Group D - Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Scotland

[Tangles]

espn just said 1 shot on target which is tied for the worst since 1980.

the performance was either a side coached to get a point or one where the players chose not to take risks. I just don’t think coach or players wanted the win bad enough. They just went through the motions without really pushing.

 

[Furball]

England's midfield was garbage.

 

[wpdavid]

espn just said 1 shot on target which is tied for the worst since 1980.

Against Italy in that year's euros?

 

[Tangles]

England's midfield was garbage.

For having 2 CDMs they didn’t control the game nor did they really create. 2nd half Scotland controlled play quite a bit.

 

[Tangles]

Against Italy in that year's euros?

They didn’t say they just sounded gleeful about it.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

But there were plenty of young players out there, even if we could quibble about whether Sancho should have played. I know Phillips wasn't great, but he was MOTM against Croatia, so I'm not faulting that selection. If people think that Rice shouldn't be in the side, then fair enough, but I don't think that's the main reason we tanked tonight. Gary Neville was making some interesting points now; along the lines that the performance wasn't down to team selection or even how they had been asked to play. He thought there was a mental thing tonight; not a bad attitude as such, but they just seemed overawed by the occasion. Maybe that's a downside of playing so many youngsters in a match like this, but I'd prefer to see them than Henderson.

Didn't hear Neville's comments but that take is pretty much the exact opposite of how I saw the game. The only player who I thought perhaps looked a bit overawed was Shaw, who was tentative. Otherwise the system and game plans seemed precisely the problem.

The most charitable spin I can put on it from an England perspective is that Southgate has noted that the group runners up are likely to get an easier draw than the winners, and his 4D chess game is on point.

 

[Uppercut]

I thought it was a good competitive game, Scotland shaded the chances but a draw was definitely fair.

A draw is a great result for England, so I’m a bit perplexed by the inquest. What’s the difference between this and the Croatia game? Both times they looked underwhelming but solid, and got the result they wanted. Why are the responses so different…?

 

[grecian]

I thought it was a good competitive game, Scotland shaded the chances but a draw was definitely fair.

A draw is a great result for England, so I’m a bit perplexed by the inquest. What’s the difference between this and the Croatia game? Both times they looked underwhelming but solid, and got the result they wanted. Why are the responses so different…?

We didn't win, and Scotland aren't as good as croatia, oh and I doubt we wanted that result, and being shaded on chances by a crap team isn't good, but apart from all that exactly the same..

 

[Uppercut]

I dunno how they compare on paper but Scotland played waaaaay better than Croatia on the day. No way can you watch the two games and conclude that Scotland was the easier game.

It’s like if Southampton play City and put in a good performance and come away with a point that in the context isn’t a bad result for City. If it weren’t for the heated atmosphere of an international tournament everyone would just be like yes this is a fairly normal result.

 

[grecian]

In the end I didn't get carried away by the first match, and I'm probably not getting carried the other way by this match, but our vaunted attack doesn't look good, which was okay when we pinched a goal first time up, and created a few other chances, but today was utterly toothless, and that's the main problem, a nil-nil when we created similar chances to the sweatties I would be happy-ish with, but not this.

 

[thundaboult]

i just dont wanna be bored by our performances anymore

ffs england excite us

 

[Magrat Garlick]

i just dont wanna be bored by our performances anymore

ffs england excite us

have you considered throwing yourself behind a more exciting and likable team, such as North Macedonia or Finland?

 

[WICFan]

For Southgate to say "we didn't hit the level we wanted to or need to" after an auld enemy game should raise some eyebrows about preparation and attitude.

He should have brought Sancho on for Sterling and probably Bellingham for one of the cdm's.

Terrific performance by Gilmour, backed up by Tierney, Adams and others. Scotland should have won it.

 

[Furball]

I thought it was a good competitive game, Scotland shaded the chances but a draw was definitely fair.

A draw is a great result for England, so I’m a bit perplexed by the inquest. What’s the difference between this and the Croatia game? Both times they looked underwhelming but solid, and got the result they wanted. Why are the responses so different…?

Turns out they care about the rivalry after all.

 

[wpdavid]

How fit do we think Kane is? Last night he looked knackered and/or not completely over his injury. If he isn't 100%, he shouldn't be playing. And I'd rather see Calvert-Lewin than Rashford leading the line. I know it's an old-fashioned notion, but once Kane came off we had nobody up front who can head the ball if we had put some crosses into the box.

 

[Uppercut]

He doesn’t look injured to me. His game for Spurs now is a mix of good hold up play dropping deep with runners going past him and ruthless finishing when a chance drops to him. He’s not very mobile any more and at club level has adjusted to that reality very well, but maybe playing for England means figuring it out all over again.

 

[BoyBrumby]

How fit do we think Kane is? Last night he looked knackered and/or not completely over his injury. If he isn't 100%, he shouldn't be playing. And I'd rather see Calvert-Lewin than Rashford leading the line. I know it's an old-fashioned notion, but once Kane came off we had nobody up front who can head the ball if we had put some crosses into the box.

Lucky then most of our crosses failed to beat the first man.

Thought we really missed Trippier's delivery, ours throughout was thoroughly ordinary.

And as for the tactic of using Foden, who must be the shortest chap in the eleven with the possible exception of Sterling, to flick on corners; well, it's up there with the "Kane taking set pieces" wheeze from 2016 for sheer wrongheadedness.

 

[wpdavid]

Lucky then most of our crosses failed to beat the first man.

Thought we really missed Trippier's delivery, ours throughout was thoroughly ordinary.

And as for the tactic of using Foden, who must be the shortest chap in the eleven with the possible exception of Sterling, to flick on corners; well, it's up there with the "Kane taking set piece" wheeze from 2016 for sheer wrongheadedness.

 

[Uppercut]

Genuine question - does intent matter when determining whether or not something is a foul? Elbow did strike face with enough force to draw blood after all.

As Furball says it’s kind of an unwritten rule that some types of accidental foul in the box are overlooked because a penalty is disproportionate punishment. VAR upsets that equilibrium because when it’s slowed down like that you can’t really deny that it’s a foul, but I don’t like to see them given.

If it happened in a game without VAR no one would even appeal for a penalty even if it broke his nose. It is kinda weird now that I think about it.

 

[Himannv]

i just dont wanna be bored by our performances anymore

ffs england excite us

Just support whoever plays against England and you'll be happy.