[FoxyFoxes]

Rodgers has been brilliant and for me has achieved everything he can with that squad. When we can field our first choice XI I think we can match it with any team in the league and would be a huge chance to make the CL spots. The reality is, the last two seasons we have been decimated by really bad injuries at crucial times. Even with those he has coped incredibly well and I can’t commend him enough. It seems like every time we were hitting a purple patch of form a huge injury would pop up. We just didn’t have the back up players good enough to slot straight into the team. Everyone went on about Liverpool and their injuries last season, but for the opening 6 games of last season, we were without all 6 of our first choice back 6 players. Then further to that we had more injuries. Our squad just could not maintain that level throughout the course of the season.
If we do not sell any of the players we have now and make one or two other signings, I can really see us finally armoured up for a proper CL assault!
Bertrand asn’t signed yet, but if he does he will strengthen us even further

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[FoxyFoxes]

@Mancunian_mike. Honestly mate, all I keep hearing are excuses for Southgate. “Oh, he got dealt a shit hand”, “but he’s trying to bring through youth”, “he’s still building a squad”. The bottom line is, he’s been in charge for the best part of five years now with all of those excuses. At what point are we allowed to start expecting results and real pushes to win something? I mean, let’s be honest, that’s the point of all this, isn’t it? If we are happy with Semi finals then we are simply willing to just accept mediocrity. We should want and expect more than that. The dirty finger smeller from Germany did all of the above AND won a World Cup within 6 years.
What’s Southgate’s goal here? Does he even aspire to win a major tournament. If so, which one? What’s the plan? How long do we keep “rebuilding” for? At some point you have to settle on a side and style of play, an identity at least. I’m just not seeing any of this so far hence my frustrations.

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[FoxyFoxes]

Muuuuuuch better!Sure it’s only Ukraine but I am particularly happy that we didn’t just try and sit back and defend a 1-0 lead. We went for the throat. Don’t see that enough from Southgate!

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[FoxyFoxes]

We’ve just signed Soumare from Lille for 17m. The reports on him have been excellent for some time now.

Would love for us to make a move on Belgium’s Duku. He looked awesome today!

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[FoxyFoxes]

Martinez has done to Belgium’s golden generation what Sven did to England’s.

Easily the best squad in the world for the last 5 years and yet have achieved nothing

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[FoxyFoxes]

I personally think that link up midfield player we are looking for is Ward-Prowse, have done for a while but Southgate doesn’t seem to rate him

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[FoxyFoxes]

We’ve just announced Patson Daka for 23m. Everything I’ve seen so far suggests he could be good.

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[FoxyFoxes]

I just think Southgate employs a selection of tactics of very fine margins. In the last WC, his tactics were to go all out early, get a goal and then try and defend it for the remaining 60 odd mins. It didn’t work, because we didn’t have the midfield nor defence capable of defending against extended periods of pressure. Sweden and Colombia made us look like minnows because of that tactic. To Southgate’s credit, he seems to have learned from that as against Germany he didn’t do that and set the team up to play the full 90mins.
It just really frustrates me that we have this wealth of attacking talent, quite possibly the envy of most teams around the world and yet we play so conservatively and with no or very little attacking flair.
Additionally, Southgate has now been in charge for 4 years now, I think and yet the team has very little in terms of an established team. I mean, until this tournament, apart from Kane we had no idea which players were likely to start. No certainty over keeper, Maguire was probably the next sure fire selection but he was injured. Litterally, none of the other positions were of any certainty. How can you expect a team to play smoothly and well if they never play together. FFS, he even played players who weren’t even selected for the tournament in the games a week leading into the tournament.
If we look at the top teams in the world right now, they have a core of players that are pretty much sure picks every game. This gives the team stability and allows for the style of football to be embedded and therefore good flow. I don’t know how this is possible under Southgate. I would hazard a guess that Southgate has played more different players than any England Manager in history. I commend him for giving youth a chance, it is great but I think there is a time and place for this.

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[FoxyFoxes]

For fear of sounding negative, I’m really not getting excited. Germany have played one decent game this entire finals so far and were poor (they are below Denmark in the FIFA rankings). Both sides were set up to nullify each other and really it was always going to be fine margins that wins it. Muller slots that easy chance and it’s a whole other game.
We are not playing well and we are certainly not using the talent we have. Basically, we have been reliant on one single player all comp for our attack, Sterling! Southgate is so conservative it is boring to watch. He has survived this far simply because he keeps getting incredibly flukey draws.

