EURO 2021 FINAL - Italy v England. Sunday 11th July 2021 20:00.

[Shrimper]

At least we won’t have to go through the rigmarole of Knighthoods all round for a bunch of blokes kicking a ball about.

Southgate's getting one apparently

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

In respects to the penalty takers it is what it is. Had they all scored they would’ve been classed as heroes and Gareth Southgate the messiah. They missed and it didn’t work out. Was it a poor choice, maybe but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Rashford, Sancho and Saka were brave enough to agree to take the penalties and hats off to these young lads. This will spur them on for the next time and hopefully all 3 will be involved next year at the World Cup. Because let’s be honest they haven’t really put a foot wrong.

I think Saka was put in an awful position. But yeah some players have had a great tournament.. Phillips for me is the pick. I still hope we build a team around Grealish and attack more as when we do, we look dangerous and have such talented players in forward positions. Onwards and upwards. No point going over and over the missed pens, or the way things panned out.

 

[Ricey]

Southgate's getting one apparently

They hand them out like sweets now!

 

[Ricey]

I think Saka was put in an awful position. But yeah some players have had a great tournament.. Phillips for me is the pick. I still hope we build a team around Grealish and attack more as when we do, we look dangerous and have such talented players in forward positions. Onwards and upwards. No point going over and over the missed pens, or the way things panned out.

We have all the talent in attack but we have a defensive coach. Yes it’s worked well but with that sort of attack do we need a more attack minded coach to get the best out of them? Who knows. To sack Southgate would be ridiculous after getting us to our first major tournament final since 66.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I think Saka was put in an awful position. But yeah some players have had a great tournament.. Phillips for me is the pick. I still hope we build a team around Grealish and attack more as when we do, we look dangerous and have such talented players in forward positions. Onwards and upwards. No point going over and over the missed pens, or the way things panned out.

Sterling had been our man of the tournament up to last night, when he was marked out of the game. Walker has been very strong in the background. Phillips grew into it, though I thought Rice was better than him last night, and the substitution should have been the other way round of the two. Jordan Pickford has been immense too, and I've never been a fan of his.

 

[Farmer Fossett]

I am proud of the team. To reach our first final in 55 years is a fantastic achievement.
Yes, in hindsight Southgate probably should have made changes sooner however every decision he has made up to that point have been right!
Gutted but very proud.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

We have all the talent in attack but we have a defensive coach. Yes it’s worked well but with that sort of attack do we need a more attack minded coach to get the best out of them? Who knows. To sack Southgate would be ridiculous after getting us to our first major tournament final since 66.

Agreed, sacking him would be harsh. You can’t argue with his tactics as they got us within a penalty shootout of winning. But I would like to see us attack a little more as we have such exciting talent. Lots of positives to take forward from this tournament.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Sterling had been our man of the tournament up to last night, when he was marked out of the game. Walker has been very strong in the background. Phillips grew into it, though I thought Rice was better than him last night, and the substitution should have been the other way round of the two. Jordan Pickford has been immense too, and I've never been a fan of his.

I think they can all hold their heads high. Such a shame it all got decided on pens.

 

[ozzie]

Southgate wont be sacked.But in 18 months time there is a lot more chance he will stop.
If those idiots at the FA did sack him who could they put in charge??
Southgate does everything well(other than sometimes his tactics)..he fits the FA bill,talks well never rocked the boat etc. But we dont produce good managers.If we did,the Prem league would not be full of foreigners.How many English managers work abroad in top leagues?
What i would do is wait till after the next world cup and then see .And if then they still think he is the best man,ok.
TBH,if GS went today,for what ever reason, i cannot see him getting a top class job.We must stick with him till after the w/c.
As for a knighthood !!!

 

[dannypav]

We have all the talent in attack but we have a defensive coach. Yes it’s worked well but with that sort of attack do we need a more attack minded coach to get the best out of them? Who knows. To sack Southgate would be ridiculous after getting us to our first major tournament final since 66.

I agree with you.
The lads missing the penalties is one of those things.
Southgate appears very methodical and detailed , so I would be amazed if those that took the pens weren't the 'best' in terms of pens scored over the past few weeks.
Of course the pressure of a match can never be replicated in training , but I'm guessing they weren't random selections.
Southgate is defensive and you're right to say that our talent pool is definitely going forward.
I think the problem he had against Germany and last night is if you 'attack' these top sides , they will absorb it and pick you off , so as much as I was disappointed when Trippier started in front of Saka or Grealish , I get it and it almost worked.
I think on balance Southgate got his selections and tactics right and we simply fell a bit short against one the better teams in the world - no shame.

 

[Floval Flyer]

Felt pretty down after last night, but we have more important business now. Us winning the NL. I’d take that !!

One thing, Harry Maguire’s penalty! That was pure Adam Barrett !

 

[Whispering Bob]

Apparently Saka was nailing penalties in training. And they do practice them methodically, including the long dreaded walk from the half-way (obviously without the insane pressure).

 

[Microbe]

I don't think we lost the game due to the pens.

We lost it when we allowed Italy back into the game in the second half.

We should have kept playing the pressing possession football from the first half which was working so well to keep them out of the game.

Having let them back in, trying to absorb the increasing pressure that they were building led to the equaliser and stopped us scoring the killer 2nd goal and going on to win.

When on top we (England and Southend) need to keep the pressure on and kill off the opposition's hope of getting back into the game.

Great tournament for us and i am proud of ALL of the squad and management team.

Bring on the world Cup!

