Semi-finals | Spain vs France | Netherlands vs England

Yagami said:
Hey, what happened the last time we met them in the Euros?
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Incredible that was the last actual meeting between England and Holland in a major tournament. Both in so many knock out rounds since and always avoided each other.

So little to base on apart from some friendlies and the Dutch winning in the nations league in June 2019, a few players from each team survive but can't really base a match five years ago on the one on Wednesday.
 
Let’s face it, it’s gonna be a France vs England final. It’s gonna be a hard watch, and whoever wins…we’ll all lose 90-120 minutes of our lives.
 
England vs Holland is hard to predict. England improved last game, Holland is struggling with an out of shape Depay and has an issue on the rw.

Depay is important to make things happen for us, but doesn‘t look completely fit. Zirkzee is a similar profile.

We could play 5 3 2 instead and play Gakpo/Malen up front.
 
FrankDrebin said:
Holland are comfortably the more cohesive side, with and without the ball, compared to England.
England still look incoherent in comparison. Too many confusing and frustrating elements in thier game.
The balance in the side still looks way off and that's not really a surprise when you see the personnel in the midfield and forward positions.
I don’t think Rice, Mainoo and Jude works. I think individually their talent is doing just enough to get them through but the spaces between the 3 are evident. They're not air tight. They all want to do thier own thing.
I think a real lack of communication is hurting England here, also uptop too.

Then you have that odd left side set up with Trippier and Foden that is clunky as hell. I have sympathy with both. Neither are left sided players but they've been shoehorned over there due to reputation and piss poor management. And Foden has been given licence to roam at times and he invariably ends up centrally or wide right, congesting both areas which makes literally no sense.

Shaws introduction gave us some much needed balance though. Hooray.

Saka has been England's consistent bright spark. His game is simple.
Southgate has, as of yet, managed to leave the right side attack untouched. Brilliant.
Though the RB spot needs to be given back to Trippier or TAA. Walker has been severely underwhelming.

But, going back to one of England's midfield issues, communication is lacking throughout the side at times.
Due to the unbalanced nature of the team, that's hardly surprising.

The fans and players alike seem equally frustrated and equally confused.
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Yes I agree about Shaw. He immediately slotted into position as a proper LB. And although I was quite nervous because of his injuries, he looked fine, albeit a bit heavy.
 
Ananke said:
Let’s face it, it’s gonna be a France vs England final. It’s gonna be a hard watch, and whoever wins…we’ll all lose 90-120 minutes of our lives.
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France still hasn't scored a goal that wasn't a penalty or own goal. England had one shot on target in normal time in both their knock-out games and scored them both. The final we all deserve.
 
Mike Smalling said:
France still hasn't scored a goal that wasn't a penalty or own goal. England had one shot on target in normal time in both their knock-out games and scored them both. The final we all deserve.
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France were awful in the World cup final for 70 odd minutes and then Mbappe came alive for ten minutes and they could've easily won it with that late chance Martinez saved.

That's the wildcard for France, stay solid and then Mbappe has an unplayable 10-15 minutes in the SF and then final and wins them the game there and then.
 
I think the Dutch create more and move it better. I make England slight underdogs in this one.
 
Considering how poor England have been in attack, its going to tough to break through Netherlands defence and on top of that the real killer is the Netherlands midfield, technically they are going to dominate us and its not to say that we don't have great technical players ourselves but with southgate reactive and negative mindset, this side has conceded large amounts of possession for long periods for most of the matches we have played in this tournament.
 
Lee565 said:
Considering how poor England have been in attack, its going to tough to break through Netherlands defence and on top of that the real killer is the Netherlands midfield, technically they are going to dominate us and its not to say that we don't have great technical players ourselves but with southgate reactive and negative mindset, this side has conceded large amounts of possession for long periods for most of the matches we have played in this tournament.
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They will only have two in CM though and will really miss De Jong knitting everything together. Think it will be like Swiss game. Simons will drop into midfield but don't really see the hype about him just yet.

What the Netherlands do have is genuine pace to bring off the bench which is where England have got away with it in last two rounds when they've been having to chase the game.

As I said last night missed opportunity that the Swiss seemingly didn't have any replacement for Ndoye to bring on in extra time when England had no LB on the pitch and were just asking Eze to get back and that left a huge gap down that side.

Holland with Frimpong's pace could really expose that if the SF plays out in a similar manner.
 
FootballHQ said:
France were awful in the World cup final for 70 odd minutes and then Mbappe came alive for ten minutes and they could've easily won it with that late chance Martinez saved.

That's the wildcard for France, stay solid and then Mbappe has an unplayable 10-15 minutes in the SF and then final and wins them the game there and then.
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Yeah, if he's fit. Isn't he still struggling with his nose a bit? Also, Kyle Walker must be one of the best foils to Mbappe there is with his pace.

I'm hoping Spain will make the final. They bring a lot more to the table than France does.
 
Mike Smalling said:
France still hasn't scored a goal that wasn't a penalty or own goal. England had one shot on target in normal time in both their knock-out games and scored them both. The final we all deserve.
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They're a cheap France knock-off.

