I can't remember all your musings. Just the way you said them
Day 26: England vs Croatia Waist Coat Semi-Final
- Thread starter K2K
- Start date
preciousWildly off topic, but we do elect our EU representarives.
Pleased about that.
Was hoping for a France-England final. Oh well. Kane had an off day and you really could use one or two midfielders capable of dictating play.
He’s probably Irish too
From Hyde Park. The balls on this guy.
right so you are full of shit
Rado you're such an oik
Bending over, twice
feck that, i mean, he could handle it with easy, after so many domestic derbies he was ref on, world cup is like vocation but his progress is weird to say the least. Dunno how rated he is outside, among neutral fans etc.
We f’d that right up. Got an early lead, something to defend and mentally went at half time.
England never emerged from the dressing room after the interval in normal time.
What burns the most is we avoided the Neymar, Messi, Suarez, Ronaldo side of the draw and still f’d it up. The final was less than 90 minutes away after Trippier’s goal and we bottled it.
Southgate should take some blame too. He saw us getting overrun in midfield by Rakitic and Modric and didn’t do anything. His one midfield change was a straight swap: Dier for Henderson. That offered our overworked back line no extra protection, and we all know what happens when you pressure Stones. That’s why Pep bought Laporte...
Just look at how France managed a 1-0 last night. We just don’t have that mentality. I’ll be shocked if we ever get such a sweet draw again. It really feels like we’ve chucked away our best chance since 1966. In 1990 Germany knocked us out at this stage. The England team that couldn’t take Mattheus’ Germany would’ve beaten this Croatia.
England never emerged from the dressing room after the interval in normal time.
What burns the most is we avoided the Neymar, Messi, Suarez, Ronaldo side of the draw and still f’d it up. The final was less than 90 minutes away after Trippier’s goal and we bottled it.
Southgate should take some blame too. He saw us getting overrun in midfield by Rakitic and Modric and didn’t do anything. His one midfield change was a straight swap: Dier for Henderson. That offered our overworked back line no extra protection, and we all know what happens when you pressure Stones. That’s why Pep bought Laporte...
Just look at how France managed a 1-0 last night. We just don’t have that mentality. I’ll be shocked if we ever get such a sweet draw again. It really feels like we’ve chucked away our best chance since 1966. In 1990 Germany knocked us out at this stage. The England team that couldn’t take Mattheus’ Germany would’ve beaten this Croatia.
Not when the team has United players in though surely? I will want France to win on Sunday for Pogba
feck me, I am on several deadlines, but I am really thinking on going to Zagreb for the final. I just need to resist not getting the ticket now that I am drunk.
That's why I think excluding Wilshere was a bad decision.
Also the subs in this game were poor. Ali was doing nothing on the pitch yet he played on and Henderson who was spraying the ball better took out for a more defensive lesser passer dier. Even Rashfords introduction dint help much as he does not look polished one bit and sterlings creativity looked more threatening than Rashfords runs.
Absolutely gutted, we were completely on top in the first half. Go in at half time 2-0 and we’re in the final
I haven't been following the thread so this has probably all been said already. As an Irish man I'm surprised at how bad I feel for England - was properly shouting for them throughout this competiiton.
At the end of the day, you had the best midfield on the tournament against Jordan Henderson. Then they took him off for Eric Dier while they brought on Kovacic to play alongside Modric and Rakitic. When England needed to create they simply didn't have enough.
A brilliantly run campaign by Southgate and his team but ultimately, England didn't have the quality in the middle of the field when it mattered. Southgate deserves four more years to bring the quality coming through into this fold.
Pickford, Trippier, Maguire, Walker, Henderson, Lingard and Kane had quality campaigns and will all be stronger for future tournaments, with hopefully a bit more spark from talents like Gomes, Foden, Alexander-Arnold, Cook, Sessegnon, Sancho and others coming through.
Well done England. You should all be very proud of that side.
At the end of the day, you had the best midfield on the tournament against Jordan Henderson. Then they took him off for Eric Dier while they brought on Kovacic to play alongside Modric and Rakitic. When England needed to create they simply didn't have enough.
A brilliantly run campaign by Southgate and his team but ultimately, England didn't have the quality in the middle of the field when it mattered. Southgate deserves four more years to bring the quality coming through into this fold.
Pickford, Trippier, Maguire, Walker, Henderson, Lingard and Kane had quality campaigns and will all be stronger for future tournaments, with hopefully a bit more spark from talents like Gomes, Foden, Alexander-Arnold, Cook, Sessegnon, Sancho and others coming through.
Well done England. You should all be very proud of that side.
Team has also Liverpool players, and Chelsea players, and City players, so players from rival teams. And Alli.
