England topped their Group and march onwards in the Euros, but Harry Kane needs to break his tournament duck sooner rather than later. Last night against the Czech Republic, the England captain made three shots on goal, but to no avail. Raheem Sterling has two goals to his name, but it is a struggle to make a compelling argument for his superiority over the Spurs man as neither has received much in the way of service or support from Southgate’s frequently unconvincing displays.
England will need to improve dramatically to progress in a meaningful manner, and that will require their strikers to be well-fed, opposed to living off scraps, as they currently are.
I agree with much of what you say. I really don’t understand today’s football tactics. When I use to watch the Ajax team of the 70s play, it was all so simple. I cannot understand the need for inverted wingers and wingbacks that cannot cross the ball. When I played football at a very modest level, the one thing we were taught was that the most difficult ball to defend against was the one pulled back from the by line. Now we have left footed inverted wingers playing on the right side and vice versa. So the wingbacks take up their space and invariably deliver poor crosses. It always makes me laugh when I see Dele on the left hand side of the pitch as one knows exactly what he is going to do. It is inexcusable for a professional footballer not to be able to kick the ball with both feet, only sheer laziness.
As far as Maddison is concerned, he lost a bit of form and was dropped by Leicester towards the end of the season but he is a quality player. Redknapp wanted to sign him for Spurs when he was at Coventry for £350,000 but Levy wouldn’t pay up. Then we watched him when he bloomed at Norwich but Leicester beat us to the punch. They are a properly run football club. Now they have valued him at £80 mill amongst Arsenal interest, and to think what we could have bought him for.
Has nothing to do with race, but carry on.
Nearly as bad as Sky Sports.
U need to stop the BS with this race stuff. Now. If you look around the league, playing is the only area of representation. Do u want to take that too. Do you object to seeing black players in the shirt. We can discuss his technical ability. But once you start with this race crap, it has no place here. I wish Harry will clap down on you bozos. This is not freedom of expression, it is flat out racist.
How can you blame Sterling when there is not
creative mid. The ball spend a whole lot of time with Luke Shaw and Saka out wide.
I never knew that.
The setup is typical of most EPL teams. Wingbacks providing width instead of providing defense as the attacking players go forward. It makes no sense to go down the flanks if you are not putting the ball over in the box. As I watch this travesty of football formations the wingers are inverted and the wingbacks cannot cross the ball on average. Most times those moves resulted in tap it around until it gets recycled back to the defense. I have no problem playing two holding mids, but one has to be box to box knowing when to make those runs which Phillips seems to have in him. The problem is not having that one general and right now the only one not counting Grealish who plays a little higher and wider is James Madison who is not at on the team. Foden does not play through the middle and Mount is closer to a ten than a 8. Hard working and will pop a few goals, but having that central person both essentially for getting the ball where it needs to go and essential to getting the man in the pivot fed. It is easy to blame sterling, but he and Kane most times are coming so deep to get their touches. That can be traced to the setup. The ball is going to too many places before it gets to the frontmen. Saka a naturally left-footed player was eating the leftback lunch and he did not put a cross into the box. He cuts in, dribble some more and makes a pass because he is weak on the right foot. Had he been on the left with that sweet left foot balls would have been flying into the box on the regular or they would need to send a mid to check him or having their winger so deep it would stem their ability to counter out wide. The system is wrong and lacking one creative player does make a difference. Sadly. Outside of Madison, i do not see that player in the England shirt and if they find one, the system will stiffle that creativity.
No problem Richard.I must admit the thought crossed my mind when i read the reply.Perhaps i shouldn’t have added the last sentence.
I think that tells you all you need to know about the Mail.They’re full of the BLM romance.
I think Celtic may have offered just one and a half million for him, but not sure about that. Frankly, these days anyone under 3 million, I would wonder if they could actually play!
His reputation would certainly seem to be preceding him now and it seems as if absolutely no one with anything genuinely good to offer wants to enlist at N17.
Spurs could have picked up two decent players at bargain prices if we had been a little more astute. But then, we don’t do astute, do we?
Yes, see my comment above and I believe a former Celtic chairman, Jack McGinn, is his grandfather!
The chap in Edinburgh I buy programmes from is a Hibs fan and he was telling me previously what a good player they had in McGinn.
Very high work rate; we like him at the Villa (or did! I’m not sure he was quite so popular at times last season). Of course, with his Celtic connections, he should have joined the Glasgow club but the cheapskate, Peter Lawwell, in Levy fashion, offered Hibernian a derisory fee for him. In fact, beneath even derisory; Levy would be proud of him!
Is that right again in his views? Or right again when he says “But then what do I know?” I’m only being a bit mischievous, Eddie, I’m not actually having a go at you!
According to the DM (?), Sterling has been our best player so far in this tournament and, I think, awarded a nine out of ten by them!
I’ve just been reading the Daily Mail (I think!) on line and, in their infinite wisdom, they seem to think Sterling has been our man of the tournament so far, which will surely come as something of a shock to quite a few bloggers on this site!
I was just thinking about the goal Sterling scored,he has in the position you would expect Kane to occupy.But no,he had dropped back into midfield to actually set Grealish up for the cross which produced the goal.Just another example of Kane having to do the work of two men.
