Tummyowl

Southgate hasn’t learnt anything, hasn’t developed as a coach at all since becoming England manager. Southgate is still making the same mistakes, still putting his faith in the wrong players. England have some exceptional players, some talented young players and should be able to stand up and play good football. England have been negative, defensive, safety first, reactive football. They are capable of playing proactive, imposing, controlling football. Shame. Southgate should leave after this tournament, no real ill feeling, he’s a nice guy.

England (Southgate) have relied on moments. Spain are an excellent team, with a system, great players, playing well, in familiar positions.

Feel sorry for some of the England players, some of them I think have done ok, come through this with reputations intact. Some players have been very, very poor. Southgate’s been very poor despite getting his team to a final.

This. England got to this final through moments, rather than a solid team/system and selection. England haven’t played well at all, found themselves in a final. Southgate doesn’t know how to do anything other than reactive, negative football.

Palmer is a really excellent player!

I think this is largely ‘the England way’ under Southgate at this tournament no? Poor squad selection, poor team selection, poor game management, reactive negative football. Southgate is a poor manager, tactically and with his squad and team selection. He has relied on individual moments from good players rather than a coherent system or squad. I really wanted to love this England side but they are so much worse than the sum of their parts suggest (generally, mental formations and selections aside). I really wanted to enjoy this final, but it’s so poor. England haven’t excited me, poor reactive, negative football. England go out to not lose, rather than to attack and win.

Swiss have deserved that.

Where have you been all tournament?

Southgate’s master plan to win through boredom.

They’ve all been told to be nicer about England. Enjoyed the comment just now about Saka, who is apparently not playing where they expected him to play… (note he is playing where he has played all tournament and plays week in week out for Arsenal)

Shocking performance for 90 minutes, and then a moment of brilliance from a player who’s only had 45 minutes of decent football so far this tournament. Kane who has had less minutes of decent football scored to win, and dig Southgate out of a huge, giant, gaping hole he dug himself into. A much, much, much needed improvement next match. Thought Rice/Mainoo/Centre backs did ok.

Absolute football terrorism from Southgate, got to be up there with the worst run of games I've ever seen England play at a tournament. I actually cannot comprehend Southgate's squad, tactics or game management. I predicted a Slovakia win before the match.

He's been on Southgate's special sauce.

The squad selection was mental.

This level of performance was absolutely not the aim at the start of the tournament 'arry, finishing the group at the top maybe was the aim, but this level of performance is shocking.

'limped over the line' - **** off, the corpse landed over the line. Dreadful stuff.

That was another poor performance, that makes no sense to me, Southgate has gotten this all wrong. Again.

Southgate's England, picking his favourite players, no system, slow and predictable.

Honestly, done with Southgate and I think England should be after the tournament. Kane is not working up top on his own. Foden is not working from the left, having no natural left back is not working. I would have preferred to have Trent at right back but that's mainly due to a personal dislike of Walker (and his rehabilitation with the press) than his ability. I fundamentally do not understand a lot of the decisions Southgate has made (Squad/selection/tactics) and that he continues to make.

That’s a lot of own goals!

Southgate wouldn’t have taken him, lacks experience.

Why play a midfielder in midfield when you have an ‘experienced’ right back in Trent? Why play a left back? You have another ‘experienced’ right back for that position too. Why play a striker? You can play the uber ‘experienced’ Kane as a deep lying playmaker. Why play a left winger? Shoehorn an in form central attacking midfielder there, because the other central attacking midfielder has to play central, so they can both occupy that space and leave a huge void on the left. For what it’s worth, I thought Saka did ok tonight, and though the central defensive pair did ok.

I’d rather have an actual midfielder alongside Rice in midfield. Mainoo or Wharton please. I don’t rate Gallagher much, think he’s there for ‘energy’. Still just cannot get my head around England playing 5 defenders, a holding midfielder against Denmark. Plus, Kane who spent most of the game trying to play in midfield. Foden and Bellingham both trying to play in the central role.

England were very poor. Honourable mentions to Kane who I thought was dreadful. Have never understood the Southgate love, he’s spectacularly average. The squad feels unbalanced. Midfield set up is all wrong, Trent is not a midfielder. Foden is not a left winger. Shame there is not an English left back to offer something on the left. Defence doesn’t feel too bad except no attacking threat from either full back. Southgate just strikes me as going out set up to not lose, rather than win, and leave that attacking stuff to attacking players (Saka, Kane, Bellingham, Foden), without any thought of build up or approach. Oh well. Currently enjoying the Spain V Italy match.

Better from Hungary.