Divinity

Still think Hargreaves was one of the most criminally underrated players of his generation, especially when in Germany. I know injuries played a part but he should have been anchoring that midfield and in place of Lampard far more often.

Bellingham doesn't play as a 10. It was a desperate attempt to shoehorn him into something between his club role and his previous club role. False 9 at Real, 8 at Dortmund.

Love that.

You should be glad to be getting rid of that lot tbh and excited for the young talent you have. Defensively you'll be fine from the look of it.

I love this narrative of Trent being a defensive liability from people who evidently haven't watched him since he was 22. Hopefully he takes heed and doesn't play for England again.

Torn between wanting England to win so Southgate gets a lifetime contract (a bit like ten Hag) vs the national mourning we'll see borne out if you fail dismally again as a result of turgid tactics. Definitely don't want to see Klopp manage England so leaning towards the former.

I mean, they are though aren't they? https://xgscore.io/xg-statistics/euro/2024 Four times as many goals scored as conceded, even xg is basically 2:1, whereas England's is not even at parity. Even ignoring the overperformance of XG and XGC, they're passing the eye test very comfortably. And yet in terms of individual talent and depth, this England squad SHOULD be able to do so too, especially in light of the inferior opposition they've had comparatively. It's not some tactical master plan or slowplaying a 7 match tournament, it's just **** tactics.

If only England had a fullback option who has been inverting all season and playing penetrating passes, who also plays against the Dutch left sided forward on a daily basis.

You've made multiple contradictory references in the last month though, mostly about how tournament football is about grinding out results blah blah blah. Spain have proven that's just not true if you play to your strengths.

Sorry, but that's just some ********. People don't remember Brazil 82 for how far they got in the competition (and I'd wager most people straight up don't know without searching). Likewise Germany in 06, who played a brand of football far disconnected with what they'd done for decades previously. There's often examples of those sorts of things at every tournament. It's outrageous to say people's memories are directly tied to their finishing position. Although maybe if you're so desperate for success as an England fan, maybe that's the problem. You can't enjoy it otherwise.

I accept them being **** because they are.

Lads you just lost at home to Iceland with this squad. Weird how your memories work.

The problem is, this is every England game at an international tournament. And for some reason you think that's ok. This is prior to last night, shots on target: Some of the most talented players in the world and that's the tactical system you turn up.

This was the funniest bit of the post. England's players aren't the problem, the manager is. Tactically inept and has murdered your best chances of winning trophies in decades. It's fine for people to watch talented players wasted in turgid systems and then complain about it. Compare Man City Foden to England Foden - the problem isn't the player.

EVen Graham Taylor would have gotten to the semis with these draws.