It was daft to make him the 5th taker but lets not act like this was 16 yr old Theo, the kid's played in european finals for both club and country
Final: Italy vs England
- Thread starter ivaldo
- Start date
But England's forwards and defence are much better or atleast the forwards are. If your midfield cant control it you would think you would stack the midfield to win on numbers but instead he rather play 5 at the back. In addition you would think if you're losing the midfield battle you want people that can hold the ball in the front 3, then he plays Mount and Saka.
He's been getting away with it against poorer opposition all throughout the tournament. When the margins are smaller he was found wanting like so many thought
Maguire's penalty was probably the best of the entire Euros. 
Kane is too slow. Just a flat track bully who bullied weaker teams but disappeared against stronger opponents. Much better to just bring in DCL. Or even Defoe or Calum Wilson.
Not playing Grealish until the end is a mystery.
As I predicted it was too close to call and the game panned out exactly the way I predicted: the longer the game went the likelier Italy were going to win. I wanted England to win but it wasn't to be. In any case, I'm just happy it's Italy lifting the trophy and not some feckwit side like Belgium... as a matter of fact I'm quite happy with any outcome as long as it isn't Belgium.
What are you on about? What European final did saka play in for arsenal? When did he play even a game for England before this season? Give your head a wobble. He's 19 and his first full season with a poor arsenal team.
Gutted for our lads and Saka. He's a kid who doesn't deserve the weight of the world on his shoulders. Abusing him solves nothing.
On the game itself, it was lost when England allowed them to have the initiative. We tried to defend a 1-0 lead for the whole game, against a team with a clear plan, a dominant midfield
and the best manager. Realistically, they deserved it.
I can't help but think all the stars aligned for England though, and it still wasn't enough.
On the game itself, it was lost when England allowed them to have the initiative. We tried to defend a 1-0 lead for the whole game, against a team with a clear plan, a dominant midfield
and the best manager. Realistically, they deserved it.
I can't help but think all the stars aligned for England though, and it still wasn't enough.
Take your pick. Let's start with the cheating.
Did Italy not have any dodgy decisions go their way?
How about arrogance, well known for being humble the Italians...
The booing. Yep, Italy also guilty of it, amongst other teams fans.
The home fixtures. Both Italy and Germany played all of their group fixtures at home, dunno about Spain or anybody else, I can't be arsed checking. Wembley was a chosen venue long before the tournament started, it just so happened that England ended up there.
Dire football, Italy were shite in the first half. England the second. In fact, nobody was really great at all in this competition.
The fighting and stuff, granted. But there's wankers from all nations. Look at the Russians in 2018, they basically just attacked people at will, young and old.
So, that just leaves the laser pen. And let's be honest, it could've happened at any game, probably has only it's not been noticed or mentioned.
Try again.
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Eh, what has this got to do with anything?
So one idiotic fan characterises all of them?
Okay but again, the actions of a minority here. Should we say all Italian fans are racist because of the problem tackling racism in Italian football?
Every club gets awarded soft penalties. Stop watching football if it bothers you this much.
England were poor sure, but aside from Chiesa, who in Italy actually played well up front?
Who is "they"? Why should the UK media have to focus on any of this shit?
Wtf? Arrogance in what way? A bloody song
?He's had two seasons both with european experience and won cups with them. But keep on crying if you want.
We’re supposed to be respectful to other posters but this is a stupid comment. Black players get abuse for doing nothing at all, of course the morons are going to be firing off the racist tweets in a situation where they miss penalties.
So, were all those posters who said that Italy had no chance when they were 1-0 down clueless or just trying to jinx?
Yes.
England played 6 of their 7 games at home and still couldn't win a major tournament. Does anyone believe England are capable of winning one? Italy couldn't have started the game any worse but by the 30th minute they were bossing the game. The real final was the Italy-Spain game.
Italy played much more progressive, attacking football than England. Even after they tied.
Bonucci played a ball that split the entire England midfield.
Chiellieni played LB playmaker even in extra time.
Apart from two or three Sterling attacks in the box, I don’t remember another significant attack from England all game.
