ENGLAND 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs 🇮🇹 ITALY - EUROS FINAL - Official Matchday Thread ⚽️

[SwellOwl]

The team first half was the right approach and had Italy guessing and rattled.

 

Second half, Italy made changes and turned the game around. I just feel disappointed that Southgate didn't react to try and stop the Italian push. I feel we were trying to out do Italy at being "Italy" and it was a mistake. Southgate has got the fans back on side and building a new culture which is fantastic and achievements in this Euros and WC can't be denied. However, I think his tactics are very limited, far too cautious and negative. His substitutions were guesswork last night; no logic. Penalties is just pot luck and no point analysing them given the magnitude of the moment.

 

Great Euros - absolutely loved it, not the perfect ending but what a ride.  

 

[CircleSeven]

2 minutes ago, The Wall said:

For those over-analysing the penalties, you have to accept that there is a large slice of luck involved.

Jorginho was the best penalty taker ever, until Pickford saved his, now is he rubbish?

We don't help ourselves by harping on about Southgate's pen either. Basically saying to the players 'if you miss, we'll talk about it for 25 years'.

The players who took them obviously looked the best in training. We had a plan, so did Italy, one of us had to lose, it really is as simple as that.

 

My hope is that in a few years we can't even remember who missed the pens in this final

Wholeheartedly agree with this. Penalty shootouts are a test of how lucky you are as much as how good you are. If Sancho and Saka kick the ball to their left instead of their right they are hero’s. Donnarumma is a massive keeper and once he’s guessed correctly the ball ain’t going past him! 
When all said and done we got to the final. We conceded two goals, scored 11 and didn’t lose a single match. 
It’s reasonable to be disappointed but we did well with a young team and will build from here. 
Italy were the team of this tournament. They beat everyone and look like they could push on and be one of the tops teams in the world again. 

[Pablo Bonvin]

49 minutes ago, Manwë said:

 

I think social media amplifies the loud minority of those people.

 

I'm in work today, a lot of sore hearts and heads, and absolutely we've moaned about the penalties (we're football fans, why not moan about missed penalties), but I think most people are not angry.

You’re right. 

I’m working from home, with no real proper interaction with people so all I have to go on is what I see on a screen in front of me. And maybe that’s part of the problem.

 

Social media really does have a lot to answer for (and I know that must be said with an ounce of hypocrisy from me as I’m on OT, but this site is small enough to be be well-policed) but the big players, and how they just let any old Tom, Wee Wee Pipe or Harry just spout utter s**t, are really starting to boil my urine.

 

Disappointed with the result, but more disappointed with people in general (again, accepting that the prat minority are being the most vocal - I need to get that into my head). 

[wellbeaten-the-owl]

13 minutes ago, SwellOwl said:

The team first half was the right approach and had Italy guessing and rattled.

 

Second half, Italy made changes and turned the game around. I just feel disappointed that Southgate didn't react to try and stop the Italian push. I feel we were trying to out do Italy at being "Italy" and it was a mistake. Southgate has got the fans back on side and building a new culture which is fantastic and achievements in this Euros and WC can't be denied. However, I think his tactics are very limited, far too cautious and negative. His substitutions were guesswork last night; no logic. Penalties is just pot luck and no point analysing them given the magnitude of the moment.

 

Great Euros - absolutely loved it, not the perfect ending but what a ride.  

 

Don't think the approach had Italy rattled as much as conceding after 2 mins in s major final did, they took 25 mins to settle down and adjust and from then on put on a clinic of why the approach was not the right way to go.

[CalmJimmers]

Having slept on it, I'm still disappointed but think I've got a bit more perspective. We drew in the final of a major tournament, and banished a few demons along the way.

 

Know we've had a few Italian Owls on here before, so congrats guys. You were a big reason why it was such an enjoyable Euros.

[Brissy-owl]

57 minutes ago, OxonOwl said:

I do not blame those that missed.

 

I blame the coaching staff and ultimately Southgate.

 

They should be taught not to faff about before taking a penalty.

 

You should train to take them like the Harrys. If the keeper guesses right you are still favourite to score and if he saves it, fair play to the guy.

