed in the tournament.
I suspect Trippier got the nod because Southgate didn't want his full backs to get caught out going forwards against a Croatia whose main threat is passing when there is space.
I would be interested to see Modric's passing stats. He was up for it. The issue for Croatia was that there was no space to pass into and that clearly was the idea.
I do agree that Croatia aren't the team they were in 2018, but neither are we.
Our midfield in that semi-final was Henderson, Alli, Lingard and Sterling.
Yesterday it was Phillips, Rice, Mount, Foden and Sterling.
In 2018 we had good 'runners' but nobody that comfortable on the ball. So when they pressed us, we lost it. Now we have a highly technical midfield who can really play.
I am hanging today! Brilliant being in the sun watching England win.
Can’t remember a great deal 😂 but first 10-15 mins I thought we were exceptional. Understanding with the heat that the high press couldn’t be kept up but we have to try and control games a bit better.
I would be interested to see Modric's passing stats. He was up for it. The issue for Croatia was that there was no space to pass into and that clearly was the idea.
65/70 (93%) - more passes than any other player
Interesting stat but I think that was odds on favourite that Modric would be the pass master. Southgate picked the team to negate him by covering all the options when he was on the ball plus when the Croatians received his passes the shots were off target. A good day at the office for Southgate and the coaching staff who picked a team who gave Croatia respect as you would expect from losing Finalists at the WC but who have dropped their level as a couple of their big players have departed the international scene in Rakitic and Mandkovic.
This game is fast. Not sure if it’s the camera or what but the Netherlands seem to play with a much higher intensity than us and Croatia did today.
Could be a difficult match up.
Also a different time of the day...
Hopefully see a faster game when we play our last two Group games seeing they'll be at 8pm
Very true. In cooler weather we could look really dangerous.
Am more looking forward to getting the game without that bloody shadow on the pitch, was even more challenging with Croatia in their dark kit but did ruin my enjoyment of the game a bit today
Watching the highlights it was definitely a better performance than I initially thought. We had a lot of good chances and Croatia only really had a Rebic chance that came from 2 unfortunate bounces. If Sterling had been a bit more clinical that game is 2/3-0.
Looking at it more I think this line up was designed as a response to the 2018 semi defeat. It wasn’t overly expansive but it did work.
The only thing worrying me is our pass map. We love the wide areas and that’s unsurprising considering that talent we have. However without our RB/LB pushing on more we really are relying on magic out of Foden/Sterling/Mount to drive forwards.
A decent start, but I’d love to see us with Chilwell and James/Trippier bombing down the wings.
Watching the highlights it was definitely a better performance than I initially thought. We had a lot of good chances and Croatia only really had a Rebic chance that came from 2 unfortunate bounces. If Sterling had been a bit more clinical that game is 2/3-0.
Looking at it more I think this line up was designed as a response to the 2018 semi defeat. It wasn’t overly expansive but it did work.
The only thing worrying me is our pass map. We love the wide areas and that’s unsurprising considering that talent we have. However without our RB/LB pushing on more we really are relying on magic out of Foden/Sterling/Mount to drive forwards.
A decent start, but I’d love to see us with Chilwell and James/Trippier bombing down the wings.
This is what our whole tournament will be like, and it should be. Tournaments aren't won by the most expansive brilliant teams, they're won by the teams who make the fewest mistakes and ship the fewest goals while keeping their best players fit. Southgate is going to continue to play two deeper midfielders, as does every top team in world football. We're not going to see Grealish or Mount playing in that deeper midfield role, and Southgate will revert to a 3 at the back at times against tougher teams. He'll rotate the squad when he can and leave out some of our more exciting players if he thinks they don't suit the game. It might not be the most interesting way of playing but it's probably the most effective way of getting through.
After being also-ran‘s in Championship for so long, yesterday must have been a proud moment for Leeds fans to see there player be MOM for England in a major tournament.
After being also-ran‘s in Championship for so long, yesterday must have been a proud moment for Leeds fans to see there player be MOM for England in a major tournament.
Decent start and we will grow as the tournament progresses.
No matter how you look at it though, despite Trippier having a decent game, there is simply no logic in playing someone out of position when you have 2 exceptional left backs in the squad. I'd understand it if we had no options, but Shaw and Chilwell have been immense of late. It just imbalances the team and restricts the ability to 'whip' in crosses and overlap.
Still, I guess that's why I'm not a football 'coach'.
