I doubt any manager actually says go out and lose. But by picking your reserve side to play a 1st team game speaks volumes.
But Belgium made more changes than we did. Every single manager in that position would have done the same. Our players will have had a week off before the Columbia game.
I believe that England will lose to the first good team they play. I'm just really, really unsure if Colombia are a good team. They were good in the first game despite playing basically all of it with 10 men. They were excellent in the second game, even if Poland were dreadful, but then yesterday they looked so average.
Peckerman is a good coach (he helped shepherd through the golden generation of Argentinian players that we're seeing the tail end of) who has been here and done it before. They're quite "old fashioned" circa like 2008-12 in that they play with a 4-2-3-1 "broken team," defend with six with the back four plus two holding players, and then attack with four. Urribe seemed to go box-to-box a bit against Senegal, but not terribly convincingly.
For those saying they are going to go out and attack England, I really don't know about that. They really got to Poland on the break. And Senegal were more than happy to sit back and let them have the ball, which is part of what made them look so ponderous and slow. Careful, considered build up does not look to be their forte, they seemed to want to hit teams more on the counter with the pace and creativity of Quintero, Cuadrado, Falcao, and James (if fit).
I think this is an uncomfortable match-up for England. Colombia's 4-2-3-1 means that England's three center halves will have one forward to mark (part of what saw the back 3/5 formations go out of style in the mid-'00s). Quintero is very good at buzzing around between the lines, he's been one of the breakthrough players of the tournament for me, and I think he'll find a lot of joy exploiting the space between England's midfield and defense. If James is fit to play any part, the movement and interchange of those two would be incredibly problematic.
I believe that England will lose to the first good team they play. I'm just really, really unsure if Colombia are a good team. They were good in the first game despite playing basically all of it with 10 men. They were excellent in the second game, even if Poland were dreadful, but then yesterday they looked so average.
Peckerman is a good coach (he helped shepherd through the golden generation of Argentinian players that we're seeing the tail end of) who has been here and done it before. They're quite "old fashioned" circa like 2008-12 in that they play with a 4-2-3-1 "broken team," defend with six with the back four plus two holding players, and then attack with four. Urribe seemed to go box-to-box a bit against Senegal, but not terribly convincingly.
For those saying they are going to go out and attack England, I really don't know about that. They really got to Poland on the break. And Senegal were more than happy to sit back and let them have the ball, which is part of what made them look so ponderous and slow. Careful, considered build up does not look to be their forte, they seemed to want to hit teams more on the counter with the pace and creativity of Quintero, Cuadrado, Falcao, and James (if fit).
I think this is an uncomfortable match-up for England. Colombia's 4-2-3-1 means that England's three center halves will have one forward to mark (part of what saw the back 3/5 formations go out of style in the mid-'00s). Quintero is very good at buzzing around between the lines, he's been one of the breakthrough players of the tournament for me, and I think he'll find a lot of joy exploiting the space between England's midfield and defense. If James is fit to play any part, the movement and interchange of those two would be incredibly problematic.
The mobility of England's centre backs is the key to combat this. If you 3 stoppers, then yes they'd be marking just 1 player, but as Maguire and Walker have a license to roam forward, and combat any floating midfielders
I'm not sure they're attackers are especially fast, Falcao may be sharp in the box, but he isn't going to outsprint our defence in a break.
Oh Lord, another 90 minutes of my life having to listen to that effing idiot Clive Tyldesley. Can't ITV find anyone else to commentate on a big game?
No. He’s obviously got photos of the itv CEO in a compromising position or something. I mean, look how smug he looks in this picture. It’s a dead giveaway.
Great when a nice bloke like Gareth can pull a real flanker and nobody believes he is capable of it. Poor old Roberto never played at any high level, Gareth done him good and proper. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Great when a nice bloke like Gareth can pull a real flanker and nobody believes he is capable of it. Poor old Roberto never played at any high level, Gareth done him good and proper. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Great when a nice bloke like Gareth can pull a real flanker and nobody believes he is capable of it. Poor old Roberto never played at any high level, Gareth done him good and proper. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
The reason yours is a fair comment is that we would be saying the reverse if England beat Belgium!
Both Southgate and Martinez managed teams who got relegated from the Premier League (Boro and Wigan)...
Yes... and Fabio Capello has won numerous league titles in more than one country as well as the Champions League for AC Milan. Doesn’t mean anything.
Southgate got relegated when he wasn’t really a proper manager, didn’t have the qualifications at the time and in his first season he guided them to a mid-table finish, and how many years ago was that?
Martinez got relegated with Wigan, a small club in the scheme of things who had their time in the Premier League, was never going to last.
