England Discussion

Mr Smith

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Conceding two and how easily England were opened up when Iran went through 1v1 is a big question mark.

Bellingham brings a lot more balance to the midfield and was great at ball carrying today.

Three points are three points but plenty to work on for England.
You can't please some people :lol:
 

Ibi Dreams

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Some have higher standards than others I guess.

Conceding 2 to Iran is a problem.
I don't think we'll concede two again until we face a good team tbh. A very fortunate penalty for them when the game was dead and buried doesn't really mean anything
 

Judas

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Some have higher standards than others I guess.

Conceding 2 to Iran is a problem.
Not really, not in the context of the game. It was won when the first went in and 2nd was a joke.

I get being grounded and not going over board, but yeah bit of enjoyment is probably a good idea too.
 

red woppit

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Good start, Southgate let the handbrake off there was some good football and they got up the pitch and pressed Iran high alot.

Be interesting to see if we know stick with the 4-3-3 or will Southgate resort to the back 5 if we get through and play some better sides.

If we stick with 4-3-3 and play with the bravery we saw today, we have a real chance at this world cup, if though we resort to the defensive drab stuff I think better sides will just pick us off.

Best form of defensive is a good offence and we have plenty of talent and depth in that area.
Totally agree, our best players are in midfield and up front, so let's stick with it, and if we do, then I'll change my mind about Southgate.
 

DevilRed

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Will this coward of a manager persist with four at the back?

I think he will revert to form the minute we face half decent opposition.
 

noodlehair

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Never thought I'd be bored watching a 6-2 but that was fecking dull. Felt like watching a pre season game. Iran were beyond awful.

Also didn't help that the ref seemingly wanted the game to go on for longer than the actual world cup.

Also, without meaning to be a party pooper, not wearing an armband because nasty FIFA threatened you with the hideous punishment of a yellow card, is absolutely pathetic. The whole point was meant to be that basic rights are more important than a game of football. If you don't want to protest the second it would actually mean something and make a statement, rather than just allowing you to pretend to be a good person, then you make yourself a part of the problem. Genuinely ashamed of that and tbh makes me give significantly less of a shite if England do well or not.
 

The Purley King

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Surprised at the criticism for Mount, I thought he was doing a lot of important work in the first half. It's not all about end product.

Stats don’t show everything, I felt he was missing for most of the time he was on the pitch, those stats are not great at all when we had so much possession. He should have been involved much more.
also he made 1/1 tackles in 45 minutes ? Whoop di do.
If southgate puts foden in that position I think we go up several notches. Just my opinion but foden looked way better in his brief cameo.
 

SirReginald

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Only 1 really though.
Nooo? It’s definitely 2. Whether you agree with the penalty or not.

If Iran can score against England from open play there are problems. We certainly won’t always be so threatening, in fact I see us going rather conservative against bigger nations but we will always be bad at the back.
 

Remember the geese

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Nooo? It’s definitely 2. Whether you agree with the penalty or not.

If Iran can score against England from open play there are problems. We certainly won’t always be so threatening, in fact I see us going rather conservative against bigger nations but we will always be bad at the back.
Yeah back 5 against the bigger nations for definite. Maybe even as early as a last 16 game against Senegal. For as good as England were today, there were definitely some very sloppy moments. Agreed. The one on one that Pickford turned onto the bar is a goal more often than not. That penalty was a joke though.
 

dugilrath

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The 'sloppy moments' that everyone is complaining about have to be seen in the context of the fact that England were 3 or 4 goals to the good when they occurred and had understandably taken their foot off the gas a bit. Concentration levels would have been higher at 1 or 2-0.

4-3-3 looks right for this squad - moving to a back 3 would be a huge step backwards.
 

shaggy

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Stats don’t show everything, I felt he was missing for most of the time he was on the pitch, those stats are not great at all when we had so much possession. He should have been involved much more.
also he made 1/1 tackles in 45 minutes ? Whoop di do.
If southgate puts foden in that position I think we go up several notches. Just my opinion but foden looked way better in his brief cameo.
Yeah doesn't seem that impressive, 3/3 long passes, 2/2 dribbles, 1 chance created. Big deal.
 