Kane was targeted by the Croatian defence yesterday, which tends to happen to world class strikers, and we used that to bring Foden and Sterling in behind the backline wherever we could. He might not have been hugely influential on the ball but as long as they were tied up trying to nullify Kane space was created for others, and that's what we exploited. Kane is an intelligent player and that's a tactic we will be using a lot this tournament. He's a world class striker, one of the very best in the world, and recipient of the Golden Boot at the most recent World Cup. And there's talk of dropping him one game into a tournament where he did his job, he just didn't score. I wonder if this happens so much in other countries' media/commentariat. Does there always have to be someone publicly targeted for criticism?
Agree....Kane's a smart player and will drop deep pulling defenders with him and create space behind him for the likes of Stirling. The one thing I would say is if we play a better team and need to hit them on the break then Rashford might be a better option
Kane was targeted by the Croatian defence yesterday, which tends to happen to world class strikers, and we used that to bring Foden and Sterling in behind the backline wherever we could. He might not have been hugely influential on the ball but as long as they were tied up trying to nullify Kane space was created for others, and that's what we exploited. Kane is an intelligent player and that's a tactic we will be using a lot this tournament. He's a world class striker, one of the very best in the world, and recipient of the Golden Boot at the most recent World Cup. And there's talk of dropping him one game into a tournament where he did his job, he just didn't score. I wonder if this happens so much in other countries' media/commentariat. Does there always have to be someone publicly targeted for criticism?
Agree....Kane's a smart player and will drop deep pulling defenders with him and create space behind him for the likes of Stirling. The one thing I would say is if we play a better team and need to hit them on the break then Rashford might be a better option
We have a fantastic variety in our wide attacking players. We've got pace and the ability to beat a player in Sterling, an excellent counter-attacker in Rashford, a tricky creative dynamo in Grealish and in Foden a player who has a bit of all of those talents. We can play so many different ways and Kane will be canny enough to work with all of them to bring out their best I reckon
The main thing to remember with the conservative team
selection, and cautionary approach against the Croatians, is that so many times
in the past England have been hamstrung in major tournaments, by losing their
first game, and then playing ‘catch up’ from that point onwards (WC 1986, EURO
1988, Euro 2000, Euro 2004, WC 2014). Having now avoided that fate for once,
the team is in a much better position to be more offensive against the Scots,
who of course having lost their first game are going to have to try and win the
game at Wembley.
I strongly suspect that you will see a change of personnel
for the Scotland game, with Chilwell and Grealish both coming into the team,
and possibly Rashford coming in for Sterling as well. Possibility of James
coming in for Walker as well, as Southgate will know that after effectively
playing a 13 month season, he will need to manage this whole group so that they
are at their freshest for the later stages of the tournament.
You could even make a case for playing DCL in front of Harry
Kane, as his aerial power would be a massive weapon against the Scots, who
showed against the Czechs that the middle of their defence is a huge weakness –
particularly in the air, as Schitck scored comfortably with a header by getting
in between both centre backs.
I thought it was the international tournament equivalent of a solid, professional away win in the League, somewhere up North on a Tuesday night. Nullify the opposition, be patient, get your goal and then comfortably defend your lead through a combination and composure and hard work. The sort of thing, dare I say it, that teams who actually win things do. We kept a very decent Croatia side firmly at arms length and controlled the game. England teams almost never stay comfortably in control of matches against someone of any quality so I see that alone as a massive positive. To do in the first match of the tournament was even better.
Yes it wasn’t totally fluid in attack, but it wasn’t total shite either, and you don’t want to peak too early. And we know there’s no shortage of attacking talent in the squad to be worked with and find the right blend.
There are potentially more “entertaining” teams that Southgate could pick, but, frankly, England have provided plenty of “entertainment” and talking points down the years, I just want to see us win something so if a string of slightly underwhelming one-nils gets us all the way through this tournament I’ll take that in a heartbeat.
I thought the balance of the team and the setup in that 433 was excellent tbh.
Rice was perfect as the pivot and it didn't ask anything of him that he doesn't do regularly at West Ham. Sometimes England expect him to create too which isn't his strength. Mount on one side with enough freedom to impact in the attacking 3rd and Phillips with that perfect game liking it all on the other side. He dropped in when needed but also made the right runs. Excellent.
