kopsy101

I'd have thought either of the Spanish or English CB's could have been in. Saliba and Akanji were decent, as were plenty more (Dias, VVD, Upamecano etc) Sorry but Walker has thrown me, particularly if you consider the likes of Kounde, Carvajal, Kimmich who were fantastic. It's a shame Belgium didn't get further because KdB was brilliant in each game and would have been nailed on. That being said, the Spanish trio is difficult to argue with.

Sorry but you can't buy that kinda hype, I burst out in laughter and tears seeing that Walker just has a free pass to be totally s***

I think it's telling how much lazy punditry creates such bizarre narratives that people really buy into. The midfield was poor all tournament apart from Netherlands first half. Mainoo was shocking tonight, but I've not seen anything about it and that's absolutely as it should be. You can't judge this lot on these performances really, it's such a poor system they're playing in. They'll all go back to their clubs, play in better teams and play superbly. The blame for the dysfunctional football lies with management, rather than at the feet of any individuals and that was proven throughout. I'd have Trent in our midfield, he at least continue's to create opportunities and he'd learn when not to ask for the ball/take a touch. Which is essentially what he got punished for, isn't it.

Yep, play worsened when he went off both times, particularly in the second game when he was the best of a bad bunch of midfielders

Well the stats are accurate despite the fact that didn't happen

Yeah, he had the most key passes and chances created.

He had one

Morata being captain ruined it hugely

I can't really attribute that as anyone in particulars fault, that was just beautiful

That was just a good goal

Terrible game really, England very tight together and making it difficult. Probably look more likely to score though, IMO so that's probably Southgate's tactic. Rice, Shaw, Stones and Guehi are playing so well. Bellingham, Mainoo, Kane, Foden - Pretty dismal

Who is Le Normande and has he been starting throughout?

Watching with the wife, who'll undoubtedly be wearing an England shirt and I'll have to make supportive noises every so often to assure her I'm supporting England. Make no mistake, if England win I will die inside. While saying stuff like "Nice one" "Happy for you" and "Aye that's good like".

Whatever fact boy. His slipped in pass to Foden was lovely btw. No, he doesn't play as high as the latter 3 so I wouldn't expect them to be that high, and that's good for Bellingham considering the nature of his play. There was a few naive moments from passing and carrying the ball. There seemed to be a confusion in the game chat about whether to criticize or praise him at times These things will stop as he works out when to release and when to carry/pass, he's a child. Plus, i've seen him do it to perfection with United whenever he's played against us. Like, i've seen him play in a worse team, against a better team, and play far better. The world is absolutely at his feet. My point is that he fits in with the other players, those stats seem to back that. I wouldn't say the other guys have been really good, so i'm not gonna say he has either - Although comparatively with other 18/19 y/o's, he's been f***ing phenomenal.

Agreed, I also think that him thriving in a team this bad compared to the likes of Foden and Kane has put him clear of them, IMO. Yeah Guehi has been decent, it's been a defensive setup though. He's been tested more than Stones perhaps, but again, it's close and if you include one you can't really exclude the other. Mainoos control and touch are better than any other option available actually, so yeah he looks far more refined from that point of view. Sorry but last night I thought he had some really good moments, but also gave it away far too much. The only players who were excellent throughout was Saka and probably the CB's last night. He certainly looks comfortable at this level though, he'll be a starter for the next decade.

Saka, i thought of immediately after. I think he's sensational, even if he doesn't have the numbers to support it. He was nullifying Gakpo on his own for the most part last night, as well as attacking. An absolute dream. Guehi has been good considering the expectations on his, but i wouldn't have him down as having played better than Stones. He's been caught out a few times, which others would not get away with. Mainoo has been good considering his age, but looking good while passing the ball back aside while not really providing that much protection (30 mins last night excluded) isn't that progressive really - Others would get and have been slated for that. So if we're including them, may as well get Foden, Bellingham, Toney, Stones, Trent, Rice, Palmer in there too.

Yeah I'm just basing it off watching them play, not from rankings. It probably would have been an annihilation had Netherlands not changed it up after 30 odd minutes.

He's so easy on the eye, so it's easy to do that. He was decent though, some good moments some poor. For me, he improved last night because he was more progressive in his play, which inevitably leads to errors occasionally. I'd start him, what's the alternative though? Trent, who will create more chances while sitting deep, but isn't as comfortable taking the ball centrally, or Gallagher who is really the Kyle Walker of centre midfield.

It depends who you ask, but I haven't rated Netherlands at all, they've been so fortunate to get this far. And obviously, the previous opponents are well organised teams but all massively weaker. It's difficult to define national teams really, because we compare them to club teams which are stronger and more refined. But in terms of squad quality, I think the "good" ones are probably England, France, Portugal, Germany and Spain. Yeah that's true, Rodri will have to be on top form, which he usually is. It's possibly the first team who also have genuinely good attackers, so I think both teams will be wary to commit. Either way, I'm looking forward to it - Hoping for a good game of football where we get to see the quality from both squads.

Happy for England and my wife, but it's certainly been a weird euros. I can't think of any England player that's genuinely been really good, I just think the quality behind the team and mentality of the big players has given us some brilliant clutch moments. For all the criticism of Gareth, you have to say that his pragmatic approach has been so risky but it's paid off. For the first time, I do expect opposition to win. Spain are good, and probably the first proper good team that they've faced so far.

Great play Gakpo, Simons really sucks

Brilliant tackle.

Virg bullying Walker

Netherlands have gone all pragmatic on us. Get Simons off, he's had his one good moment.

Judgement call, hence why it has to be subjective and not black and white.