Austria would've knocked them out and they'd never have survived if they were in the other half of the table, but I can't see Netherlands stopping them.

France vs England seems the likely final.
 
Mike Smalling said:
Yeah, if he's fit. Isn't he still struggling with his nose a bit? Also, Kyle Walker must be one of the best foils to Mbappe there is with his pace.

I'm hoping Spain will make the final. They bring a lot more to the table than France does.
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Walker was brilliant v Mbappe in the last World cup. Has looked miles off it in this tournament and was a split second off reacting for the goal yesterday so think Mbappe would fancy his chances this time in that duel.
 
FootballHQ said:
Walker was brilliant v Mbappe in the last World cup. Has looked miles off it in this tournament and was a split second off reacting for the goal yesterday so think Mbappe would fancy his chances this time in that duel.
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Hope Mbappe can have a good game, if it comes to that. The last thing anyone wants to see is England somehow stumble their way to a championship.
 
I would put Frimpong against England's shaky defenders. But Koeman nose how to pick his team.
 
As good as England's team is on paper, I wonder if they'll be able to drain all the excitement from the sport against a team as chaotic and mercurial as ours. Gareth's biggest challenge yet.
 
How to beat England easily.

Verbruggen
Frimpong - Van Dijk - Ake - VD Ven
Schouten - Reijnders
Depay
Malen - Brobbey/Weghorst - Gakpo​
 
Hopefully England Vs France in the Final. Still got a receipt for them for the WC.
 
Fortitude said:
Well no… France are not innate, defensive geniuses as a collective… what they are, however, is a bunch of supreme athletes with a level of collective athleticism I can’t recall seeing in another NT, who will drain and stifle a game and can turn it on its head in a moment.
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I agree that French players have incredible athleticism, which is allied with their superb technique. However, when they get in front of the goal, their strikers often lack the confidence to score. .


NoLogo said:
France will bore Spain to death, win on penalties without having one decent chance in 120 minutes. England will bore the Dutch to death and win after 120 with a Bellingham header in the 118th minute. We will then go and witness the worst final of all times with both teams not breaking the 10 goal shots combined in 90 minutes.
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Despite this, France has created numerous chances. Contrary to what is being parroted here, they are only behind Germany and Spain in terms of goal attempts. In fact, they've taken just five fewer shots than Germany, all while facing tougher competition. They move the ball quickly, transitioning from defense to attack really well, and their passing has a tempo that England sorely lacks.
 
Fortitude said:
I’d rather France than Spain should we get to the final, tbh. France’s shithouse football is our wheelhouse, whilst that technical, fast paced possession football is befuddling to Southgate and English sides in general - I can see England being a lot more comfortable and familiar vs this France than this Spain, personally.

Having said that, Walker and Shaw are very good bets vs wingers, and at least Spain would have to be more centralised, going through the middle of the pitch. They may well be able to work the ball towards goal through the heart of the pitch, but their potency once there is dulled via their striking options, so… and their defence really isn’t all that, so who knows? But instinctively, I think France, for all their athleticism, have very little creativity or incisiveness, which is the better fit for England. England are also by far the better matchup to France in terms of athletic prowess, so I don’t think they can win through via that avenue alone vs England as opposed to Spain.

Oh, and the Rodri X-factor is to be avoided at all costs, as he can turn the game through the heart of midfield by himself.

Regarding sitting. You can easily envisage Southgate playing to nick both games or play for penalties. If the opposition sit, so too will England. Gladly.
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Agree with all of this except betting on Shaw being good enough defensively against a tricky winger. It really depends on which Shaw turns up but I'd be looking at his performances against Saka as a reference point where he was scared, non-committal and constantly backed into his own box i.e poor, passive defending. I wouldn't expect much from Foden doubling up etc also so I'd fear for Shaw in those 1 vs 1 situations. Having said that, is it a 16 year old so my advice to Shaw would to be play him 'physically' e.g let Yamal have the channel/that 1 yard of space and go across using his body. Shaw's biggest issue for me when defending 1 vs 1 is his lacksidical nature, getting square and just general lack of actually engaging when he has all the tools to lock down anyone if he really wants to.
 
criticalanalysis said:
Agree with all of this except betting on Shaw being good enough defensively against a tricky winger. It really depends on which Shaw turns up but I'd be looking at his performances against Saka as a reference point where he was scared, non-committal and constantly backed into his own box i.e poor, passive defending. I wouldn't expect much from Foden doubling up etc also so I'd fear for Shaw in those 1 vs 1 situations. Having said that, is it a 16 year old so my advice to Shaw would to be play him 'physically' e.g let Yamal have the channel/that 1 yard of space and go across using his body. Shaw's biggest issue for me when defending 1 vs 1 is his lacksidical nature, getting square and just general lack of actually engaging when he has all the tools to lock down anyone if he really wants to.
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Yeah, he’s not immaculate 1 on 1 anymore, but he’s got a lot more in his locker than anyone not named Walker for the job, and it’s all that can be asked of. Shaw is also a much better player in transition once winning the ball, which forces his winger to track and use up more energy going away from England’s goal, thus draining their tank to go again on counter-counters, which is exhausting. Shaw essentially creates a more of a staccato game, which is in his favour over a prolonged period of time, as it’s hard to be continually explosive deeper into second halves of games.