I don’t think looking at previous club successes is the greatest way of determining who can be a success on the international stage. The job is so different in many aspects. Some are better at club level, some are better at international level.
Our defence faces its first real test. I expect Colombia to offer a lot of movement and how our back 3 handle that will ultimately decide the game.
Shape-wise, we attack in numbers and have looked like we'd be susceptible on the counter to better teams, so interested to see whether Southgate is more conservative or he goes at them.
I believe that England will lose to the first good team they play. I'm just really, really unsure if Colombia are a good team. They were good in the first game despite playing basically all of it with 10 men. They were excellent in the second game, even if Poland were dreadful, but then yesterday they looked so average.
Peckerman is a good coach (he helped shepherd through the golden generation of Argentinian players that we're seeing the tail end of) who has been here and done it before. They're quite "old fashioned" circa like 2008-12 in that they play with a 4-2-3-1 "broken team," defend with six with the back four plus two holding players, and then attack with four. Urribe seemed to go box-to-box a bit against Senegal, but not terribly convincingly.
For those saying they are going to go out and attack England, I really don't know about that. They really got to Poland on the break. And Senegal were more than happy to sit back and let them have the ball, which is part of what made them look so ponderous and slow. Careful, considered build up does not look to be their forte, they seemed to want to hit teams more on the counter with the pace and creativity of Quintero, Cuadrado, Falcao, and James (if fit).
I think this is an uncomfortable match-up for England. Colombia's 4-2-3-1 means that England's three center halves will have one forward to mark (part of what saw the back 3/5 formations go out of style in the mid-'00s). Quintero is very good at buzzing around between the lines, he's been one of the breakthrough players of the tournament for me, and I think he'll find a lot of joy exploiting the space between England's midfield and defense. If James is fit to play any part, the movement and interchange of those two would be incredibly problematic.
The mobility of England's centre backs is the key to combat this. If you 3 stoppers, then yes they'd be marking just 1 player, but as Maguire and Walker have a license to roam forward, and combat any floating midfielders
I'm not sure they're attackers are especially fast, Falcao may be sharp in the box, but he isn't going to outsprint our defence in a break.
No Falcao won't outsprint say, Kyle Walker, but it's a quickness of thought and movement that I'm more concerned with.
And agree, England's center backs getting forward to both help keep the ball and to break up service into the front four will be crucial. I just...don't fully trust any of the three of them with their reading of the game. Basically, I think all three have a mistake in them.
If Colombia sit deep and let England have the ball, it's exactly the kind of situation where England have struggled so much in recent tournaments. But going on the Tunisia game, I thought Southgate had them playing with real tempo and good movement, with one or both of the forwards dropping off and the attacking midfielders (and wingbacks even) looking to run beyond them. Dele Alli will be key in this. For as good as RLC can be, he's still raw and unpredictable, in both a good and a bad way, and I think he's better suited to coming off the bench (if Alli is fit). Because England don't have a natural playmaker (either a 10 or a 6), it's that movement that is so crucial to breaking teams down. And I think Southgate has set them up far better, and that they look to have far more ideas, than in recent years.
I think this is a solid, very young and inexperienced England side. If they go out to Colombia it will (hopefully) be because Colombia have a good game plan and some very good, experienced players who have been playing together in the same system for ~5 years. I think it's entirely possible that England will go through, but even if they don't, I think they can hold their heads high. I've seen more from this England team to make me feel like the future is bright, like they're headed in the same direction and that there is real long term planning and coaching, than I have for a long, long time.
High press Colombia and they will panic more on the ball than our back 3 will. Our press against Tunisia was fantastic for the first half hour. More of the same and this mob will give us chances.
High press Colombia and they will panic more on the ball than our back 3 will. Our press against Tunisia was fantastic for the first half hour. More of the same and this mob will give us chances.
Yeah agree with this. Not looked at the post match Belgium thread but what I learnt from that game was there is no place in the starting side with its current shape for Dier, Jones and Rashford. Rose gives us better balance than Young and TAA can be trusted. Now worried about Pickford.
We shouldn't stray away from what we're good at but I can see a high pressing game playing into Colombia's counter attacks. Every defensive player is going to have to play with razor sharp focus to ensure no slip ups and stop any Colombian counter attacks.
Pickford doesn't look like a real goalkeeper, his positioning is all over the shop, he looks small (though apparently 6' 1") and generally unathletic.
We all got carried away after spanking a poor Panama, but my god that Belgium game was a return to business as usual for England playing tournament football. Like Charlton in recent years, no strength in depth, and probably only Kane is truly world class.
I know I predicted failure to get out of the group, but I can't see a win against Colombia.
