I'm absolutely buzzing already. I bloody wish the final was today.
Final | Spain vs England
- Thread starter top1whoisman
- Start date
I actually agree with this, people who post this sort of stuff should be banned as it warps perception and has lasting damage.
If you are excited for tomorrow just think about the inevitable moment tomorrow you learn Southgate has chosen the same team that scraped past Netherlands.
Why does this feel a much bigger deal than 3 years ago against Italy? That was our first final for 50 plus years, but for some reason this game feels 10 times as huge for me, and I'm not sure why. Does anyone else feel this?
I think this feels a bit more unexpected given how the games have gone.
A video went from supposedly "doing the rounds" to being nowhere to be seen. Presumably the status was still "doing the rounds" when the post was made. Yet simultaneously - immediately from that second - all trace and reference to it, apparently nuked. You can understand why people are suspicious. Even cryptic references to it don't exist.
It's either made up or this has been the most successful and rapid - nee immediate - obliteration of a celebrity news story in the history of the internet.
It's either made up or this has been the most successful and rapid - nee immediate - obliteration of a celebrity news story in the history of the internet.
That's the most reasonable thing he could do. He's in the final and his subs have worked out well. What do you want? Palmer in goal just to excite people?
That's exactly what he will do apart from it being 50/50 whether he starts Shaw or Trippier.
Shaw must start. Trippier looks like he's bricking it every second he's out there.
Spain will be on Rice. Looked slow and hesitant on the ball throughout tournament.
Spain will be on Rice. Looked slow and hesitant on the ball throughout tournament.
There’s no doubt that Spain are the better side, but England may just have the luck of the Irish in their quiver to overcome the Armada of Spanish wingers licking their lips to have a go at Walker and Shaw, who I personally believe have it in them to rely on their experience to repel the Spanish youth.
Everyone on the planet needs to watch this one.
Everyone on the planet needs to watch this one.
I would like a left back who is actually a left back and a striker who looks like he is fit. It's really not that deep. We actually have better players than Spain in a lot of ways. We just have an awful manager. The fact he's lucked and shithoused his way to the final past a few lightweights means nothing. He didn't even figure out that he should be playing Mainoo till three games in, despite it being blindingly obvious to everyone else.
If England win tomorrow - instead of Harry Kane, who will we make fun of for never having won a trophy ?
The pubs will be jammed tomorrow. The worst thing about international pub football is the constant sound of someone having to explain things to someone sat there with an England flag painted on their face who will ask things like whether Michael Owen still plays and if so, when is he coming on and reacting to the half time whistle by asking "so is it penalties now?"
Think partly there’s a feeling that after 50 years of pain, losing back to back finals would almost convince us all it’s never coming home…
I have a feeling we're gonna get an early injury. Maybe Rodri. I dreamt it yesterday.
Dream bigger.
Rodri and Rice. Full on Royal Rumble double clothesline. Both twinge a hammy, needing stretchers. Both get a red card while being carried off.
10 vs 10 while we wait for the substitute music tracks to start.
Kenny Rogers comes over the PA… “THAT’S IVAN TONEYS MUSIC”.
Game finishes with a penalty shoot out. Goes long. Pickford saves Rayas after he’s subbed on for pens. Then Skies his own. Raya reveals his water bottle ‘Pickford - Stay still. Will hit the Moon’.
Adam Wharton scores the winner. Gets arrested after a 3 day stint in Beghain after Mainoo put in a good word with Sven. Right wing media doesn’t know what to do as the fella is devoid of melanin.
England fans don’t cause any trouble. Starmer announces a new referendum for Monday afternoon. We rejoin the EU.
Sven has slipped Wharton a video of Trump getting bummed wearing an Obama shirt in 2016. Trump pulls out the race.
A socialist paradise is unleashed across the western world. Ushered in by Jim Radcliffe as he moves his tax status to Scotland, backs renewables and self funds Social Care.
City get relegated for FFP stuff. Sign Messi and Ronaldo to play in concert as a massive feck you. Get battered by Stoke in the Fa Cup on a cold and rainy Wednesday night. Matter finally settled.
… All this feels more probable than an England win. Reckon we’ll get pumped 3-0.
I feel they have absolute elite talent in Rodri and the 2 wingers, however if you look at it, England is stacked with top class players in every position, so what's the reason Spain feel like such favourites?
Because they play as a cohesive unit with an actual playstyle.
Exactly... And who is responsible for that? And by extension, who is responsible for the apparent lack of such cohesion with England?
One wouldn't guess who have had their manager the longest.
English or Spanish ?
"Say his name, and he'll appear ... I believe in Toney"!
I embarked on that post in the belief that the edible had subsided. I feel it got its second wind a paragraph in.
Just mock Rodri the for bottling his records left right and centre.
