I actually thought Sancho deserved a shot over Grealish. Grealish is clearly far more naggy and prescious. It is the only time I felt a little dissapointed in Southgate.
Final: Italy vs England
- Thread starter ivaldo
- Start date
My only worry as an England fan is jorginho and verrati against rice and Philips. Both better technically and creatively compared to the England pair. Both rice and Philips were poor yesterday and did not play enough progressive forward passes. The midfield battle will be important. Italy scoring first would make it very difficult for us. I would start grealish over mount as I think mount hasn't done enough to start the final.
Add in Barella and that could very well be a massacre.
We should roll out Paul Potts to sing Nessun Dorma as the players are coming out.
I think it's quite an even match-up on paper, should make for a great final. I think England edge out Italy in defence and attack, but Italy's Midfield and Goalkeeper are far superior.
Come on Italy. Beat these Englishmen. England winning something is similar to Liverpool winning for me. Cannot stand the media wankfest in England.
I don't know what's going on, I think I might actually be rooting for England.
I'm a United supporter first and an England supporter a distance second. In fact, I'd 100% would swap a win on Sunday for a win against Leeds on the first day of the season.
That being said, football thankfully doesn't work like that. So I'm still going to be fully behind England in the final and cheering as much as anyone.
What I don't get is the animosity towards England. The likes of Shaw and Maguire have both suffered from well publicised confidence issues in the last couple of seasons. Imagine what a boost they'd get from lifting a trophy with their country and how much that could help them on the domestic front.
From a purely selfish point of view, it can only be beneficial to United if England win.
Maguire and Stones over Chiellini and Bonucci?
It’s a very hard match to call, this. The two best teams of the tournament, IMO, and that’s great in itself to see as we rarely get treated to that in a final of a knockout competition.
Goalkeeper: Italy
Defence: England (marginally)
Midfield: Italy
Attack: England
Managers: Italy
Venue: England
Two contrasting styles, too, which further adds to the intrigue. I can see Southgate picking a very conservative XI again and hope to go 1-0 up before seeing out the game from there. Italy should be able to control the middle third but I don’t see them creating as many chances against England as they did against other teams previous.
It’s a 50/50 call, for me, but fully expect a low-scoring affair. I’ll go 1-1 AET and then onto the ‘lottery’ of penalties, just to keep in tune with the drama of the tournament to date…
Goalkeeper: Italy
Defence: England (marginally)
Midfield: Italy
Attack: England
Managers: Italy
Venue: England
Two contrasting styles, too, which further adds to the intrigue. I can see Southgate picking a very conservative XI again and hope to go 1-0 up before seeing out the game from there. Italy should be able to control the middle third but I don’t see them creating as many chances against England as they did against other teams previous.
It’s a 50/50 call, for me, but fully expect a low-scoring affair. I’ll go 1-1 AET and then onto the ‘lottery’ of penalties, just to keep in tune with the drama of the tournament to date…
This is going to be 0-0 and then Italy on pens.
Welcome to.....THE EDL!
Chiesa will dive and win a penalty to win the euroes and the forum will be awash by patriotic England fans who will suddenly see the moral side of diving like they did a day ago.
Jokes on you, even if football wasn't to come home (which it 100% is doing) we'd have our own 'dare to dream' type of thing.
Good summary. Definitely two best teams.
Chiesa scares me the most, think he'll cause us all kinds of problems. Hope slabhead knocks the shit out of him.
Congrats to Italy, can't say they didn't deserve it over the course of the tournament, they played as a team and something something Chiellini "godfather of defending" etc.
England didn't bring it home but they had people cheering for their national team who had given up years ago. Southgate deserves credit for making this team and the fans believe again.
England didn't bring it home but they had people cheering for their national team who had given up years ago. Southgate deserves credit for making this team and the fans believe again.
Ever heard of the Scots, Welsh and Irish? They define themselves in relation to England - hating on us is a big part of their national identity. "Rent Free" springs to mind.
I think our full backs put our defence above there's.
Are you a time traveller?
You forgot the fullbacks. Shaw and Walker are better than Emerson and Di Lorenzo
England's defence deserves massive credit. The amount of times I've heard defenders say the calming presence of a gk is so important, and they play in front of a headbanging weirdo
Should be pretty even overall. Will be decided by England's wide forwards against Italy's fullbacks respectively the midfield battle, where i see Italy dominating. Cant wait for it. Just happy to see a new winner and not always the same old Germany, France, Portugal and Spain
We've only conceded one goal and it was a from a free kick that a keeper with longer arms saves nine times out of ten.
Looking forward to this. I was thinking that football usually throws out a hard luck story in these tournaments and that the teams that make the final aren't necessarily the best but in this instance I'd say the two best teams have made it.
You're a United fan but you hate England? That's so strange.
I do find it odd how people from other countries who have such a strong dislike for England and English people can support an English club. It just seems a real conflict of interest, can't quite understand it, especially when so many of our players play for England.
Doesn’t Chong has a year left on his contract? What not sell him or even sell him for £0 but with a percentage of future sale or a buyback clause? Don’t see why you’d loan out a player in his last year of contract
A nation's pride the dirty water on the rivers
Björn Kuipers is the ref. At least a bit of Orange in the final. Hope he scores a goal.
Are you lost?
2012 - Chelsea win the Champions League. Italy lose the euros final.
2021 - Chelsea win the Champions League. Italy .....
2021 - Chelsea win the Champions League. Italy .....
Not that difficult to understand. You have people from England who do not like your football team.
More than the team, the fans and the media make the team very unlikable.
It will go through the roof if England win anything. Here's for Italy to win.
I get and share your dislike for the English media, but hating the fans makes no sense whatsoever when many of them also support United along with you.
Each to their own I guess.
Fecking weirdo right
I always thought the English team failed, because the domestic rivalries were to intense. Surely Rio Ferdinand doest want to pass the ball to Steven Gerrard.
The fans are insufferable. Pretty much the entire planet agreed with this at this point. Exemplified by people genuinely convincing themselves that the penalty awarded last night was fair, the booing of the national anthem, the laser shone in Schmeichel's face etc. etc. That's just last night, also. There's a fine and detailed history of English football hooliganism dating back decades.
Hence, it's perfectly fair and reasonable to draw a line between supporting United and supporting England. Lots of United fans born in England don't support England. Same with a lot of Liverpool fans, in fact.
Wrong thread but to answer the question the club has a 1 year extension option so I imagine that with no serious offers right now they would hope a season in the Championship with Birmingham will improve his value either to where we see him as a genuine squad option or can at least command a proper transfer fee next summer.
What point are you making here? I'm sorry pal but this is all becoming rather odd I must say.
I assume you're on the wind up rather than genuinely holding these views however it's been difficult to tell with some of what I've read on the Caf over the past 24 hours.