IF we get through the next round then Southgate is a clever manager who did a sting on Belgium.
If we lose then Southgate should be put in the stocks and if you throw a ring on Gareth's nose you win a goldfish. They would need a lot of goldfish if that senario came about.
Pickford doesn't look like a real goalkeeper, his positioning is all over the shop, he looks small (though apparently 6' 1") and generally unathletic.
We all got carried away after spanking a poor Panama, but my god that Belgium game was a return to business as usual for England playing tournament football. Like Charlton in recent years, no strength in depth, and probably only Kane is truly world class.
I know I predicted failure to get out of the group, but I can't see a win against Colombia.
Can we agree to a rule that every time you discuss the Belgium Match* you have to put an asterisk next to it because let's be honest, it was not a really match of competitive football in which both teams were trying to get a result.
Comments
Peckerman is a good coach (he helped shepherd through the golden generation of Argentinian players that we're seeing the tail end of) who has been here and done it before. They're quite "old fashioned" circa like 2008-12 in that they play with a 4-2-3-1 "broken team," defend with six with the back four plus two holding players, and then attack with four. Urribe seemed to go box-to-box a bit against Senegal, but not terribly convincingly.
For those saying they are going to go out and attack England, I really don't know about that. They really got to Poland on the break. And Senegal were more than happy to sit back and let them have the ball, which is part of what made them look so ponderous and slow. Careful, considered build up does not look to be their forte, they seemed to want to hit teams more on the counter with the pace and creativity of Quintero, Cuadrado, Falcao, and James (if fit).
I think this is an uncomfortable match-up for England. Colombia's 4-2-3-1 means that England's three center halves will have one forward to mark (part of what saw the back 3/5 formations go out of style in the mid-'00s). Quintero is very good at buzzing around between the lines, he's been one of the breakthrough players of the tournament for me, and I think he'll find a lot of joy exploiting the space between England's midfield and defense. If James is fit to play any part, the movement and interchange of those two would be incredibly problematic.
I'm not sure they're attackers are especially fast, Falcao may be sharp in the box, but he isn't going to outsprint our defence in a break.
Come on people, a bit of confidence eh?
Comfortable win, on to the 1/4 finals.
I mean, look how smug he looks in this picture. It’s a dead giveaway.
Southgate got relegated when he wasn’t really a proper manager, didn’t have the qualifications at the time and in his first season he guided them to a mid-table finish, and how many years ago was that?
Martinez got relegated with Wigan, a small club in the scheme of things who had their time in the Premier League, was never going to last.
I don’t think looking at previous club successes is the greatest way of determining who can be a success on the international stage. The job is so different in many aspects. Some are better at club level, some are better at international level.
Think if we go 1 down we might be in trouble. Need to score first.
Shape-wise, we attack in numbers and have looked like we'd be susceptible on the counter to better teams, so interested to see whether Southgate is more conservative or he goes at them.
I fancy us to score. We're red hot in that area.
3 - 2 Sterling hat-trick.
And agree, England's center backs getting forward to both help keep the ball and to break up service into the front four will be crucial. I just...don't fully trust any of the three of them with their reading of the game. Basically, I think all three have a mistake in them.
If Colombia sit deep and let England have the ball, it's exactly the kind of situation where England have struggled so much in recent tournaments. But going on the Tunisia game, I thought Southgate had them playing with real tempo and good movement, with one or both of the forwards dropping off and the attacking midfielders (and wingbacks even) looking to run beyond them. Dele Alli will be key in this. For as good as RLC can be, he's still raw and unpredictable, in both a good and a bad way, and I think he's better suited to coming off the bench (if Alli is fit). Because England don't have a natural playmaker (either a 10 or a 6), it's that movement that is so crucial to breaking teams down. And I think Southgate has set them up far better, and that they look to have far more ideas, than in recent years.
I think this is a solid, very young and inexperienced England side. If they go out to Colombia it will (hopefully) be because Colombia have a good game plan and some very good, experienced players who have been playing together in the same system for ~5 years. I think it's entirely possible that England will go through, but even if they don't, I think they can hold their heads high. I've seen more from this England team to make me feel like the future is bright, like they're headed in the same direction and that there is real long term planning and coaching, than I have for a long, long time.
We all got carried away after spanking a poor Panama, but my god that Belgium game was a return to business as usual for England playing tournament football. Like Charlton in recent years, no strength in depth, and probably only Kane is truly world class.
I know I predicted failure to get out of the group, but I can't see a win against Colombia.
If we lose then Southgate should be put in the stocks and if you throw a ring on Gareth's nose you win a goldfish.
They would need a lot of goldfish if that senario came about.