Euro: Final: Italy vs England (Part 2)

[cgf]

After England first scored 2 minutes in, they played way too conservative.

It was all Italy after, was there game plan was to just play to defend?

Yes.

 

[Eisen]

They did, but it started in the first half with England sitting deep & allowing the Italians time & space on the ball to gather themselves.

If they had started a more progressive lineup, the English might have knocked Italy down for good with another goal or two and steady pressure, before the break & Mancini's words arrived to save them.

True. England turtling gave them the initial security back. Defensive footy rarely wins championships. It gets you far in a league, not first, but far, but in one game elimination games it often backfires. Why teams, especially teams with quality, still do that, I don't get. Hoping for counter footy with two 6s and your 9 having to play 10 as well? I donno. Still, their defense was good, just not good enough.

 

[Savant]

Kane was a complete non-factor. And Sterling dove every time he got the ball.

Pretty poor performance from both of them.

Kane and Mount were both atrocious.

I think Italy 100% Plan A was not to let Sterling beat them, whereas other teams would have tried to shut Kane down first.

Sterling dives whenever things don’t go his way.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Someone has broken this thread.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

I wish someone had scored a second goal. Congrats to Italy, but it's a shame it had to be decided by penalty kicks.

 

[kovacro]

Congratulations Italy. Enjoy it.

Now that’s enough. I don’t need to see you win anymore trophies in my lifetime.

 

[Cloned]

Kane was a complete non-factor. And Sterling dove every time he got the ball.

Pretty poor performance from both of them.

I don't think Kane has been utilized to his best potential in this England squad.

That said, he had a very average tournament. Definitely lowered his stock a bit.

 

[Blender]

They are rightfully shitting on Southgate on TSN for trying to park the bus for 90+ minutes.

 

[Cloned]

If I had told you before the game that Shaw would score 2 minutes in, Pickford would stop 2 penalties, and Kane would make a penalty, who would've thought England would still lose?

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

True. England turtling gave them the initial security back. Defensive footy rarely wins championships. It gets you far in a league, not first, but far, but in one game elimination games it often backfires. Why teams, especially teams with quality, still do that, I don't get. Hoping for counter footy with two 6s and your 9 having to play 10 as well? I donno. Still, their defense was good, just not good enough.

France won a World Cup on the back of it, so did Italy in 2006. Portugal won a Euro on it, so did Greece. I mean really given that England lost because their last 3 penalty takers missed, you can't really say much about approach here. Other than that if you play defensively, you reduce the margin of error and you better take what is given to you i.e. score your pens.

 

[Eisen]

As I said, he put his wingers in midfield. That was extremely smart.

Insigne in the middle gave them hustle, but boy, he is so not dangerous as a finisher.

 

[KlausJopling]

I thought Kane was really good early. Coming deep and making great passes. But once Italy shut it that down England’s ideas were sterling trying to either go by someone or draw a penalty. Mount pretty much just defended all game.

 

[PanniniClaus]

that is absurd... and that is what Southgate seemed to want. He was always making subs too late in this tourney... scared to make a bold decision.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

I wish someone had scored a second goal. Congrats to Italy, but it's a shame it had to be decided by penalty kicks.

Agreed, but I predicted Italy on pens. Southgate

 

[Albatros]

Also where was Grealish on that penalty shootout?

Might have hurt himself.

 

[Live in the Now]

I gotta say about Kane, when I see him face top defenders? Not so good. And everyone in the world should know it by now because he’s faced a lot of them in big matches.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

that is absurd... and that is what Southgate seemed to want. He was always making subs too late in this tourney... scared to make a bold decision.

He made a bold decision bringing in two guys just for penalties and that bold decision is going to haunt him for the rest of his life. I'd say he might think that he should have kept his cautious streak to the very end.

 

[cgf]

True. England turtling gave them the initial security back. Defensive footy rarely wins championships. It gets you far in a league, not first, but far, but in one game elimination games it often backfires. Why teams, especially teams with quality, still do that, I don't get. Hoping for counter footy with two 6s and your 9 having to play 10 as well? I donno. Still, their defense was good, just not good enough.

It can work as France & Portugal have shown in recent years...but it takes a lot of luck & a better defense than England's. You're always worsening your odds playing that way if you have the talent to play elsewise.

 

[KlausJopling]

Aftermath I will assume will be very anti southgate. I think all of his subs were worse than the person they replaced. While the opposite could be said for Mancini (asside from forced subs of Cheisa and Verratti who were excellent). Immobile being subbed off changed the game the attack for Italy.

Plus the overthinking of penalties. I mean has saka even taken one before.

 

[S E P H]

They got to the finals despite him, not because of him.

He set the team up to not lose in regulation, and they were successful at that. He never set them up to win.

That’s a fair assessment, I always hate the 3-4-3 and helps poor club teams like Arteta play with the big boys.

Not sure any of this makes sense.
Not sure it's worth my time either.

You were quite outspoken how Donnarumma isn’t that big of an upgrade for your team, PSG. He proved in this tournament that he’s a massive upgrade for you lot. I can see them winning the CL with him in net.

 

[PanniniClaus]

He made a bold decision bringing in two guys just for penalties and that bold decision is going to haunt him for the rest of his life. I'd say he might think that he should have kept his cautious streak to the very end.

maybe so but they could have just as easily been on in open play if he was takin into account what was actually happening on the field. Trying to win in open play rather than pens whcih were never going to favor England.

 

[cgf]

He made a bold decision bringing in two guys just for penalties and that bold decision is going to haunt him for the rest of his life. I'd say he might think that he should have kept his cautious streak to the very end.

Which is the cruelest part about this for england fans. I can 100% see Southgate thinking that the only mistake he made was not being conservative enough & doubling down on his greatest error.

 

[Eisen]

France won a World Cup on the back of it, so did Italy in 2006. Portugal won a Euro on it, so did Greece. I mean really given that England lost because their last 3 penalty takers missed, you can't really say much about approach here. Other than that if you play defensively, you reduce the margin of error and you better take what is given to you i.e. score your pens.

France had a defense for the ages and Zidane. Their strikers didn't need to play as playmakers. Greece won playing a system that people knew from the history books. None of the players knew what to do with a sweeper. Portugal is true, though, it was horrible. And betting on penalties is always a mistake if you have the choice.

 

[benedictTavares]

this thread is possessed

 

[buddahsmoka1]

Another strange tactic from England was going with the 3 in the back and then compensating for Italy's press by the goaltender kicking long balls on every goal kick. What's the point of that? They lost like 80% of those. Chiellini and Bonucci are both solid in the air, especially the latter.