Pintu

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Some have higher standards than others I guess.

Conceding 2 to Iran is a problem.
Conceding goals to lesser teams at 4-0 and 6-1 is quite normal in football. You can't keep the same level of concentration when leading by 4 goals...
 

pascell

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Only 1 really though.
Sure the score was 6-2?
I don't think we'll concede two again until we face a good team tbh. A very fortunate penalty for them when the game was dead and buried doesn't really mean anything
Iran were really poor, they'll be tossing it out with Wales for last place.
Not really, not in the context of the game. It was won when the first went in and 2nd was a joke.

I get being grounded and not going over board, but yeah bit of enjoyment is probably a good idea too.
I agree, as soon as England scored, the game was over, that's how poor Iran were. But the complacency is an issue from England.

It was a good attacking display, the standard of defending was poor though.

The defence of England is a problem though, the better teams will pick greater holes in it if it isn't sorted.
 

dbs235

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Never thought I'd be bored watching a 6-2 but that was fecking dull. Felt like watching a pre season game. Iran were beyond awful.

Also didn't help that the ref seemingly wanted the game to go on for longer than the actual world cup.

Also, without meaning to be a party pooper, not wearing an armband because nasty FIFA threatened you with the hideous punishment of a yellow card, is absolutely pathetic. The whole point was meant to be that basic rights are more important than a game of football. If you don't want to protest the second it would actually mean something and make a statement, rather than just allowing you to pretend to be a good person, then you make yourself a part of the problem. Genuinely ashamed of that and tbh makes me give significantly less of a shite if England do well or not.
Look like you've had a good day then :lol:
 

LittleP14

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Prior to today people on social media were telling us all that Iran were going to be no pushovers, and that England might struggle to get out of the group, that of course being based on the results of Englands Nations League campaign, of which people really should be basing World Cup performances on - most players focus during these games are still with their respective clubs and seasons. A World Cup and Euro tournaments are a different beast altogether.

Now England have smashed Iran people now saying how Iran are poor. Maybe we should reserve judgement until the final game of the group has been played? Maybe England just set up right and played good football, which made Iran look piss poor.

To be fair, I think today was a really good performance by England, probably one of the best group stage performances I’ve seen in a long, long time. Bellingham is going to be a different gravy this tournament.
 

saivet

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Hoping we can beat USA on Friday and the Wales - Iran game is a draw, would secure us top spot I believe.
 

TheReligion

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Nooo? It’s definitely 2. Whether you agree with the penalty or not.

If Iran can score against England from open play there are problems. We certainly won’t always be so threatening, in fact I see us going rather conservative against bigger nations but we will always be bad at the back.
win 6-2 (one being a controversial pen) = big problems

Only the Caf :lol:
 

slyadams

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win 6-2 (one being a controversial pen) = big problems

Only the Caf :lol:
No-one is saying its big problems. There's some concerns obver conceding 2 (the penalty was valid imo) and being opened up a couple more times with relative ease. If the answer is "we were ahead so the concentration dropped", that is also concerning.
 

TheReligion

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No-one is saying its big problems. There's some concerns obver conceding 2 (the penalty was valid imo) and being opened up a couple more times with relative ease. If the answer is "we were ahead so the concentration dropped", that is also concerning.
The penalty was less valid than the one Maguire didn’t get.. it was given out of pity. Anyway.

If anyone takes away concerns after winning their opening WC game and scoring 6 goals then fair enough.

Its the first game of the tournament, peak heat conditions and off a bad run of form. Yes there were errors but England comfortably won and could have had a few more.

They had 82% possession at half time.
 

PoTMS

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One positive to note is that England won't have to play any games in the early/mid/late afternoon kick off slot for the rest of the tournament - if they win the group as expected. All further games (group stage & knockout stage) will be played at 22.00 local time with the only exception being the final should they get there - the game kicking off at 18.00.
 

slyadams

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The penalty was less valid than the one Maguire didn’t get.. it was given out of pity. Anyway.

If anyone takes away concerns after winning their opening WC game and scoring 6 goals then fair enough.

