UEFA European Championship 2021

(19-06-2021 11:54 )winsaw Wrote:  been like that for quite a few years

Yes since 2007, as I posted above.

Each of the players will know how valuable playing for England is in their promotional contracts. They will have bonuses written into boot contracts etc for International selection.

I agree that the criticism of England is way over the top but is usually from the same uniformed crowd who find it far easier to moan rather than appreciate the finer points of the game.

I do think our biggest problem at the moment is actually with Kane. He's off the pace and his movement is below par for him. Maybe his injury in the latter part of the season has had an impact. I'd start with Grealish and Calvert-Lewin in the next match instead of Kane & Foden which I think would help with creativity & mobility.

Scotland were downhearted after their first game and excelled themselves yesterday but the celebrations were over the top. They drew and are still on the verge of exiting the tournament if they don't beat Croatia (who themselves need a win). They are making progress though and the Euro's ought be really good for them in developing as a team.

(19-06-2021 11:31 )Sm© Wrote:  Do you really expect players on 6 figure weekly salaries to give 100% for their countries for a 2 grand appearance fee? No, they dont't want to get injured and lose their first team club position.

Possibly a little extreme — I’m sure they still see an England cap as an honour. But it’s clearly not the same here as it is on the continent of in Latin America.

I remember some post-tournament interview with Frank Lampard, where he mentioned that the England players in the Chelsea dressing room approached international breaks with a looming sense of dread. The European players were excited. For the Latin American players, national team games were the highlight of the year. He talked about lunchtime in the England squad: there was a Man United table, a Chelsea table, and a Liverpool table, etc..

TBF as a collective fan base, I think we encourage the players’ ambivalence to the England team. We are too hard on them when they play well and lose. We are too generous when they thump Montenegro by 7 goals.

And most important, we are just as guilty of putting our club loyalties over the national team. Why didn’t Man United fans turn on Paul Scholes when he ‘retired’ from international football? Liverpool and Newcastle fans didn’t boo Jamie Carragher or Alan Shearer when they chose to resign rather than sit on the England bench. When John Terry held that bullshit mutineer Press Conference in the 2010 World Cup, we Chelsea fans just folded it all into the ‘Captain, Leader, Legend’ mythology of the man. To my mind, THOSE are the prima donnas.

By contrast, my Italian friend, a lifetime Lazio supporter, never forgave Roberto Mancini for refusing international duty. And despite a string of great results, my friend still hates that they made Mancini the Italy coach.

That’s the kind of culture we need here — where the players value country over club because WE value country over club.

(19-06-2021 11:31 )Sm© Wrote:  Do you really expect players on 6 figure weekly salaries to give 100% for their countries

It's wholly wrong to suggest that players don't care about playing internationals. For most players it's the ultimate dream and the ultimate achievement.

When the European Super League was announced a couple of months ago, Chelsea's international players said straight away that they weren't interested in playing in a competition that could lead them to being banned from internationals, and they made it clear that even if they earnt more from being in the European Super League it would make no difference as no amount of money would compensate them from being unable to play in internationals.

It's one of the reasons that Chelsea were so quick to withdraw from the new competition.

(19-06-2021 12:29 )Goodfella3041 Wrote:  He talked about lunchtime in the England squad: there was a Man United table, a Chelsea table, and a Liverpool table, etc..

It has been widely reported that it's not like that now. Southgate has made sure that those cliques don't exist.

(19-06-2021 12:37 )SecretAgent Wrote:  

(19-06-2021 12:29 )Goodfella3041 Wrote:  He talked about lunchtime in the England squad: there was a Man United table, a Chelsea table, and a Liverpool table, etc..

It has been widely reported that it's not like that now. Southgate has made sure that those cliques don't exist.

Probably because he still traumatised from having to sit by himself at the Middlesbrough table.

I was surprised that Southgate withdrew Foden as he looked like our best player. Grealish could have easily been brought on for one of the bad performers like Mount or Sterling.

I'd have removed both of them and brought Saka on as well, with Grealish and Foden interchanging positions.

(19-06-2021 12:46 )Charlemagne Wrote:  I was surprised that Southgate withdrew Foden as he looked like our best player. Grealish could have easily been brought on for one of the bad performers like Mount or Sterling.

I'd have removed both of them and brought Saka on as well, with Grealish and Foden interchanging positions.

I don't understand why he didn't change something within the game, put Foden in the middle for 5 mins, drop Mount back or push him to the right etc, real lack of ideas. Felt so rigid and like England of 10 years ago.
In the first 20 mins, Gilmour's legs had gone, he couldn't move, should have made a change then, push Mount right up top or put Foden/Sterling in the space between the 3 CB's and Gilmour.
I get the feeling England were scared to lose, the fans/media backlash would have been huge.

Additional plaudits to Grant Hanley, we played a back three where he was the only natural CB. Tierney to be fair has played in a back three a decent number of times for Arsenal but that is not his natural role & McTominay is a CDM. Despite this they never really got caught out, McTominay did make a mistake in possession losing the ball to Sterling & setting up that early chance for Mount but it never happened again. You have to give Hanley credit for that, as the only natural CB it would of been up to him to organise the back three & he did a great job.

From England's point of view how you can field some of the best attacking talent in the "best league in the world": Kane, Sterling, Foden, Rashford & Grealish against a back three where the only actual CB is in the Championship and only manage one shot on target is so difficult to comprehend it should be impossible. That stat with those players is like water boiling at 50 degrees celsius or breaking the sound barrier at 100 mph it just shouldn't happen.

(19-06-2021 11:31 )Sm© Wrote:  Do you really expect players on 6 figure weekly salaries to give 100% for their countries

Yet the media were full of praise for Andrew Robertson. The £5m he pockets a year from Liverpool doesn't seem to have lessened his effort at international level. What about Scott McTominay? His earnings at Man Utd don't seem to have affected his perfomances for Scotland and he probably earns more than many of the England players. Another Scotland defender, Tierney, plays for Arsenal. So how did Scotland manage to contain England last night when their defenders are such high earners and as such apparently aren't that bothered?