eenie

Yeah, that's right, only the quarter final was elsewhere (Rome).

Owen Hargreaves (yeah I know, he doesn't really count does he?)

Er, the Batistuta regen will be Argentinian (possibly Italian as second nationality)

Ah, ok. Yeah, he's a phenomenal talent, playing a starring role at one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the world. But I'm not sure that makes him unique in the way you're suggesting, at least as far as playing for England is concerned.

I guess I'm just curious as to what exactly you mean when you say that Bellingham is going to be something we haven't quite seen in the England team before.

More so than Rooney?

Honestly Ronay is just the worst. A good writer but his opinions on football are almost universally terrible. Liew is the same, except he's not clueless about football. He's clueless about all sports.

"I get knocked down, then I get up again" "He takes a lager drink, he takes a cider drink, he sticks a bumflare up his arse"

Well technically 2021 was hosted by half of Europe, it's just that London got all three of England's group games, plus two round of 16 games including England's, both semi finals and the final, so it effectively was a home tournament for England.

SouthGONE?

Wilshere was, iirc, much more of an Iniesta than a Xavi - he could carry the ball very nicely but didn't really have the range of passing. Was very tidy with the ball but not the sort to ping it about all over the place, as I remember it.

Also interesting given Shaw wasn't fit until game 5 but Southgate brought him along anyway. Although tbf England looked miles better once Shaw came in whereas Guehi didn't really put a foot wrong when he played.

Yeah I've not seen enough of him to judge myself, but in that clip he definitely looks a bit... switched off? There's an argument for making a late movement but you can't wait until Walker has taken a couple of steps to wind up for a big throw backwards before moving into space

Yep, drop it into his feet and you're winning a free kick or he's moving it back to Walker or onto Mainoo and you're in business. But fear of losing possession and getting done makes players do negative things. And that fear comes from the manager down.

The only defence (and it's not a criticism of Mainoo) is that Mainoo doesn't exactly show for the ball there, just walks into space just after Walker goes to throw it. He could have looked a bit more lively, perhaps?