Yamal has the ability to turn any full-back inside out and I don’t think that can be legislated for if he’s on fire and others do their job in the chain (he’ll put the passes on a plate). He doesn’t even have to beat Shaw to have a very effective game (his early passes and infield crosses are sublime), but positionally, it’s Shaw you trust to at least be where he should be.

The important factor with Yamal is he is on a timer before being hooked due to his age, so there’s a ‘ride out the clock’ until he’s off element, which, tactically, could mean being very reserved and conservative before expanding into expression when he’s off. Having said that Shaw, given he’s just come back, might need subbing out at the same time (should he see out his time on the pitch).

He needs wrapping in cotton wool because his importance to the team is absurdly high due to Southgate not bringing any actual LB cover.
 
How's Southgate going to react when Koeman makes a sub in the 10th minute?
 
Zen said:
How's Southgate going to react when Koeman makes a sub in the 10th minute?
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Probably will be playing the long game again by finally subbing when they're 1-0 down in the 80th minute.
 
If Holland play the way they did for an hour against Turkiye, they will get sent home.

Time for Zirkzee to start
 
Fortitude said:
Yeah, he’s not immaculate 1 on 1 anymore, but he’s got a lot more in his locker than anyone not named Walker for the job, and it’s all that can be asked of. Shaw is also a much better player in transition once winning the ball, which forces his winger to track and use up more energy going away from England’s goal, thus draining their tank to go again on counter-counters, which is exhausting. Shaw essentially creates a more of a staccato game, which is in his favour over a prolonged period of time, as it’s hard to be continually explosive deeper into second halves of games.

Yamal has the ability to turn any full-back inside out and I don’t think that can be legislated for if he’s on fire and others do their job in the chain (he’ll put the passes on a plate). He doesn’t even have to beat Shaw to have a very effective game (his early passes and infield crosses are sublime), but positionally, it’s Shaw you trust to at least be where he should be.

The important factor with Yamal is he is on a timer before being hooked due to his age, so there’s a ‘ride out the clock’ until he’s off element, which, tactically, could mean being very reserved and conservative before expanding into expression when he’s off. Having said that Shaw, given he’s just come back, might need subbing out at the same time (should he see out his time on the pitch).

He needs wrapping in cotton wool because his importance to the team is absurdly high due to Southgate not bringing any actual LB cover.
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Ah yes, that is true. He is the best remaining bet but as with the rest of your paragraph I would point to the Euro 21 Final where after the goal in the first 10 mins, I don't recall Shaw or England doing much attacking or putting much pressure on Italy to really 'tire' their players in transition/counters etc. I feel Spain would do the same and suffocate England even more. Don't get me wrong, England certainly have the players to do an Ole (against City) type of job but it doesn't really pertain to what we've seen before.

I agree about Yamal's qualities on the ball i.e his passing and moving/feints, which is why I would ask Shaw to completely cut off the inside lanes and 'gift' or bait him towards the goal line. I don't think Yamal has the first or second step (ala Dembele/Williams etc) to then thunder past Shaw and if he does, at best I would be hoping it would be a deep right (weak) footed cross that our central defenders can see all the way. Well that's I think should happen in theory anyways :confused:

But yes, let's see how Shaw and England fare against Netherlands first. Too many steps ahead for now!
 
Fortitude said:
Yeah, he’s not immaculate 1 on 1 anymore, but he’s got a lot more in his locker than anyone not named Walker for the job, and it’s all that can be asked of. Shaw is also a much better player in transition once winning the ball, which forces his winger to track and use up more energy going away from England’s goal, thus draining their tank to go again on counter-counters, which is exhausting. Shaw essentially creates a more of a staccato game, which is in his favour over a prolonged period of time, as it’s hard to be continually explosive deeper into second halves of games.

Yamal has the ability to turn any full-back inside out and I don’t think that can be legislated for if he’s on fire and others do their job in the chain (he’ll put the passes on a plate). He doesn’t even have to beat Shaw to have a very effective game (his early passes and infield crosses are sublime), but positionally, it’s Shaw you trust to at least be where he should be.

The important factor with Yamal is he is on a timer before being hooked due to his age, so there’s a ‘ride out the clock’ until he’s off element, which, tactically, could mean being very reserved and conservative before expanding into expression when he’s off. Having said that Shaw, given he’s just come back, might need subbing out at the same time (should he see out his time on the pitch).

He needs wrapping in cotton wool because his importance to the team is absurdly high due to Southgate not bringing any actual LB cover.
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My brain is probably just not functioning at the moment, but I can't figure out what you mean here about being "hooked due to his age" and the rest of the bolded part like "expanding into expression when he's off." Sounds very poetic though!
 
England to fluke a win and then English media would be like, Southgate is the best coach to grace this planet and this is the best team in the history of football.
 
Ahmer Baig said:
England to fluke a win and then English media would be like, Southgate is the best coach to grace this planet and this is the best team in the history of football.
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And rightly so! If England win the euros then Southgate deserves his flowers.
 
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