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Euro 2021


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Just now, hirstyboywonder said:

 

Borderline pathetic is slating the manager and his choices before kick off.

 

Happy it was Southgate making the choices rather than you leaving out the match winner Sterling and the man of the match Phillips. 

 

 

I’m over the moon Phillips proved me wrong. Didn’t think he had that sort of performance in him. It wasn’t so much Phillips ask the role he played that shocked me the most. Looks like 2 holders on paper and, you’re absolutely right, should have waited for the game to unfold before criticism.
 

Sterling was hardly terrific was he? He was dangerous at times with his pace and, movement but, he picks the wrong choice far too often. That’s be best he’s played for a while though and, again a good place for him to grow into the tournament.

 

How much Luke Shaw be feeling this evening? It’s borderline criminal leaving a left full back on the bench to shoe horn a right back in for his ‘experience’.
 

 

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29 minutes ago, 0wl18 said:

Fully deserved victory but hardly anything to write home about is it?

 

We struggled to break down a team with absolutely no desire to win the game of football. Using the World Cup runner up mantra is borderline pathetic. Croatia have won just 2 of their last 10 games, they’re nowhere near the force of old. 
 

All in all it’s a solid start, a good foundation to build from but, I maintain what I said, the team selection could have massively backfired. Trippier at left back was just a mind-blowingly poor selection.  

Croatia have some quality players and we beat them and controlled the game. We have not won an opening game in the euros. I’m happy

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1 minute ago, Ellis Rimmer said:

Croatia have some quality players and we beat them and controlled the game. We have not won an opening game in the euros. I’m happy

It was a solid start to the tournament no doubting that.

 

How many of that Croatia side would you put in our starting 11?

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8 minutes ago, 0wl18 said:

 

I’m over the moon Phillips proved me wrong. Didn’t think he had that sort of performance in him. It wasn’t so much Phillips ask the role he played that shocked me the most. Looks like 2 holders on paper and, you’re absolutely right, should have waited for the game to unfold before criticism.
 

Sterling was hardly terrific was he? He was dangerous at times with his pace and, movement but, he picks the wrong choice far too often. That’s be best he’s played for a while though and, again a good place for him to grow into the tournament.

 

How much Luke Shaw be feeling this evening? It’s borderline criminal leaving a left full back on the bench to shoe horn a right back in for his ‘experience’.
 

 

 

I'm all for questioning line-ups, the debate is all part of being a fan, we are all amateur managers who think we know best at times, just think you went a bit OTT with the criticism in the post I replied to.

 

I wouldn't have picked Sterling or Trippier but I could see the reason for doing so. For me, Sterling has been out of form for 6 months but Southgate trusts him and he has done better for England than for City of late. Grealish as a different option has done well recently but isn't a goal threat and Rashford has also been a bit up and down lately. 

Trippier has played left-back before even though it isn't his natural position. He is a better defender than both left-backs in the squad and I think Shaw will understand. I expect Shaw or Chilwell to play against the weaker opposition in the group. It wasn't a choice I would have made or was expecting but it paid off.

 

For me I was just pleased that he stuck with the back 4 after so many pundits predicted we would revert to a back 3 despite having not done so for a while. We kept the ball really well and as you say, Phillips was far more progressive than I think anyone expected him to be. 

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Ellis Rimmer said:

Probably just Modric which is about the same as what I would have done in 2018

 

Think Vida would be in my side ahead of Mings and from 2018 Rakitic in midfield ahead of what we had. 

 

Midfield is where we lost the game last time, allowing their play makers too much of the ball. That's why I was so pleased to see us sticking with 4 at the back and having more options in midfield to pass and travel with the ball and be comfortable in possession. 

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Modric is shot. Dominated by Mount and Chelsea’s midfield in the champions league, and didn’t do much today. 5 goals 3 assists for Madrid last year 

 

One of the best midfielders of this century but his time has gone 

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9 minutes ago, Bannofan said:

Enjoyed that game, not sure of the quality but lots to like about both Macedonia & Austria. 

 

Great opening goal as well. 

 

Not sure what Arnautovic's celebrations were about! 

 

He's an angry lad isn't he! 

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2 minutes ago, hirstyboywonder said:

 

Think Vida would be in my side ahead of Mings and from 2018 Rakitic in midfield ahead of what we had. 

 

Midfield is where we lost the game last time, allowing their play makers too much of the ball. That's why I was so pleased to see us sticking with 4 at the back and having more options in midfield to pass and travel with the ball and be comfortable in possession. 

Yeh I forgot about Rakitic, they have got worse, we have got better, therefore we turned the result from 2018

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Clive Tyldesly commentating on the Netherlands Ukraine match.

 

We stayed in the same hotel as the ITV team in Samara, the Graf Orlov, during the Russia WC.

 

At breakfast, all he did was moan about his porridge & a woman who was with him just had bread and jam to eat, and called it her 'northern tea'. Silly, stuck-up tw@. I glared at her when she said it & she got the message.

 

Nice place Samara. There's a beach there, on the Volga. True story.

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