Southgate set up the midfield to be a second layer of defense, replacing hard workers with other hard workers. I can’t remember the English midfield putting together a single meaningful chain of passes, the Italian midfield showed skill in both attack and defense, outwitting and outplaying England throughout the game.
The English conservatism worked all tournament as they could soak the attacks of subpar opponents, and rely on Sterling/Kane to open up on the counter or a Sterling dribble. It doesn’t work against quality — it barely held for Denmark.
I think back to how England managed Lampard/Gerrard/Scholes and its willingness to play an unbalanced team to keep stars happy. Now it’s playing defensive football so it doesn’t have to take the front foot and fail.
If Southgate played attacking football after Shaw’s goal and lost, he’d have been slaughtered. As it is, England lost on penalties — a luck-based event — and Southgate escapes major scrutiny. True to to stereotype, the English upper class are just overly concerned with optics and appearances.
Mancini by contrast dared to select and play some of the most interesting and adventurous — with all the limited players on mind — football in a major tournament. Really the forward line is barely known in football and their bench is probably closer to unknown. There are no marquee forwards in this side. And yet Chiellini played better attacking football than Harry Kane.
Well deserved, Italy.
Bonucci played a ball that split the entire England midfield.
Chiellieni played LB playmaker even in extra time.
Apart from two or three Sterling attacks in the box, I don’t remember another significant attack from England all game.
Southgate set up the midfield to be a second layer of defense, replacing hard workers with other hard workers. I can’t remember the English midfield putting together a single meaningful chain of passes, the Italian midfield showed skill in both attack and defense, outwitting and outplaying England throughout the game.
The English conservatism worked all tournament as they could soak the attacks of subpar opponents, and rely on Sterling/Kane to open up on the counter or a Sterling dribble. It doesn’t work against quality — it barely held for Denmark.
I think back to how England managed Lampard/Gerrard/Scholes and its willingness to play an unbalanced team to keep stars happy. Now it’s playing defensive football so it doesn’t have to take the front foot and fail.
If Southgate played attacking football after Shaw’s goal and lost, he’d have been slaughtered. As it is, England lost on penalties — a luck-based event — and Southgate escapes major scrutiny. True to to stereotype, the English upper class are just overly concerned with optics and appearances.
Mancini by contrast dared to select and play some of the most interesting and adventurous — with all the limited players on mind — football in a major tournament. Really the forward line is barely known in football and their bench is probably closer to unknown. There are no marquee forwards in this side. And yet Chiellini played better attacking football than Harry Kane.
Well deserved, Italy.
What cups? What are you on about? Saka played a half part in his first season and the season just gone was his first full season and was part of a terrible arsenal team that finished mid table. He has never played a champions league game and never played an England game until this season and finally he just turned 19 ffs. Use your brain lad.
I largley agree with this. Sad to see England playing like a minow. We should be on the front foot.
The midfield has been an issue for years though and Southgate has done nothing to change the identity of that midfield. It's comfortable because Italy has simply much better midfield players.
England's midfield pair are good, aggressive ball winners who do deserve praise for what they give but if you want to dominate a game they're not going to help you. Same result against Italy 10 years ago with the great Pirlo and then against Modric in 18, and it happened before with Gerrard and Lampard always looking to be the hero instead of dominating games. England just doesn't produce those midfielders that boss games (or when they do the player gets shunted out to the left wing)
They did look clueless at the time to be fair.
Yeah, Mount is the closest to that kind of midfielders, he even said Modrić was his role model but he was wasted in the Euros and his strength werent used.
As a non-Englishman watching objectively, England lost this due to a lack of bravery, and despite all the good he's done, you have to lay that at Southgate's feet. It's clear he doesn't trust many of his best attackers, and didn't give Italy enough to deal with defensively once they were back level. Aside from anything else, it was clear England were tired, with Mancini making 5 changes before Southgate made 3. A shootout is an awful way to lose and I really feel for the player who for me have been held back by their manager.
Not saying he should be sacked; for the tournament as a whole the good clearly outweighed the bad, but Southgate needs to learn to be braver or England will never win anything.