The front 3 worked well and had all different strengths. I get the arguments about Grealish (I'm a huge fan and want him in the side) and Sancho but I see it differently to most. I don't want to try and force them all into the side at once. I'm just glad that for once we have great depth and genuine competition for places (except for CB and in goal). Its gonna be even more important this tournament what with the weird season and pretty much constant football for over a year since the restart. Players are gonna tire and we will need to rotate. I'm glad we have the options.
I get why Southgate did the fullbacks that way for that game it was to be solid defensively and both players did that. But Trippier on the left isn't gonna offer much going forward and Walker had a bit of a shocker on the ball. I'd hope it was horses for courses and we get Chilwell on the left and Tripper (edges it for me on his set piece ability) on the right for big games.
Comments
He won the Golden Boot in the last one ffs.
I suspect Trippier got the nod because Southgate didn't want his full backs to get caught out going forwards against a Croatia whose main threat is passing when there is space.
Our midfield in that semi-final was Henderson, Alli, Lingard and Sterling.
Yesterday it was Phillips, Rice, Mount, Foden and Sterling.
In 2018 we had good 'runners' but nobody that comfortable on the ball. So when they pressed us, we lost it. Now we have a highly technical midfield who can really play.
Can’t remember a great deal 😂 but first 10-15 mins I thought we were exceptional. Understanding with the heat that the high press couldn’t be kept up but we have to try and control games a bit better.
Interesting stat but I think that was odds on favourite that Modric would be the pass master. Southgate picked the team to negate him by covering all the options when he was on the ball plus when the Croatians received his passes the shots were off target. A good day at the office for Southgate and the coaching staff who picked a team who gave Croatia respect as you would expect from losing Finalists at the WC but who have dropped their level as a couple of their big players have departed the international scene in Rakitic and Mandkovic.
The only thing worrying me is our pass map. We love the wide areas and that’s unsurprising considering that talent we have. However without our RB/LB pushing on more we really are relying on magic out of Foden/Sterling/Mount to drive forwards.
A decent start, but I’d love to see us with Chilwell and James/Trippier bombing down the wings.
No matter how you look at it though, despite Trippier having a decent game, there is simply no logic in playing someone out of position when you have 2 exceptional left backs in the squad. I'd understand it if we had no options, but Shaw and Chilwell have been immense of late. It just imbalances the team and restricts the ability to 'whip' in crosses and overlap.
Still, I guess that's why I'm not a football 'coach'.
The main thing to remember with the conservative team selection, and cautionary approach against the Croatians, is that so many times in the past England have been hamstrung in major tournaments, by losing their first game, and then playing ‘catch up’ from that point onwards (WC 1986, EURO 1988, Euro 2000, Euro 2004, WC 2014). Having now avoided that fate for once, the team is in a much better position to be more offensive against the Scots, who of course having lost their first game are going to have to try and win the game at Wembley.
I strongly suspect that you will see a change of personnel for the Scotland game, with Chilwell and Grealish both coming into the team, and possibly Rashford coming in for Sterling as well. Possibility of James coming in for Walker as well, as Southgate will know that after effectively playing a 13 month season, he will need to manage this whole group so that they are at their freshest for the later stages of the tournament.
You could even make a case for playing DCL in front of Harry Kane, as his aerial power would be a massive weapon against the Scots, who showed against the Czechs that the middle of their defence is a huge weakness – particularly in the air, as Schitck scored comfortably with a header by getting in between both centre backs.
Rice was perfect as the pivot and it didn't ask anything of him that he doesn't do regularly at West Ham. Sometimes England expect him to create too which isn't his strength. Mount on one side with enough freedom to impact in the attacking 3rd and Phillips with that perfect game liking it all on the other side. He dropped in when needed but also made the right runs. Excellent.
The front 3 worked well and had all different strengths. I get the arguments about Grealish (I'm a huge fan and want him in the side) and Sancho but I see it differently to most. I don't want to try and force them all into the side at once. I'm just glad that for once we have great depth and genuine competition for places (except for CB and in goal). Its gonna be even more important this tournament what with the weird season and pretty much constant football for over a year since the restart. Players are gonna tire and we will need to rotate. I'm glad we have the options.
I get why Southgate did the fullbacks that way for that game it was to be solid defensively and both players did that. But Trippier on the left isn't gonna offer much going forward and Walker had a bit of a shocker on the ball. I'd hope it was horses for courses and we get Chilwell on the left and Tripper (edges it for me on his set piece ability) on the right for big games.
Overall pretty happy