Holmes_and_Watson

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Motif

After watching the England and Scotland performances, any side able to string 3 passes together looks impressive. 🙂

Walker got in some decent challenges in the back 3 (put off someone's header as part of that - Maguire's aerial presence a miss). It might push Trippier up a bit. Could have 5-3-2 with the 3 being Mainoo, Rice and Bellingham, with Foden in an area, slightly left of Kane. Harsh on Saka who starts well, but then gets marked and England don't work to get him space. Saka at left wing back seems a bit of a stretch. But yeah, hard to see Southgate making such a change. It's other things that are mostly the problem. Tempo, transition, fluidity of movement, players not in their best roles.

Waiting for the flurry of incoming players this evening, with us taking advantage of PRS issues... 🙂

That wasn't far away from them. Just a reminder of how positively they started the game.

Yeessss!! What a turnaround.

Worrying on a number of levels. 🙂

Play to the final whistle, but what a shot to save Southgate.

Yeeeeesssss!!!

Toney coming on for the all important shake of the refs hand with seconds to go.

Palmer again looking for width, but there's none.

Palmer just raising his arms. Foden had come deep and centrally and there was no options at all.

Patiently wait for the next manager. So about 10 minutes. 🙂

Sadly, the PL clubs have players, who selflessly support this lot each week. 🙂

Post! Gah!

I had that counted for Kane.

Can't wait for the TAA world class goal when he's allowed on at 90 mins

Decision making is so poor. Bellingham makes a central run. Rice prefers a far riskier ball out to the otherwise. An absolute reluctance to drive a game. They all do it, and then look to each other when it happens to them. It had to be drilled in from the coaches. And it wasn't. You can see the animosity of individuals not working as a unit, but blaming each other.

Yay!

Palmer for ... Trippier. Saka taking up his preferred...left back position sigh.

Southgate will look to the offside Foden effort, and Mainoo giving up and running at goal himself, as progress. 🙂

Quite a bit of hands in the air at each other. But they've all had their moments of doing statue imitations.

Martin always had the goal of trying to move opponents, allowing passing opportunities at pace. We got to see the best and worst of that developing. It doesn't seem as though Southgate really knows what the outcomes of trying that approach are, or how to get there. Trusting far too much on individuals in a system that requires teamwork to be effective. Then hampering it further by putting in players who aren't good fits to the system. Foden/ Trippier mentioned a lot. But setting up to move opponents, and not doing it to support Saka, who is keen to get behind has been very frustrating.

Passing it back and across. Fine, because it drew them out. Good pass through the midfield. Going well. Got to Foden, who could have gone out into the space. But he automatically cuts in and back it goes. Southgate 45 mins from the end of his time. I think he was going to choose to go anyway at the end of the tournament. But to go out with a whimper is poor. And to go out because you didn't have Shaw, Maguire and Henderson covering up basic gaps is pretty grim.