Not saying he should be sacked; for the tournament as a whole the good clearly outweighed the bad, but Southgate needs to learn to be braver or England will never win anything.
Completely agree but don't think he is tactically adept to an attacking philosophy. He ignored Grealish throughout even though he always changed the game and was the best in that position.
Gareth has done a fine job but it should be taken over by a better manager if they want to win anything.
It isn't the same. England arguably had better players on the bench than on the pitch.
Manutd played their strongest team, but England did not in my view. Sancho and Grealish should both be starting.
If England can't win a Euro like this, where they had the fortune to be on the weaker side of the bracket while the stronger teams eliminated each other then I can't see it happening anytime soon. Then the group of players isn't bad at all so a good step forward to overcome this loss would be to get rid of Southgate, think he has been abysmal considering the talent at his disposal and how he approaches games, specially the final.
Southgate is a fearful manager. He's got no balls. The squad of players at his disposal and he serves up absolute dross. Mancini would have pissed the Euro's with that England squad.
Serious question - why are England so bad at pens? There wasn't a doubt that italy would win that, was there? not one.
Not going to lie, I love Pickford's haircut. He looks just like the psycho hitchhiker in "Crazy about Mary"
England lost it after 30 minutes. No pressing, no hunger. We were lucky to hold on. Harry Kane nowhere to be seen. Shaw and Sterling our players of the tournament. Cruel way to end it- feel for Saka. Why didn’t Sterling take a pen? Why no Grealish earlier? Italy got their subs right. Congratulations I guess to Italy. Bring on the World Cup!
Dunno, Italy's weren't particularly great either.
What I didn't understand was why saka did exactly the same as sancho.
Both Kane and Maguire showed how to beat donnarumma. Just smash it.
Disappointing in the end. But a deserved win for Italy, the team that seemed to want it more.
Like Southgate as a person & think he’s done a great job at building a fantastic team spirit throughout the England camp. However, his in-game management decisions are extremely questionable:
- Shutting shop after scoring and just allowing Italy to have the ball for what seemed like the whole game. We were never going to be able to park the bus for 88 mins and not concede in an international tournament final.
- Bringing on Henderson & Saka when we needed game winners, instead, bringing them (rashford/Sancho) on with 3 seconds to go.
- Putting Sancho/Saka as the 4th/5th penalty takers. Nothing against Saka & I don’t blame him, but that’s an incredible amount of pressure that Southgate put on a 19 year old.
If England want to be winning tournaments, they need to show a bit less respect to their opponents & go for the jugular. You wouldn’t catch a prime Barcelona, or Brazil parking the bus after 2 mins.
As many people mentioned, doesn’t hurt anywhere near as much as Utd in a CL final.
Like Southgate as a person & think he’s done a great job at building a fantastic team spirit throughout the England camp. However, his in-game management decisions are extremely questionable:
- Shutting shop after scoring and just allowing Italy to have the ball for what seemed like the whole game. We were never going to be able to park the bus for 88 mins and not concede in an international tournament final.
- Bringing on Henderson & Saka when we needed game winners, instead, bringing them (rashford/Sancho) on with 3 seconds to go.
- Putting Sancho/Saka as the 4th/5th penalty takers. Nothing against Saka & I don’t blame him, but that’s an incredible amount of pressure that Southgate put on a 19 year old.
If England want to be winning tournaments, they need to show a bit less respect to their opponents & go for the jugular. You wouldn’t catch a prime Barcelona, or Brazil parking the bus after 2 mins.
As many people mentioned, doesn’t hurt anywhere near as much as Utd in a CL final.
It is arrogance to say that. They bottled it. Still an achievement.
It's small time to be proud of a second place medal.
Maybe for Spain or France but England?
Nah second place is nothing, sorry.
*yobsYou have fans
Thats the kinda shit on a stick attitude of modern youth I'd expect. Entitled arseholes who can't handle not being no.1.
It really isn’t arrogance it’s realism. You are taught in sport that second place is nothing. Having a medal of that just reminds you of your failure. Not for me!