Yah, I’m always fascinated by these tiny countries with a few million population that are somehow competitive with countries with many multiples their population.
Uruguay can even lay claim to 4 World Cups as FIFA recognizes the 1924 and 1928 Olympic competition as legitimate world cups. Still none of those four titles were won in the last seventy years
I mean, nothing post WWII. Dutch, greek, chile titles way more impressive.
Chile won copa twoce during neymar/messi prime.
Intl football kinda blows. Just uber talented teams trying to grind out 1-0 results against minnows. On top of that, there are 0 stakes in the group stage when even 3rd place teams can advance. Wake me when the KO round starts.
It’s because teams’ top players don’t fit together to play a unique system like top Euro clubs do.
Hey, you have a unique talent like Harry Kane or Lewandowski: build around him by getting really fast wingers to play on the outside so they have even more space. Clubs do that, meanwhile Southgate plays Foden and Bellingham who take up the same space as Kane with no one to create space for them by threatening to get in behind.
Or, our top players are young and fast: We can press a lot by filling out our squad with a bunch of other young and fast players and just constantly press. Oh, other teams are sending constant long balls at us? Let’s get big fast centre backs to win headers and play a high line rather than ones who are good at marking and reading the play.
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Take England for example: they currently have one of the best squads I have seen player for player in the last couple decades…but Southgate is clueless so he doesn’t play anyone fast up top to create space for the talented attacking players. He also doesn’t have any playmaking in the midfield or with the fullbacks to get those attackers the ball.
Result: teams can play high lines and pressure as England will struggle to pass through the press and when they do the defense can recover as they won’t be threatened by speed trying to get behind them.
Yeah the 3rd place team advancing thing seems to sap a lot of drama out of things, and also makes things a little confusing to the casual viewer. I have no idea if any of Austria/France/Netherlands are at real threat of elimination here and fighting for their tournament lives, or if they’re likely all still through if these results hold.
i think sometimes in England’s case particularly, people are so excited to see the big names play with each other that the managers are almost forced into it in international teams.
in my opinion england needs to put in the Crystal Palace kid Wharton and let him run the 6, but that requires benching a superstar and people are going to be angry.
as someone that has watched every single Gallagher game this past season, gallagher isn’t the guy you put in to try and up possession and control the game against lesser opponents, he’s the guy you put in when you think the opposing team’s midfield might run wild on you because they are better.
i’m just a random guy that has eyes and watches games, but i cant imagine it’s good that your left wing Foden is having to drop back and receive the ball on the half turn at the top of the box because you dont have anyone else on the pitch doing it.
You either play Jude deeper or play Wharton.
Gallagher can play instead of Rice, but not next to him as he is a poor man’s Rice.
With the same formation you would have to drop Foden or move Bellingham to midfield. Trent instead of Walker at fullback also helps the playmaking a lot. You also either need a front two with Watkins and Kane or play Gordon at LW.
I don’t know enough to follow all the commentary above, but England boring as fuck to watch here, that’s for sure.
i dont watch enough manUtd to know what mainoo brings in(but from what i understand he’s an 8)… i still don’t understand why they dont just run an actual cdm, in wharton, and let Rice box 2 box instead. or like big said just pull bellingham back so he actual has some touches and shift foden and bring in gordon.
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man as a non-english chelsea fan i’d almost rather palmer didnt come on here to avoid any criticism. just keep him healthy and hungry on the bench. lol
LOL on the Fox post game show, discussing the scoreless tie between England and Slovenia:
“Nothing much happened, but let’s look at the highlights anyway.”
I can’t wait for Southgate to be really upbeat about finishing top of that tough group with those 3 displays
yeah the bracket is fucked.
spain, portugal, germany, and france all on the same side opposite england
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https://x.com/ESPNFC/status/1805708381027811352
a conversation might be needed? heh. jk probably still undroppable, unless…
It was a useless round for France and Holland. They were guaranteed through as 2 teams were already 3rd with less than 4 points.
https://x.com/scottjwillis/status/1805709877089812963?t=F8lshXcKPv135ST_J5FKIw&s=19
The problem is you have 3 players on top of each other