Did you enjoy rooting for a team captained from Gerrard and Terry? You bought their shirt, didn't you?
Wasnt anything celebratory about it. Chuffed for them they went through, congrats!
Slightly preferred a France England final, but there ya go.
Will we ever get a better opportunity?
"Can't complain because of the ride I've had"
Ian Wright over-sharing there.
Ian Wright over-sharing there.
I thought so too.
There’s a difference between not supporting and gloating. I find the latter a bit weird.
Put yourself in the shoes of an oik for once Welsh Waldner.
This is a big difference between England and most other countries I’ve been to. In The Netherlands virtually everyone cheers for anyone wearing the orange. I dont care if our captain plays for Ajax or Psv, that’s just his day job.
Though Dutch clubs have nothing international to play for I suppose. Though it wasnt much different in the 90s.
Dominated
They had 22 shots to 11 for England, 7 on target to 2 for England, more possession and twice as many corners. England didn't have a shot on target since that Kane chance in the first half, that is for nearly 90 min. You were bang average after that chance.
The lengths you anti-England lot will go in order to diminish our national team's achievement in this world cup is incredible. At least our country was represented in the world cup and actually done themselves proud.
My analysis in summary
We scored early, decided to play deep and counter from then on. Being so deep we constantly attempted long balls forward to Kane and Sterling, which meant constant sprints. Progressive sprints on the counter led to our players getting tired a lot quicker than theirs. By the second half their constant possession was made easier by the above fact. Being tired led to less runs to break the press, less runs into space for options and more static movement in our own half.
We scored early, decided to play deep and counter from then on. Being so deep we constantly attempted long balls forward to Kane and Sterling, which meant constant sprints. Progressive sprints on the counter led to our players getting tired a lot quicker than theirs. By the second half their constant possession was made easier by the above fact. Being tired led to less runs to break the press, less runs into space for options and more static movement in our own half.
One nil and we fecked it up. We'll never get closer to winning it again. Not in my lifetime, anyway.
Heartbreaking but congrats to Croatia. They got stronger as the game progressed from 2nd half onwards and after they scored it looked like it was going only one way. Shame we couldn’t capitalise more on our first half dominance but such is life.
Proud of these lads, of how far they got and how they fought today. They’re a young bunch and they’ll get stronger.
Proud of these lads, of how far they got and how they fought today. They’re a young bunch and they’ll get stronger.
Thanks for the post. I agree. The amount of times Henderson played awful balls when Sterling and Lingard were running in behind in the first half was doing my head in. He doesn't turn well with the ball either. With that system we need more quality in that position and also from the positions Sterling and Alli take up.
I fecking can't believe England is not even at the final... just can't believe it, and I hate it.
I am from Kosovo and I think that together with Kuipers, he is the best in business. He is also one of four UEFA referees who is still in the competition (the others are Cakir, Rocchi and Kuipers) so I guess that UEFA rates him as one of their top 4 refs. And there has been a tradition that who referees UCL (current year or the year before) final, refs also WC/Euros competition. Webb, Clattenburg, Proenca, Rizzoli did all that, so the starts are aligned for Mazic.
Of course, Croatia being in final, makes it less likely.
Just imagine how stronger would be our(Bosnian) team with all those players, including Ibrahimović.
Enough that if they'd voted remain, overall vote wouldve been remain (just). They contributed as did all the component countries.... the difference is they're such a bitter, small country, they always blame someone else. Love it if they leave the UK, they'd be bankrupt in 20 years.
Think Roy Keane has used the phrase "At the same time" about 5 times in the same argument there...
England struggled to create much of note from open play throughout the tournament. Pretty severe lack of creativity – and pretty much zero x-factor in that team (unless being effective on set pieces can be called an x-factor).
And shaky at the back when put under anything like serious pressure. Players who are good as long as they don't have to step up in a critical situation. Stones embodies that perfectly, I think.
Croatia weren't brilliant on the night (started so sluggishly that they could have fecked it all up – second goal for England and I doubt they would've prevailed) but they do have players – several of them – who's got a little something extra in their locker (and who consistently make use of it, not least).
And shaky at the back when put under anything like serious pressure. Players who are good as long as they don't have to step up in a critical situation. Stones embodies that perfectly, I think.
Croatia weren't brilliant on the night (started so sluggishly that they could have fecked it all up – second goal for England and I doubt they would've prevailed) but they do have players – several of them – who's got a little something extra in their locker (and who consistently make use of it, not least).
Keane has probably never been happier in his life. Look at him ffs, giving it the reasonable neighbourly critique while gently attacking England in every sentence.
LOL Keane sticking into the English pundits.
Keano