Fair play. Classic post. Gave me more than a few chuckles.Don’t think we’ll get “pumped” though. England have more individual quality than Spain, just…. But Spain play as a more cohesive unit. Their defensive unit is extremely suspect, but incredibly well protected by (a) Rodri and (b) their style of play. Nevertheless, if you follow their patterns so far this tournament, they come out like a blizzard, all whirring movement and slick moves. A super high line. Once they wrest control and take a lead, they slowly retreat backwards until they are ultimately defensively sitting on their lead.
There are a couple of keys to this game. If Spain take a first half lead, I think they’ll come out and play very cagily in the second half, and the momentum will swing England’s way. England will need to keep any deficit at half time to one goal and then I think it’ll be a very close match. If Spain go two up, they’ll sit on it and close it out.
The second one is their ultra high line. When in a forward thinking mode in the first half, they’ll push really high and squeeze the play, looking to go ahead. To change the game, England need to get runners in behind to force Spain to want to sit deeper. It’s the primary reason I’d play Watkins and look to release him over the top at every opportunity. We won’t drop Kane, so the second best chance is that we look for Bellingham making runs in behind into all that space they leave. If we don’t do that, we’ll play right into their hands and let them squeeze all the play up into our half.
Creating a fake scandal that could distract Mainoo in order to help Spain win. Fergie level of mind games
Don’t think we’ll get “pumped” though. England have more individual quality than Spain, just…. But Spain play as a more cohesive unit. Their defensive unit is extremely suspect, but incredibly well protected by (a) Rodri and (b) their style of play. Nevertheless, if you follow their patterns so far this tournament, they come out like a blizzard, all whirring movement and slick moves. A super high line. Once they wrest control and take a lead, they slowly retreat backwards until they are ultimately defensively sitting on their lead.
There are a couple of keys to this game. If Spain take a first half lead, I think they’ll come out and play very cagily in the second half, and the momentum will swing England’s way. England will need to keep any deficit at half time to one goal and then I think it’ll be a very close match. If Spain go two up, they’ll sit on it and close it out.
The second one is their ultra high line. When in a forward thinking mode in the first half, they’ll push really high and squeeze the play, looking to go ahead. To change the game, England need to get runners in behind to force Spain to want to sit deeper. It’s the primary reason I’d play Watkins and look to release him over the top at every opportunity. We won’t drop Kane, so the second best chance is that we look for Bellingham making runs in behind into all that space they leave. If we don’t do that, we’ll play right into their hands and let them squeeze all the play up into our half.
Aye. First goal so important. More so for England I think. Score and we may score again as this Spain aren’t the Spain of old and will commit bodies forward. Going 1-0 up really should see us bring on Watkins earlier to exploit counter attacks.
If we concede first I think we’ll struggle. 3-0 is probably unlikely but I’d be amazed if we win without scoring the opener.
Southgate
Because there is an inherent feeling that we have the experience now to take the final step. We’ve experienced losing a final and can use that to win this one. Law of averages too. If you make two finals, you’d expect to win one of them. Getting to two finals back to back makes it feel like there is a relentless inevitability to us finally winning it.
But….the reality is that we are far less likely to win this final than the last one. Spain are a much better team than Italy were
Covid probably. The stadium was half empty in 2021, I cant remember if the pubs were shut or not but we were between lockdowns and I think people became quite indifferent to sport after a year of empty stadiums.
I think that’s a fair assessment. If we go a goal down I won’t be automatically doom laden because I think Spain will retreat a bit, and this England team seem to play their best football when they go behind.
But….a second goal would end us completely. I agree that the pathway to winning surely involves scoring first.
I think I may just be able to enjoy this final, because I have very low expectations of victory.
Would be nice if a regular lad scored the winner for us if it happens.
In rough order;
- Saka
- Geuhi
- Stones
- Eze
The kind of player that won’t see this mass outsized fan reaction. The thought of Foden, Palmer, Alexander-Arnold or similar scoring the winner is rough. (I’d include Mainoo if I wasn’t a United fan).
Top banter would be Bowen scoring just to make West Ham fans ‘We won the world
Cup AND the Euros’ the most unbearable sentence in football.
BIG DAY TODAY
Probably because last time England was just happy to be in a final. Since they were close to winning the whole thing up until penalties and suffered a loss, they feel more it's their time probably. Spain are a team that won lots recently enough so England probably feel it's their turn.
Excited, nervous and hopeful. Genuinely will be the weirdest footballing feeling of my entire life if I witness us actually win something.
As a neutral in this fight - im just hoping the ref will be up to the task of controlling the fall on d'floor contestants both teams have a bit of a knack for. Spain obviously the most.
Part of it is because Euro 2020 didn't quite feel like a proper tournament. Covid countermeasures were still in effect for the most part and the fact that games were spread to different cities in different countries made the entire thing feels less like tournament international football we're used to.
Skysports.com/football headline has Harry Kane saying, "I'd swap everything in my career for Euros win". Well, you're a wizard, 'Arry!