 

[RHB]

Southgate wont be sacked.But in 18 months time there is a lot more chance he will stop.
If those idiots at the FA did sack him who could they put in charge??
Southgate does everything well(other than sometimes his tactics)..he fits the FA bill,talks well never rocked the boat etc. But we dont produce good managers.If we did,the Prem league would not be full of foreigners.How many English managers work abroad in top leagues?
What i would do is wait till after the next world cup and then see .And if then they still think he is the best man,ok.
TBH,if GS went today,for what ever reason, i cannot see him getting a top class job.We must stick with him till after the w/c.
As for a knighthood !!!

Sven-Goran Eriksson, Fabio Capello - Seems to me that these two didn't exactly set the England team alight in terms of competition success. Managing an national side is nowhere near the same as managing a league club. Tell you what though @ozzie, we did manage to turn the Germans over quite convincingly, mind you that was obviously a fluke and nothing to do with Southgate.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I think from Southgate's press conference he won't be here after 2022 and who can blame him?

 

[southendkid]

I don't think we lost the game due to the pens.

We lost it when we allowed Italy back into the game in the second half.

We should have kept playing the pressing possession football from the first half which was working so well to keep them out of the game.

Having let them back in, trying to absorb the increasing pressure that they were building led to the equaliser and stopped us scoring the killer 2nd goal and going on to win.

When on top we (England and Southend) need to keep the pressure on and kill off the opposition's hope of getting back into the game.

Great tournament for us and i am proud of ALL of the squad and management team.

Bring on the world Cup!

I'm not sure if the second half was a change in tactics, I think Manchini might have just worked us out at half time and told his team to not let us play our game. They seemed to work out after the break that balls in behind our centre backs was a weakness they could exploit.

 

[hlane17]

I think from Southgate's press conference he won't be here after 2022 and who can blame him?

He's made leaps of progress but this was the chance and I think he knows that. We could have buried the Italians in that first 45 if we didn't drop so deep.

2022 will be vastly more difficult, with teams from South America, Africa and Asia to contend with.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I really felt for Saka, no way should someone so young be taking a pen of that magnitude. In my opinion Sterling should’ve stepped up, or someone else more senior. Anyway, the best team won so congratulations to Italy. We did great to get to the final.

Astounding. Two teenagers and a bit part player what was GS thinking?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1412298947025113092

 

[Rayleigh boy]

When Saka stepped up everyone knew it was too much ....

Southgate under pressure made the wrong decision.

I think he froze during the quarter final as well ...

Winners and losers ... ...

 

[Kris]

Personally believe that we got to the final despite Southgate and not because of him.

He is too worried about trying not to lose a match than trying to win it as shown by the ridiculously delayed Grealish appearance.

However he suits the FA mentality of being good for the cameras.

How he could thinks Saka at 5 was a good decision amazes me and I fear for the harm that this has done to this young lads future and hope the poor kid is strong enough to get over it.

Best player for us was Rice yet he takes him off and brings on Henderson - unless he was injured then what a poor decision that was.

As they say, it’s the hope that kills.

Incredibly harsh. In his time as England manager Southgate has taken England to a World Cup semi-final, a Nations League semi-final and a Euros final. He is tactically sound; not afraid to change formation/system to match up with opponents and has an eye on which players are best suited to certain games. Success (in relative terms) like that doesn't come by accident.

Under Capello we couldn't get beyond the second round and under Hodgson and Sven we couldn't go beyond the quarters in either competition.

Rice was knackered, that's why he came off.

Southgate has been anti-Grealish throughout, he and he alone should take the blame for that result last night. We've played with a defensive set up throughout, with an unbelievable 7 outfield defensive players starting last night in a game we had to win to win the competition.

To have scored as early as we did was a bit unfortunate as we then sat back on that rather than try to create, Mount wasn't played in the role he does at Chelsea and consequently hasn't exactly set the world on fire in his England role. Game was calling out for the inventiveness of Grealish or Foden.

Our hero last night was Pickford, he did what you hope your goalkeeper is going to do in saving two penalties, one of which was Italy's Mr 100% in Jorginho. The penalty takers were wrong, to have had the two young players after each other was wrong, and I don't understand why Grealish, who takes them for Villa, wasn't in our first five takers? Or Sterling, for that matter. Rashford has rarely produced in an England shirt, I'd have rather seen Calvert-Lewin come on as a penalty taker. Rashford's penalty was terrible.

Italy deserve some credit for marking Sterling out of the game, he should have been oiked off as they had him pinned down throughout. Dirty gits though as usual, both Chielini and Jorginho should have had red cards in my opinion. Ref was weak in that respect. Have to say our defence gave Immobile the same treatment as Sterling, so credit to them.

Hugely disappointing end to a tournament.

I'm a big fan of Grealish as well but in fairness Shaw and Sterling developed an excellent partnership on the left through the competition so it's understandable why Grealish was used as a sub. To be honest I think he is best used from the bench anyway when the game gets stretched.

Regarding the defensive set-up, it may look like that on paper but our goal last night was created and finished by our two wing-backs! Shaw was also largely our most effective attacking option on the left and created most of our chances.

As for the penalties, Southgate said that the five were chosen based on training. I wouldn't have chosen Saka myself but if he is banging in penalties for fun in training then I guess it's understandable. I know it's a cliche but when Switzerland score all five of their pens against France but only one against Spain it epitomises the whole lottery definition. To be honest, the penalty success rate in the entire competition was shockingly poor.