 

...and don't use players who have been on the pitch 2 minutes. FFS

 

 

Love southgate and felt very sorry for him & the whole team,  I actually wanted to kiss them all at the end and tell them it's ok, unfortunately they will be made to feel like the worst people on earth by the low lives we have to share this earth with, I am refusing to go on youtube or Twitter I dont want to see or read anything that I'm been told about

[markg]

33 minutes ago, The Wall said:

For those over-analysing the penalties, you have to accept that there is a large slice of luck involved.

Jorginho was the best penalty taker ever, until Pickford saved his, now is he rubbish?

We don't help ourselves by harping on about Southgate's pen either. Basically saying to the players 'if you miss, we'll talk about it for 25 years'.

The players who took them obviously looked the best in training. We had a plan, so did Italy, one of us had to lose, it really is as simple as that.

 

My hope is that in a few years we can't even remember who missed the pens in this final

Agree with you on that.

 

I prefer the Kane / Shearer style of pick a spot and smash it there but it wasn't as if Rashford had decided to take the stuttered run up just last night. That's his technique and he is obviously more comfortable with that technique and he has a good record from it.

[SwellOwl]

3 minutes ago, wellbeaten-the-owl said:

Don't think the approach had Italy rattled as much as conceding after 2 mins in s major final did, they took 25 mins to settle down and adjust and from then on put on a clinic of why the approach was not the right way to go.

 

I don't agree, I think Italy were rattled and really struggled to get into the game, they started to keep ball at end of the half but left to outside the box efforts. However, Italy worked it out, adapted, and bossed the game from there on.

[83owl]

22 minutes ago, CircleSeven said:

Wholeheartedly agree with this. Penalty shootouts are a test of how lucky you are as much as how good you are. If Sancho and Saka kick the ball to their left instead of their right they are hero’s. Donnarumma is a massive keeper and once he’s guessed correctly the ball ain’t going past him! 
When all said and done we got to the final. We conceded two goals, scored 11 and didn’t lose a single match. 
It’s reasonable to be disappointed but we did well with a young team and will build from here. 
Italy were the team of this tournament. They beat everyone and look like they could push on and be one of the tops teams in the world again. 

You think if the Italian keeper had dived the right way he would have saved Maguires penalty?

[mcmigo]

Enormous respect for Mancini as well -a hugely talented manager.  A pragmatic Italian who also loves to attack teams.

 

People forget what a basket case Man City were.  He took over from Mark Hughes, they were a mess of a team.  signed Aguero, Silva, Balotelli, turned Kompany into a proper player and won the league.  

 

Very much an elite manager.

 

 

[CircleSeven]

6 minutes ago, Pablo Bonvin said:

You’re right. 

I’m working from home, with no real proper interaction with people so all I have to go on is what I see on a screen in front of me. And maybe that’s part of the problem.

 

Social media really does have a lot to answer for (and I know that must be said with an ounce of hypocrisy from me as I’m on OT, but this site is small enough to be be well-policed) but the big players, and how they just let any old Tom, Wee Wee Pipe or Harry just spout utter s**t, are really starting to boil my urine.

 

Disappointed with the result, but more disappointed with people in general (again, accepting that the prat minority are being the most vocal - I need to get that into my head). 

Social media is a very strange phenomenon. It’s like giving the crazy gobshîte loon in the pub who everyone ignores a direct line into your living room. And never forget, it is a minority. People use it as a way to get kicks out of saying things that would get them arrested or simply beaten up were they to say them in public.
 

There will be more and more oversight of social media and in a couple of decades time people will look back on this period where hate and abuse could be posted with no comeback with amazement. Social media companies make their money from advertising. The second a government has the stones to ban adverts on social media platforms where abuse isn’t properly managed is the day it will stop. 

[CircleSeven]

2 minutes ago, 83owl said:

You think if the Italian keeper had dived the right way he would have saved Maguires penalty?

To be fair that pen was just on TV again. No one could stop that one. They could have had three keepers in the goal and it would have gone in! Even worse Donnaruma did go the right way for Kane’s pen and didn’t save it so clearly what I said is a load of crapôla! You can’t edit in Owlstalk though so your errors are there in perpetuity! It’s not my worst gaff though. I though the Presto on the Lep was for the supermarket! Got some right gyp for that error!

