There are 162 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 16,517 times. The latest Post () was by GlasgowJohn.
Maybe it's time the UK gets ONE national team like anybody else.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Oddly enough, the Olympics has one team called Great Britain and I have no idea why it's different in this respect.
And many Scottish players don't get picked because the manager is English....
England's problem is that they allowed Italy to have so much possession, it affected them in the second half when they just couldn't get the ball back, they kept playing long balls again
The reason why they'll never win a major finals again is because their mentality, their physical attribute, and overall fitness is very poor compared to other countries. They may have beaten the likes of Croatia, Germany and Ukraine, but they may have been exhausted over a long season that barely ended a few weeks compared to the EPL
You're correct, they allowed Italy the possession. It was a gameplan from Southgate and it failed. There were spells when England was more proactive and looked more dangerous. Southgate is known as a negative manager but it cost them in the final. Italy has been organized but is not an amazing team and England on paper is better. The difference yesterday was the coaching, Mancini is just better than Southgate.
However, a hard disagree on fitness. There is no team fitter than England and indeed in world football. That's thanks to the Premier League, by far the fittest in the sport. In fact, it is perhaps the biggest attribute the English have. England had three players in the top five in terms of distance covered through the tournament. Problem is only one of them is in the top five for distance in possession. In other words, they are covering all that distance chasing the ball because of Southgate's negative tactics. When Jorghino and Pedri from Spain cover distance, they do it in possession.
Italy did not look fitter than England yesterday, although they have covered more distance during the tournament (877km to 807km), they just use the ball better.
Two players from England also scored in the top five for sprints, but no English player is close for passes. It just all shows while England have improved technically in recent years, their game is too rooted in physicality and not actually controlling games. It is much more draining running around like a headless chicken chasing the ball than it is passing and dictating the pace of a game. England have one of the best defensive units and one of the best attacks, but lack a proper midfield. In some ways, Southgate was hamstrung into playing Rice and Phillips, two defensive midfielders, because box-to-box options are lacking. Not knocking those players, both did well enough, but they offer something specific.
Stick Veratti/Kante/Pogba/Kroos etc. in that England squad and it could arguably be the most complete squad in current international football with the possible exception of France.
Look at how Italy passed the ball between the back 4 and the midfield waiting for the opening.....
Swift accurate passing and way ahead of the rest of the teams
I am not sure France's current team could do it. Although their under 21 squad look very good when they break out of defence.
Look at how Italy passed the ball between the back 4 and the midfield waiting for the opening.....
Swift accurate passing and way ahead of the rest of the teams
I am not sure France's current team could do it. Although their under 21 squad look very good when they break out of defence.
Maybe France couldn't because their style is built more on pace. However, Italy was so controlled yesterday because Englands allowed them to be. Let's not forget Italy had just 35% possession against Spain. Had mostly even possesion against Belgium, Austria and Swtizerland. dominated possession against Wales and Turkey. Italy is a good passing team, no doubt, but it is not a team used to dominating the ball like Spain is. Switzerland and Austria are lesser teams than England and showed it is possible to share possesion with Italy.
England had 34% possession yesterday, which is just not good enough and is not entirely down to Italy. It may look like they were showing Italy respect but I think Southgate was playing for 1-0 and it backfired. That's why England was content to sit in two blocks and let Italy pass it about in front of them. This wasn't a passing carousel like Barca, Bayern, Man City or Spain, it was England giving Italy the ball until the plan went to pot when Italy scored.
It was a masitake on Southgate's part. He didn't react to Mancini changing the formation to allow Chielini to enter more attacks in midfield. England mostly controlled the defensive situation in the first half. Italy used a defender to flood the midfield in the second and England became outnumbered. Southgate didn't react until after the goal.
… In some ways, Southgate was hamstrung into playing Rice and Phillips, two defensive midfielders, because box-to-box options are lacking. Not knocking those players, both did well enough, but….
I can’t speak for Phillips, but I know I played my best.
To be fair to England they did well getting to the final. 
Once it gets to penalties anything can happen.
Overall though, Italy deserved their win.
Reported by the NYT tonight:
In other soccer news, Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to victory in the Copa América in Brazil over the weekend, may not be able to return to F.C. Barcelona, the only professional home he has known. |
The club’s dire financial straits and a series of decisions by team management — including the one to let Messi’s contract expire — have imperiled his future there. Barcelona must cut about $240 million from its wage bill this summer in order to register any new players, including Messi. |
They have Messi, Depay, and Aguero all un-registered because they are breaking La Liga rules for wages. It looks as though a fire sale will be neccesary, but the players Barca wants to sell no-one wants (Dembele, Umtiti, Pjanic, Coutinho), the ones they might sell do not want to leave (Griezmann), and the ones they won't sell everybody wants (Pedri, De Jong, Fati). So, the club is scrambling around looking for a way to free its wage bill. It is not just a case of take a loan either, because that will no solve the issue.
Barca is both massively in debt and breaking rules. It looks as though Messi's next contract would need to be a significant reduction on his wages, with a promise of an ambassadors job when he retires that pays obscene amounts. He could sign a contract today, but he could not be registered, like Aguero and Depay. It may be that Barcelona's only hope comes from La Liga ignoring its own rules. Not unprecedented when it comes to Barca and Real Madrid, but the league has been tough on financial fair play, so who knows.
You cannot spend nearly £500 million on four players and them all become relative failures (Dembele, Coutinho, Griezmann, Pjanic) and at the same time sell one of your stars (Neymar) and lose another to age (Suarez). Barcelona has been a horribly run club for years and if they were a smaller outfit would be staring down the barrel of going under.
I think I'll take up football...
Messi ending 21-year association with Barcelona |
Barcelona said on Thursday that Lionel Messi would not stay with the club after Spanish league financial regulations made it impossible for a deal to be reached between the club and the player. Barcelona said in a statement that a deal for a new contract had been reached but financial "obstacles" made it impossible for the player to remain with the club. |
The Telegraph, 5 August 2021
He'll have to take his $200,000 a week pay check somewhere else then, if anyone can afford him.
He'll have to take his $200,000 a week pay check somewhere else then, if anyone can afford him.
He was on anywhere between 600,000 and 1 million euros a week with Barcelona. Considering whoever gets him, get him for free, he will be commanding a similar wage again.
Messi had a conference announcing that he was leaving Barca, he was in tears.
But one thing I don't get, if he's in tears, why didn't he just agree to have a lower wage. It was better for him and the club, let alone the best for football
Even without Messi, Barcelona will still have to reduce their salary base to meet Spanish financial fair play rules.
Even if he played for nothing, it still wouldn't have worked...
Even without Messi, Barcelona will still have to reduce their salary base to meet Spanish financial fair play rules.
Even if he played for nothing, it still wouldn't have worked...
I wished the EPL were as tough as La Liga were with Man City, but they're spineless and two faced. First they were against the Super League, second, they do sod all against Man City buying players for £100 million, and they have a team full of players who hardly get a look in apart from one or two just to make it look good on paper
Sergio Aguero, the 33 year old Argentine football player currently with Barcelona, is forced to retire from the sport due to a heart condition.
A very sad moment for a first class player and all round good bloke.
I thought he was still with Man City which shows how much I've lost interest in football. It's a shame although at aged 33 he's had a decent innings and it's not as if he'll be short of a few bob.
It seems especially sad that it is a heart condition, not personal riches or loss of athletic ability, that is causing him to leave a sport he clearly loves.