If only our beloved chairman had paid the right price for Grealish instead of offering Villa £3 mill and Onomah, perhaps we could have bought McGinn at a later date whom I have always rated. I should think if he ever picks up the phone to Villa over any transfer business in the future, they will just ghost him. He can add Villa to the long list of PL and many European clubs who won’t do business with the miserable little creep.
Levy style!
Didn’t Celtic miss out on him because the chairman wouldn’t go to the 3M Hibs wanted for him.Then Villa moved in and the rest is history.
Yep. Southgate is another one not there on merit. Father worked for IBM, military family history…usual. John Sitton has more football knowledge and imagination in his little toe….but you know….he left the craft….that’s a one way ticket to obscurity.
Yes, a tigerish player with great left peg. Would av been cheap as chips before Villa got up. It was clear then he could cut it.
Off subject I just watched highlights of the Croatia v. Scotland game.John McGinn once again was always looking to make things happen and was a consistent performer in their matches.If only….
Absolutely. Sterling is in the team for the contributions to the race agenda. MBE = establishment operative.
Right again Eddie.
Agreed.
You’re spot on with your observations.Why Southgate does’t tell Sterling to get his act together is unfathomable.
He plays a simllar game at City where so often he runs into the opposition thereby giving up possession.His decision making is abysmal for a so called International footballer.
I am of the opinion that both he and Rashford are constantly picked because of their off field actifities and Southgate doesn’t want to be seen to upset their feelings.Both have been in average form this season and in my opinion should not have been in the squad.
But then what do I know.
If our fullbacks have been instructed not to cross the ball then we’ve taken the wrong ones to the tournament… I think Foden is overrated, and Sterlings first touch, and decision making when on the ball are terrible. Maybe Southgate should play DCL up front & Kane behind him…
I couldn’t believe that. Those corners were unreal, to be back to your keeper 5 seconds after a corner kick is diabolic.
The great national sides in the past have seldom played two defensive midfield players in their teams. Holland played Neeskens in the 70s and Brazil played Clodoaldo in the great side that won the 1970 World Cup. It is ironic that our then national manager, Alf Ramsey thought he was Brazil’s best player in a side which contained Pele, Rivelino, Jairzinho, Gerson, Tostao and Carlos Alberto, amongst others.
Southgate should select either Phillips or Rice, whom I not convinced is a midfield player but is more of a central defender. He should then select two attacking midfield players, probably Grealish and Mount. On the evidence of last night’s match, Saka should play along with either Foden or Sancho who appears to be frozen out by Southgate. Kane should play further upfield with the full backs providing a better service. The tactics Southgate are employing are those of extreme caution with far too much sideways and backward passing. It makes me laugh when I see our back four pass it sideways and backwards to each other and then sending it back to Pickford as they run out of ideas who then hoofs it upfield. The other problem is that our players are used to PL football which is much more direct and faster than this turgid cr*p that Southgate has foisted on them. They should play to their strengths.
Very much so. I’ve got a terrible feeling something’s brewing though. Sterlings tattoo worry’s me….that team should get blitzed by France or Portugal in the next stage….if they don’t I’ll know summins up.
I’d wager if Kane was honest and could talk with no consequences he would admit he hates playing with Sterling.
I agree totally with your points.Walker had numerous opportunities to get Saka moving forward quickly,but stoped and all momentum was lost as we then went back to Pickford,whose only tactic seemed to be hoof it long to Harry who was outnumbered.
Also I recall three conseqetive corners where the ball ended up with Pickford agaon within three or four touches of the ball.
Southgate is the problem here and as soon as we meet any decent opposition we will see why.
Yes.
Sterling is supposed to BE the service!? He’s the “10”. He’s been given the creative freedom. Even Maradona played behind Valdano and understood what a centre forward does. Kane spent most of yesterday in midfield cos Sterling was always making runs where he should be and doing the goal hanging routine. He had one effort he had to create himself. You take Grealish and Sako and see where they played from which is the right way. Kane never gets a touch when Sterling plays. This is why. Sterling is the oik in the playground who can’t play football and just runs around and gets in everyone’s way. The side is consistently garbage with him in it. It’s clear that Foden, Grealish and Kane is the best forward line. Exciting and bags of technique and creative drive. Sancho could be switched in there too. The former will never be picked, EVER by Southgate, the pandering, yes man. I’ll leave you all to guess why.
Local rivalries aside, I thought Saka was superb, probably the only one with the balls to take someone on!
Sideways and backwards taken to whole new extremes – Walker in particular had plenty of opportunities for safe easy passes forward and opted to go back to Pickford.
That said, we wont win with Sterling in the team – he is basically running into all the positions Harry would normally go for, and then making a mess of them.
Southgate shouldn’t be within 100 miles of the national team. I think he’s only in the job because he’s a pc yes man who takes the knee at every opportunity.
Even Grealish eventually gave in to Southgate’s -‘the only way is backwards’ regime. Their first thought is always to pass back. If Grealish is the focus, FGS pass to him at the start of each possession and then make some space for Kane to operate effectively. Even Walker seemed scared to cross the ball to his old team mate. None of this is rocket science. The least effective players seems to dominate the play and created the two worst matches so far. Watching paint dry would be a bonus.
You describing your typical Tottenham game? Poor guy get him to man city and let’s see someone actually assist the man
Agree, there’s just something missing, very good players that never seem to gel, my honest opinion is we are not brave enough, frightened to take risks that is why we don’t create