England squad

[LeParisien]

Not really. Unlike you I don't brick myself at the thought of facing a good team. Of course, in a last 16 game you would prefer to face one of the lesser sides but in tournament football anything can happen in the knockout stage. I'd actually be more comfortable England being the underdogs somewhat rather than big favourites in a game. I'm not going to cry myself to sleep at the thought of possibly facing Germany when we've shown in the last 6 years or so to be at the very least on a par with them.

I’m surprised at this attitude given Englands record against the best teams.

I also think it’s a load of waffle. If winning your group gets you an easier route to reaching the final then you do everything you can to win your group.

 

[Gmspurs]

Just realised that potentially half the team that starts tonight will be the same players that went out to Croatia 6 years ago!

Pickford
Trippier
Stones
Walker
Kane

Had Maguire been fit it would have been 6

And people are saying we're a young side lacking in experience.

 

[RicharliSon]

I’m surprised at this attitude given Englands record against the best teams.

I also think it’s a load of waffle. If winning your group gets you an easier route to reaching the final then you do everything you can to win your group.

The record in the last 4 years has been fine. Beaten Italy a couple of times. Beaten Croatia a couple of times. Haven't lost to Germany since 2017/018. In the games we have lost to the better teams in tournaments it's always been by a single goal, or penalties.

 

[NorthernSpur]

Yeah.......because our little flowers thrive on pressure.

If we play well it's a bonus, but let's just face it, we're on a four game playing shite streak if you include the loss to Iceland and our late win against Bosnia.

I missed a very important word from my post, which was ‘no’.

 

[Gmspurs]

I missed a very important word from my post, which was ‘no’.

Ha

Well I still think that there will be pressure on them tonight.

The criticism has been quite vicious and they know they've got to perform.

Also they know they need to come first in the group to have any real chance of proving those critics wrong as that'll give them by far the easier draw to go further into the tournament.

We have qualified, but tonight's result will go a long way to deciding whether it's an extremely tough couple of weeks or a slight less tough couple of weeks.

 

[bunburyist]

Pickford
Walker Stones Guehi Saka
Bellingham Foden Rice
Palmer Watkins Gordon

Kane on for Watkins at 60min after an hour of mega pressing by Watkins

Option to bring Trent on

Saka and Gordon turn our left from non-existent to super powered going forward. Weak in defence but not as bad as Trippier overall

 

[VonnegutBusy]

Pickford
Walker Stones Guehi Saka
Bellingham Foden Rice
Palmer Watkins Gordon

Kane on for Watkins at 60min after an hour of mega pressing by Watkins

Option to bring Trent on

Saka and Gordon turn our left from non-existent to super powered going forward. Weak in defence but not as bad as Trippier overall

You'll get Gallagher and you'll be happy.

 

[kingdawson]

said before we should be playing a 4-4-2 diamond with Saka and kane up top, Foden in the AMC role and Bellingham as an 8.

 

[Airfixx]

said before we should be playing a 4-4-2 diamond with Saka and kane up top, Foden in the AMC role and Bellingham as an 8.

With no natural width on the left (Trippier) and a 3 man clusterfuck in the center (with Bellingham also wanting to arrive in that space)?

No fanx.

 

[Brian Fantana]

While the first two games were dog shit, I don't know why people are acting like England couldn't simply just start to perform and play better. Sometimes you raise your game against the better opposition, we've seen this in football time after time. Sometimes all it takes is a good performance or even just a good goal to get a team going.

If we get a win and a decent performance tonight and then win the next game in the last 16 I'll be more than fine that we weren't at the races at the beginning of the tournament.

What will happen is that we’ll win 2 or 3 nil today and everyone will be all giddy in the media whilst we will all be realistic and realise that still by the time we come up against anyone decent in the next round we’ll go out.

 

[RicharliSon]

France are basically England but with a Rolls Royce as a manager and not a Fiat Punto.

 

[Airfixx]

While the first two games were dog shit, I don't know why people are acting like England couldn't simply just start to perform and play better. Sometimes you raise your game against the better opposition, we've seen this in football time after time. Sometimes all it takes is a good performance or even just a good goal to get a team going.

Cos we played like "dogshit" (*)in the friendlies too..... And against Australia..... And pissed away what should have been a comfortable win v Germany.... And... And.... And.........

Apart from bullying minnows we haven't managed more than a good 45mins for years.

If we get a win and a decent performance tonight and then win the next game in the last 16 I'll be more than fine that we weren't at the races at the beginning of the tournament.

So you'll be content with getting knocked out in the QTRs?

.......So long as we bully Slovenia and grind past (eg Austria)?

 

[Zomb]

Pickford
Walker Stones Guehi Saka
Bellingham Foden Rice
Palmer Watkins Gordon

Kane on for Watkins at 60min after an hour of mega pressing by Watkins

Option to bring Trent on

Saka and Gordon turn our left from non-existent to super powered going forward. Weak in defence but not as bad as Trippier overall

Need Wharton to cover the CB’s and FB’s

 

[Zomb]

With no natural width on the left (Trippier) and a 3 man clusterfuck in the center (with Bellingham also wanting to arrive in that space)?

No fanx.

Anything is better than sticking with the current set up. Can debate change but any change is welcome from my perspective, ideally radical incl players, formation and tactics

 

[Zomb]

You'll get Gallagher and you'll be happy.

 

[RicharliSon]

Gallagher will bring energy to the midfield, something we have been missing, and will also put tackles in which Trent doesn't do. We won't really lose Trent's passing ability because he hasn't really had the time and space to pick out long passes from midfield anyway, not to mention Kane has hardly moved at times which certainly hasn't helped him. But not playing Gordon and perhaps even giving Saka a game off for Palmer is very questionable. Hopefully we well see both get at least 25-30 minutes in the second half.

 

[bunburyist]

Need Wharton to cover the CB’s and FB’s

Bellingham has the talent to transition from DM to AM as the game dictates…should be enough.

That being said, I would love to see Wharton play at the back

 

[bunburyist]

Fun thing to remember. The only time we ever one anything, in 1966. We dropped arguably the best striker in the world, Greaves, and played Hurst instead.

Take note waistcoat

 

[kingdawson]

With no natural width on the left (Trippier) and a 3 man clusterfuck in the center (with Bellingham also wanting to arrive in that space)?

No fanx.

Bellingham can arrive in the same positions playing deeper...in fact he'd probably find it easier. Kane dropping deep allows Saka space and Foden in his natural position is always a plus.

It's not gonna happen anyway.

 

[TonySoprano]

France are basically England but with a Rolls Royce as a manager and not a Fiat Punto.

Not sure about that, Mbappe is a cheat code player at times. Take him out I don’t think Deschamps is doing a lot better with that squad than Southgate has done with England.