Its the first game of the tournament, peak heat conditions and off a bad run of form. Yes there were errors but England comfortably won and could have had a few more.

They had 82% possession at half time.
I agree, Maguire's was also a penalty, but you can't see "incident 2 isn't a penality because incident 1 was and wasn't given". The error there is incident 1, not incident 2.

The possession can actually be used the other way, with only 22% of the ball Iran scored 2 and could/should have had another.

Again, no-one is saying there are big problems, its just tempering the enthusiasm that there is clearly work to be done there.
 

Andersonson

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" England is going to find it very hard to brake down Iran, they are a good side "

" Grealish and Foden on the bench? Southgate is clueless "

" Iran is shit, this doesnt mean England is good, just lucky with the draw "

" Mount is shit, Sterling is shit "

"Southgate is a pussy, conceding two against Iran is terrible"

:)
 

TheReligion

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I agree, Maguire's was also a penalty, but you can't see "incident 2 isn't a penality because incident 1 was and wasn't given". The error there is incident 1, not incident 2.

The possession can actually be used the other way, with only 22% of the ball Iran scored 2 and could/should have had another.

Again, no-one is saying there are big problems, its just tempering the enthusiasm that there is clearly work to be done there.
England hit the bar and had countless other chances. They annihilated Iran whichever spin you’d like to put on it.
 

Chief123

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Good start, Southgate let the handbrake off there was some good football and they got up the pitch and pressed Iran high alot.

Be interesting to see if we know stick with the 4-3-3 or will Southgate resort to the back 5 if we get through and play some better sides.

If we stick with 4-3-3 and play with the bravery we saw today, we have a real chance at this world cup, if though we resort to the defensive drab stuff I think better sides will just pick us off.

Best form of defensive is a good offence and we have plenty of talent and depth in that area.
My worry is Southgate will go back to the back 5 in the knockout stages. There’s an argument to say he has to as I don’t think a back 2 of Stones and Maguire with only Rice in front is good enough to progress deep into the competition. It really is a shame we don’t have the depth of talent of centre backs like we do have in every other area of the team.
 

JB08

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Honestly, when people moan about the current England team/Southgate I think they are forgetting just how bad England have been for fecking years on end.

Beating (semi-decent opposition in) Iran felt like an extremely easy task today. This was never the case with Hodgson, Capello, McClaren etc. - we would regularly struggle against most teams we would face in competitive matches.
 

GoonerInPeace

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Its a heavy field for players wanting to occupy the forward space either side of Kane. Saka, Sterling, Grealish, Foden, Rashford all fighting for two places really. However I always knew Saka would firm and make the right side his own. Saka should now be penciled in at RW.
 

cesc's_mullet

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While you’re not wrong, it’s just funny how that’s what you take from a game where England scored 6 goals. More than enough goal scoring talent in that squad.

England were really good today. Let’s see if Southgate has the balls to play like that against a top team. Would love to see it but he’ll probably drop a forward and play Saka defensive winger instead.
Nah it was not my take from the actual game - England looked good and obviously flogged Iran.

I had just automatically assumed Toney would have been picked.
 

ryansgirl

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Good start, Southgate let the handbrake off there was some good football and they got up the pitch and pressed Iran high alot.

Be interesting to see if we know stick with the 4-3-3 or will Southgate resort to the back 5 if we get through and play some better sides.

If we stick with 4-3-3 and play with the bravery we saw today, we have a real chance at this world cup, if though we resort to the defensive drab stuff I think better sides will just pick us off.
Best form of defensive is a good offence and we have plenty of talent and depth in that area.
It was nice to see England playing freely and having a goal-fest but it`s doubtful they will be able to do that against a team that is not the shambles of Iran at the present. Iran couldn`t muster any real defence in order to get their good players on the counter-attack and reply to England in the first half, the realities of their life in their nation at the moment also would be weighing heavily on them. They also lost their goalkeeper in the second half, not the way teams come back.

I don`t think England feel complacent and they understand what is ahead once they get out of the group stage but tactics such as having Harry Maguire hanging around the box when an England cross is made etc look fine against the appalling state of the Iranian team. Againt a real working order international team let alone one of the class teams, they will get punished on the counter-attack.