• 16 Jun 2024, 10:35 p.m.

    Harry Kane might very well give Chicken In Wellies a run for his money. He was running in concrete. Dreadful performance. I would have put on Watkins to at least get behind Serbia who basically just stood behind ‘Arry. TAA looked nervous to me. Obviously a fine player but didn’t look comfortable tonight.

    I see that people are coming around to liking my bum boy Gallagher. He is not tidy but he gets stuck in and against Serbia that is okay.

    Jude Bellingham is a magnificent player but in the second half I notified a bit of show boating when a simple pass would have sufficed. He could get injured being that cocky. He is a mercurial talent and we are lucky to have him but needs to maybe wind it in and keep it simple when the games are close. Simple bit of coaching should do it.

    All i all, a pretty straight forward win. Foden didn’t have a good game but I thought Saka who was not getting any decisions (racism?) played very well and Jarrod (I train by carrying sacks of potatoes at my uncle’s farm) looked very good when he came in.

    Special shout out to Marc Guehi. Best defender easily. Nice young talent.

    Also an odd decision to put Manoo on for Bellingham when Cole Palmer was right there. I suppose we were seeing out the game.

    We will get through the group but I suspect the Dane’s will probably cause us bother because they always do.

    Chicago: Easily satisfied.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 10:37 p.m.

    With the balance of this squad, and playing the invisible deadlegs up front, we are not going to dominate at set pieces. So TAA's ability to play exocet winklepickers from anywhere on the pitch has a massive value. Defensively as well as offensively. It reduces the times we get turned over in the middle of the park transitioning, and with a completely absent focal point, we need someone to hit the forward players on the move. It's really not easy. There's none better at it.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 10:39 p.m.

    I only caught the second half but heard him use the phrase 'take the sting out of the game' in reference to keeping possession at least four times.

    It's horrible, hackneyed stuff.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 10:39 p.m.

    Reminded me a bit of Paul Parker. How he talked, how he looked (on and off the pitch).

  • 16 Jun 2024, 10:49 p.m.

    Ok, but as an advocate of playing without the ball, you surely have to recognise his deficiencies in that department.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 10:53 p.m.

    Sure, but I thought he was positionally good today. I don't think I'd put him in the bottom three without the ball today (Kane, Foden, Trippier). Trips, for me, seems to have dodged a bullet on a terrible performance. Nobody seems to have really noticed.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 10:55 p.m.

    Everyone I know thinks TAA was really poor today.

    It's no surprise to me that Tricky has awarded him MOTM.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 11 p.m.

    Tricky sees special things that others (even people like Pochettino, Pep and Tuchel) can't.

    I am half with him on TAA though. He's good even though he's a liability.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 11:05 p.m.

    You're right, Trippier was really bad and probably a big part of the reason that Foden was so anonymous. Not sure who else can play there though.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 11:09 p.m.

    I'm sure they see things just fine, and understand the dilemmas faced by risk/reward. Also the limits of what you have, and how to set up to maximise it. Even if it's not how you might ideally like to play. The best coaches in the world argue about such things late into the night. Often.

    It's only thick twats who believe in one true certain way.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 11:10 p.m.

    Gomez.

    .... but selection is not tactics. Don't have a left back, or any left sided players? Then don't set up in a way that requires at least two out of ten to hold a left side, and don't leave the best naturally left footed player capable of protecting an out of position full or wing back at home.

    .... but we are where are.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 11:13 p.m.

    I'll agree I'm not a fan of playing a RB (Trippier) at LB .... honestly if he'd decided to play for England I'd be happy with Aina there at the moment. It's a shame that Chilwell is injured as, despite my reservations, he'd definitely be in the team.

    I have very little opinion on Gomez playing there. Does he do it much for Liverpool?

  • 16 Jun 2024, 11:20 p.m.

    He's been largely first choice there while Robertson has been injured. He's looked strong, quick, and powerful - back to his best. He's really a centre back, but can cover either full back position. Better defensively than Trippier, but Trips gets the nod for his set pieces.

    He took no set pieces.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 11:37 p.m.

    This team is not short of players who can take a set piece. Pick any team you like from the 26 and there are probably 3 or 4 who can take an excellent free kick or corner, so I agree that that is no reason to select him.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 11:38 p.m.

    Nor is his form. He's been garbage. Today was entirely typical.

  • 16 Jun 2024, 11:51 p.m.

    Once again, Southgate let the game drift and made no changes until the 70th minute, he then bought on the chaos merchant that is Gallagher rather than asking Wharton or Marino to give some control. I really don't understand his approach. Decent first half, although Serbia came back into it. 5 minutes into the second half it was clear that we had lost control. Rice was babysitting TTA as he is an accident waiting to happen in that position.