GWT: World Cup - Quarterfinals - England v. France

[sansabri]

Is there anybody you don't hate?

Freaking Southgate man, game cried out for creativity and he keeps TAA and Maddison stapled to the bench to put in headless chicken Mount and Sterling. And taking Saka out, seriously? He was your best player!

France didn't look fazed though, they've got that Real Madrid confidence going for them, just Upamecano sometimes looks like these shoes are too big for him to fill.

do you mean countries or people

 

[NyQuil]

Weird game. Felt like England were the better side and took the match to France, but at same time I don't feel like France really broke a sweat. They sort of won this game in 1st gear.

Ultimately England would have scored both their goals on penalties and France scored two during the run of play.

To me that is a significant difference.

 

[cgf]

What kind of asshole laughs at a crying kid?

This still makes me smile

 

[cgf]

Striker is the weakest position, but there are some solid options. Watkins, Toney, they can play Rashford up front.

They’ve succeeded in these tournaments to a point, but at the end of the day they need a manager that knows how to maximize these attackers.

Reading those names just reinforce TMYK's point to me...cause that list isn't even as appealing as Werner, Füllkrug/Nmecha, and playing Havertz up front, would be if we didn't have Moukoko


Not even getting into england's problems at CB & GK.

 

[les Habs]

Another good match. Griezmann really stepping up for France. Their most consistent player? France should go on to win it all really, but they should have been favorites going in too. If a player costs them I just get the feeling it’ll be Upamecano, though there are a lot of things I like to his game when he’s on the ball.

 

[Incubajerks]

As usual they take it out on the coach, someone should explain why the national team of the richest championship in the world has never won anything. Is it always the coach's fault? But isn't it that maybe the English players are a lot overrated?

 

[cgf]

As usual they take it out on the coach, someone should explain why the national team of the richest championship in the world has never won anything. Is it always the coach's fault? But isn't it that maybe the English players are a lot overrated?

Can't be. THey're EPL proven.

 

[Canes]

Kane's penalty is now providing satellite internet to all of southern Africa. Good guy Harry Kane.

 

[Evilo]

He was never going to get the ball.
This is peak @Evilo

I said it was a pen and a stupid play.
Didn't think of it much live and the ball was way past him.

 

[Evilo]

Two systemic issues for England I always see under Southgate which will prevent them from reaching their potential with him imo:

1. Slow sleep-inducing build-up with no urgency unless they're behind and it's late. It wasn't the worse today but in the first half even today it was bad, the slow head checks and then wheeling the ball around with very few willing to run with it outside of Saka today or willing to try to play quick one-twos etc. I actually got so sleepy after the first half today I had to take a nap and watch the rest of the game on replay.

2. Complete unwillingness to press as a team. Henderson was yelling at his teammates today cos you saw him pressing a few times and no one else joined in. These are Premier League players from teams that press and Southgate is not the manager to be able to get them to do it at all it seems. In the US game, they didn't press at all without exaggeration until I think the 85th minute where you had a few individuals chase the US ball carrier in the US half.

I can make some small knit-picks like how today Foden should've been brought off earlier for Mount and Henderson should've been kept on for longer but honestly the personnel complaints are so tiresome and pointless cos they play the same no matter who's playing under Southgate.

Neither team pressed much. England pressed a little in the first 20 minutes, but you can see both teams feared the technical quality and the ability to avoid the press to get 1 on 1 on offense.

Another good match. Griezmann really stepping up for France. Their most consistent player? France should go on to win it all really, but they should have been favorites going in too. If a player costs them I just get the feeling it’ll be Upamecano, though there are a lot of things I like to his game when he’s on the ball.

Yes, Upa was beaten by Kane (really nice move by Kane though) and other than that, he was very good yesterday and his play with the ball is extremely useful.
But I expected him to make a mistake that lead to a penalty (on Kane specifically, who can fall easier than an apple in autumn).
It did happen (outside the box), but it was Tchou who made the mistake (nice move by Saka) and Theo (dumbass decision).
As I said, the rest was extremely solid D from everyone.

