Nations League

(04-06-2022 20:14 )Charlemagne Wrote:  Southgate should just go for what works and stop the tinkering.
Rice with Phillips works, a back 4 works.

What would work, watching as kind of a neutral, with the players England have at their disposal, is an attacking, free flowing game, but he doesn't have the balls to let the players off the leash, too, safe, too conservative and far too boring to watch.

Scotland murdered Armenia 2-0

(06-06-2022 16:47 )Stemmw Wrote:  

(04-06-2022 20:14 )Charlemagne Wrote:  Southgate should just go for what works and stop the tinkering.
Rice with Phillips works, a back 4 works.

What would work, watching as kind of a neutral, with the players England have at their disposal, is an attacking, free flowing game, but he doesn't have the balls to let the players off the leash, too, safe, too conservative and far too boring to watch.

I would agree.
I think since the Euro final last summer, England just haven't played that free flowing football like they did then. I have often wondered if they think they have acheived far more than any previous England side and feel they don't have anything else to prove to fans.
I worry that if we arrive in Qatar with a couple of bad defeats on the form sheet, and we have to hit the ground running, then you can be pretty sure both Iran and USA will realise that they could nick goals and points off us and send us home before we play Wales. (TBH I think defeat to either would be a huge embarrassment) We have to re - discover that free flowing game plan and form pretty quickly otherwise the master plan for Qatar is going to fall apart very easily.
I had once Southgate down as manager who could have taken us forward, but now I suddenly think when he tries to play conservatively, it stifles us our approach very quickly, and we look like a sunday pub team run out of ideas (and game plan) and become too way predictable - but then again we always have been predictable to play. (I even think dustbins would fancy their chances against us atm) Not only that, he quickly doesn't have a plan B in place when plan A goes against us.
TBH, two points from 3 games to me, shows just how far we have fallen away since last summer, we are a million miles from how we performed then or throughout the time Southgate has been in charge. I would not be surprised when we reach Qatar if we are outside the top 10 ten teams in FIFA Rankings and in UEFA ranking and suddenly we become an easy team to beat. If Southgate either quits or is forced out after this World Cup, I don't really see who would even want pick up the mantle to be honest. By that, I mean who really COULD instill a game plan in England that re - ignites that fear factor when teams play us? And it has to be a game that works for four years. For Tuesday's game at home to Hungary he has to give the team a kick up the backside and stop tinkering and let the team off the leash other - wise I think preparations for Qatar are going to be in a mess.

Is TV coverage any better on C4?

^ The key is getting the midfield to work. Remember Phillips was injured most of the season and is not yet back on form. Get him & Rice together in midfield playing well & things will look better. Both teams last night experimented with players so I don’t put much value on the game other than as giving a look at some players who may be fringe players in the World Cup squad

I say our midfield when it was built around scholes was probably the best midfield line we had. Yes If Phillips is fit in time for Qatar he & Rice are probably the cornerstone of our current midfield.

channel 4. its a mens match, but they have a female presenter and michael owen and a n other bird doing midmatch chat. ok if its a femal match do they want 2 men and 1 woman on that? PC has gone far too much i n1 direction. Might need a wheelchair player next year and a 1 armed goalkeeper that has trans from male to female, just to fit agenda

It's a surprise that Channel 4 have got the rights anyway. It seems that Sky and ITV didn't try that hard to get the matches.

(12-06-2022 13:24 )William H Bonney Wrote:  It's a surprise that Channel 4 have got the rights anyway. It seems that Sky and ITV didn't try that hard to get the matches.

looking at how shit the last three games were I'm not surprised ?

weird none of the nation league games for the home nations have been on Sky at all think the last game shown was the Wales vs Ukraine game which they simulcasted on ITV

All games bought by Premier sports, England games bought by channel 4 that's why not on Sky.