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[FoxyFoxes]

Sterling is just proving with all his runs that we don’t need Kane. We’d be better playing another attacking forward and have Sterling drifting inside

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[FoxyFoxes]

Can’t believe the selection. Can understand the formation though, but in that formation you have to pick Chilwell over Shaw. Shaw offers f all going forward and we are already far too defensive with the two holding mids. I’d take off Rice and play Henderson who can ping balls forward. I’d also take off Kane for Foden and play him as a false nine. We need more runners off the ball and at the moment Kane is hopeless

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by FoxyFoxes.

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[FoxyFoxes]

I think the conditions around this Euros has upset winner written all over it. A lot of the big players are not turning up at this tournament, whereas the smaller nations with loads of grit and heart are capitalising.

Great goal by Pogba but my god what an arrogant t##t he is with the celebration and reaction. France paid the Swiss no respect when they went 3-1 up and got what they deserved. Couldn’t believe how open they were at the back.

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[FoxyFoxes]

@Sean none of those things you listed are enough for me to class a player as “great” in my book. The fact Villa missed him so much is a lot to do with the quality of players (or lack thereof) they have on their books as well as the fact their entire tactics are “give it to Grealish”. I’m not denying he is a good player, but that is all he is at this stage. He could go on to become better, but at this point he is not that special.
I mean, going off your list of reasons why Grealish is top notch, I could use those same arguments about Maddison. The worldie he scored against City, he’s torn Arsenal apart a few times over recent years (as have many players for that matter). My point is, I like Maddison, he is a very good player, but do I think he is great? No. In the same way I don’t think Grealish is either.
As for my definition of proven, I think I highlighted that until he is tearing top teams apart on a regular occasion then I can’t really class a player as great. Under that same definition, I don’t think Bruno Fernandes is great either as he doesn’t play that well against really good teams.

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[FoxyFoxes]

I agree with the whole supply and demand notion of the economics, but I’m not sure there is the demand for him at that sort of price. I mean, City don’t really need him, they have a wealth of talent in those positions and as has already been said, he’s unlikley to be a guaranteed starter, therefore 100m is mental, even for City. If that is what Villa are genuinely valuing him at then I can’t see there being any real suitors. In which case, if Grealish does really want to leave to improve his career then he will be forced to see out his contract, which I also cannot see happening.
I reckon Villa will let him go for 70m

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[FoxyFoxes]

can’t believe people on here think Grealish is a 100m player. He’s hardley torn it up against very good sides so far. Some might point to the Liverpool thrashing, but they were shocking that day. He has high potential, but the acolades he is getting are far from proven imo

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[FoxyFoxes]

I reckon this will just increase the chances of underdog teams trying to park the bus and playing for pens. I really didn’t see an issue with the old rule. Everyone knew the rule and certainly made ties more interesting

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[FoxyFoxes]

My view on the Czech game. More of the same apethetic displays we’ve seen so far. Saka was a breath of fresh air, seeing someone actually run at players for once. Makes you wonder what Sancho has done to Southgate to not get a start.
Still cannot see the point in Grealish. Continues to hog the ball and slow the play down. If our tactic is to draw fouls and play for set pieces then I get it, but #### me is it boring to watch.

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[FoxyFoxes]

Can anyone explain to me how they choose which teams play third placed teams? I see France, Netherlands and Belgium are the teams that play third placed teams. For me, it seems logical that both Belgium and Netherlands play third placed teams as they have the most points of all the 1st placed teams. However, France baffles me. They finished top of their group on 5 points! Italy got 9 points and have to play a second placed team!

Also, why do 2 second placed teams play each other? Spain and Croatia?

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[FoxyFoxes]

I think Kane definitely fits the system for City, however I agree he’s too old to be spending that amount on.
I disagree about United, he is precisely the type of player they would blow a ridiculous amount on. If they don’t get Haaland (and I can’t see that happening in a million years) then I think they will panick buy on Kane. The other one is Chelsea, again if they don’t get Haaland then I can see him being their next choice!

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[FoxyFoxes]

Yeah, Gosens is another one. We were supposedly in the hunt for him before the tournament and the money talked about was supposed to be 15m. Unlikely now!

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