 

[luiginb]

England s problem at GK is Southgate's unwillingness to play Pope.

 

[Venkman]

Pope played recently against Italy and Germany and didn't perform. Pickford isn't a problem for me. It was a great strike that wasn't closed down quick enough.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Weird game. Felt like England were the better side and took the match to France, but at same time I don't feel like France really broke a sweat. They sort of won this game in 1st gear.

That's because they were outplayed.

xG World Cup review: Day 21 scorelines according to expected goals

We deliver the xG (expected goals) scoreline, a 'fairness' rating and noteworthy data points from day 21 of the World Cup.

www.sportinglife.com

Based on the chances created, Infogol calculates that the Three Lions would win the game 62.5% of the time.

 

[Shrimper]

Feel for Saka. Two big games (Italy in Euros) and France QF he's been bullied and constantly fouled and the referees have done nothing about it.

 

[Evilo]

Can't think of a dangerous english chance except Kane's.
Using the xG is typical bad faith without taking two penalties into account. That accounts for 1.6 (0.8x2).
So his stat actually shows that France was more dangerous than England if you forget the pens.

 

[Lambo]

As always! Since 1966 England couldn t beat a "Big Boy"(France, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Italy) in K.O. round.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Can't think of a dangerous english chance except Kane's.
Using the xG is typical bad faith without taking two penalties into account. That accounts for 1.6 (0.8x2).
So his stat actually shows that France was more dangerous than England if you forget the pens.

So if you take away the events that actually happened, France was better, is what you’re saying?

 

[Evilo]

So if you take away the events that actually happened, France was better, is what you’re saying?

Even a newbie would understand that judging who "outplayed" the other has nothing to do with penalties?
France had more xG chances than England. England benefited from two penalties.
It's OK, you didn't think about it, nor the guy you quoted.

 

[Ceremony]

This is a hockey message board. Surely if you should post here you know the sport-ruining possibilities of nerds on twitter with spreadsheets. Get "xG" to f*** and get these graphics for "ball retention" and "receptions between lines" to f*** as well.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Reading those names just reinforce TMYK's point to me...cause that list isn't even as appealing as Werner, Füllkrug/Nmecha, and playing Havertz up front, would be if we didn't have Moukoko


Not even getting into england's problems at CB & GK.

It’s not upper echelon of course, no. But then again, they lost to a team led by Olivier Giroud. There’s enough young attacking talent that they shouldn’t need a top top striker.

Goalkeeper really isn’t an issue, Pope is better than Pickford, but even so, I don’t think Pickford was really at fault this tournament.

CB I’ll grant you.

 

[robertmac43]

England s problem at GK is Southgate's unwillingness to play Pope.

Pope's play for country basically forced the managers hand in not playing him. He has a weak showing with an England shirt on this year.

 

[ScottishCanuck]

 

[Icarium]

As always! Since 1966 England couldn t beat a "Big Boy"(France, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Italy) in K.O. round.

England has never beaten any of these teams in a knockout stage match of a tournament held outside of England. Nor has it beaten Spain, Portugal or any other team considered among the top teams in the world at the time except for maybe the 1990 Belgium team. It's a pretty incredible stat.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

Can't think of a dangerous english chance except Kane's.
Using the xG is typical bad faith without taking two penalties into account. That accounts for 1.6 (0.8x2).
So his stat actually shows that France was more dangerous than England if you forget the pens.

There were man, you just don't remember them. Bellingham's screamer that Lloris saved, Maguire's header, Kane chances... and also the 2 penalties.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

England s problem at GK is Southgate's unwillingness to play Pope.

England doesn't have a problem at GK and all it would take would be watching any England game from 2018 onward to see that. Pickford's club form is spotty (although he's been absolutely brilliant this year, arguably the best keeper in the EPL, FWIW), but he has consistently been very very good for England.

Pope is a good shot stopper but he's absolutely useless when it comes to distribution.