[Sova]

30 minutes ago, Manwë said:

I think penalties are just like the rest of football, a game of skill, practice and every other part of the professional game.  The most skilful will have the most luck.  There's still a chance the goalkeeper will save it (that's his job), but placing penalties at good heights for the goalkeeper decreases the luck, and placing penalties at good heights is also down to a lack of skill.

 

Nothing will ever beat skill. 

 

We can't go into the next tournament so naïve towards penalties.

 

Quite. Statistically, going first is an advantage, so we were unlucky there. With penalties at a saveable height, there's an element of luck. But missing the target isn't unlucky. And slamming one in like Kevin Pressman isn't lucky. In any case, we had the opportunity to make sure it didn't go to penalties last night. We were the better team in extra time - why couldn't we have brought on some fresh legs and gone for it? 

[Mr. Tom]

7 minutes ago, CircleSeven said:

Social media is a very strange phenomenon. It’s like giving the crazy gobshîte loon in the pub who everyone ignores a direct line into your living room. And never forget, it is a minority. People use it as a way to get kicks out of saying things that would get them arrested or simply beaten up were they to say them in public.
 

There will be more and more oversight of social media and in a couple of decades time people will look back on this period where hate and abuse could be posted with no comeback with amazement. Social media companies make their money from advertising. The second a government has the stones to ban adverts on social media platforms where abuse isn’t properly managed is the day it will stop. 

 

It'll stop when we have a government with the stones to tell people it's not ok to boo taking the knee.

[Rogers]

8 hours ago, Morepork said:

Staying away from reading the overseas media who will no doubt be basking in a sea of deep rooted English hatred.

 

 

Problem is, they don’t have to look that hard to get things to report on; and it’s not the England football team losing; it’s the thousands cheering someone doing coke in public, people rushing gates and assaulting stewards, kicking foreign looking people in the head, fighting, racism, etc. 

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by Rogers

[CircleSeven]

1 minute ago, Mr. Tom said:

 

It'll stop when we have a government with the stones to tell people it's not ok to boo taking the knee.

I agree that the government should have said that mate. I also hate booing another countries national anthem. But the social media companies are multinational giants ruled by one thing and one thing only. Money. If their options are sort out abuse or lose money they will sort out abuse. 

[Guesswhosback]

Southgate's love of Sterling cost us 

 

He should of been dragged off at half time. 

[since50owe]

Disgracefull abuse, and how you can hope to beat Italy 1-0 and Sterling trying to walk right through thier defence, hopeless init

[marshy]

41 minutes ago, CircleSeven said:

Wholeheartedly agree with this. Penalty shootouts are a test of how lucky you are as much as how good you are. If Sancho and Saka kick the ball to their left instead of their right they are hero’s. Donnarumma is a massive keeper and once he’s guessed correctly the ball ain’t going past him! 
When all said and done we got to the final. We conceded two goals, scored 11 and didn’t lose a single match. 
It’s reasonable to be disappointed but we did well with a young team and will build from here. 
Italy were the team of this tournament. They beat everyone and look like they could push on and be one of the tops teams in the world again. 

They could, but that back line will take some replacing. Perhaps the Workd Cup but that’s them 2 done. Big shoes to fill. 
 

From our point of view, we broke the hudoo and from then on we were winners despite the result. We got to a final something At 50 plus I didn’t think I’d see. My kids have at least seen us play in a final. And when you’ve followed Wednesday, dissappointment becomes 2nd nature. 

[CircleSeven]

1 minute ago, Guesswhosback said:

Southgate's love of Sterling cost us 

 

He should of been dragged off at half time. 

Sterling has been effective in the tournament overall but last night it did appear the Italians had negated him as a threat after the first 30 mins. Once it became clear the Italians were absolutely bossing us in the second half I was yelling at the Tv to take off Mount, Sterling and Tripier and put on Rashford, Grealish and Sancho and have a good run at the Italians. Kane was most effective dropping deeper and I thought the changes would have allowed Kane to link play a bit more and set the runners off. 
 

But maybe if he’d done that Italy would have steamrollered us and got an extra goal? God knows.