World Cup 2022 - Team and Match Discussion

I don't watch too much English tv but it is kind of hilarious how the england managers job (especially when managed by an Englishman) is a position that seems so revered that it can't be criticised.

Even when the analysts do disagree with him they always preface it by saying I think he is a great manager, a good guy or something as such.

I don't know it feels like it has a much higher prestige then it should and I find it fascinatingly odd

jacool

Just for those who thing that England were unlucky. They were. I don't think you can criticise Southgate for Kane missing a penalty.

I heard a 25 minute debate on 505 about who else should have taken the spotter. Someone shut them up quickly enough when he said

"Imagine this scenario. Someone else takes the penalty, and misses." Guess what the narrative is for the next 10 years.

Statistically, England lorded it, and were about 9 feet away from extra time.

Agent Coulson

Kane is the England captain and had just equalled the England goal scoring record with his previous penalty in that game there was no way in hell he was going to let anyone else take that penalty as he would have become Englands greatest ever goalscorer if he scored it.

Southgate got his tactics spot on for that game and anyone blaming Southgate for Kane taking that penalty and missing and costing England the game really is just wrong.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119987088#Comment_119987088

If it was once I would say ya it's down to luck.

But this is 3 times now they couldn't put away a side that they had on the ropes. Its not luck when there is such a clear pattern.

Cartman78

Southgate seems like a decent bloke but England will never really progress with him imho.

Beating Wales, Iran and Senegal and drawing with USA is hardly anything to get excited about.

France didn't play anywhere remotely near their best, barely broke sweat, yet I never thought the result was in doubt.

Sure an equaliser might have made it interesting but England would have found a way to sh1t the bed before the night was out

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119987407#Comment_119987407

I have seen a list of the teams he has beat in major tournaments, and to be fair its not that impressive.

Often as soon as they meet a half decent side, they lose.

SlickRic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119987122#Comment_119987122

The whole problem with Southgate is how conservative he is.

so yes, England played fine. but the French were there for the taking and England, in reality, were ponderous. Lloris made one save of note. England didn't score an open play goal. France kept England at largely arms length, with England generally pot-shotting it from distance.

these are the games where elite managers actually make their money. Southgate has to beat a team that's pretty evenly matched with his own - can he do it, or will he lose? And he lost. Again. Because of tactical inadequacies. Again. He never adjusted to the Griezmann problem, which is an obvious problem from the middle of the first half, but he was allowed to continue to roam while 2 or 3 sat on Mbappe.

France simply contained England from distance, created the clear cut chances, and won.

breezy1985

For all their great players at the minute England are missing a real bstard in defense or midfield. It all seems a little too soft and friendly. The no yellow cards (before France) thing is just weird

cute geoge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119987882#Comment_119987882

They were far the better team against France and like you say they badly need Keane/zidane/scholes type player to drag them over the line .You can not imagine them losing that game the last night if Roy Keane was on the pitch .Maguire really is only a fair weather player should really be showing better leadership from the back but he is still one of the few of them to dig in

happyoutscan

How many players were France missing? England still couldn't do the job.

Mentally soft, but I think that for this squad that is more down to management rather than the players.

omega man

England haven’t beaten anyone of note in a WC in quite some time and Qatar was no exception. Their media writing a narrative of a good tournament is laughable. Yes they played well against France but they really relied on set pieces, let’s be honest. France deserved to win and on another day it could have gone England’s way but it didn’t as France scored more goals, end of.

As for Southgate I see similarities with Belgium’s Martinez. A golden generation wasted while waiting for the nice guy to finally get it right. England have time to fix that.

Did you smash it

England’s yips over penalties make winning a tournament a tall order.

theoneeyedman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119987882#Comment_119987882

Those defenders are not good enough on the ball either. On Saturday they were shocking, Maguire slowly to Henderson slowly to Shaw who either gave it away, or else hit another slow pass to Maguire to start again, and on the other side Stones offered nothing while Walker was the best of a bad lot. Add in an ultra defensive anchor man in midfield in Rice and they have half the team out of the picture when they have the ball that offers them nothing.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119985243#Comment_119985243

We’ll have to agree to disagree. I have to watch Everton pass backwards enough, I can’t stand it!

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119987882#Comment_119987882

I politely disagree. They have enough weapons in the middle. If they had a 30 year only Modric though, they’d be unstoppable.

Maybe I’m getting old and cranky, but there’s a sever lack of quality midfielders at the moment. In his mid thirties there’s very few that can hold a candle to Modric.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119988943#Comment_119988943

They were close to being the best team in the tournament. I would say 2nd best easily. But a bit of dirt and cynicism would have helped against Greizmann in particular. A Van Bommel or Baresi would make that team unbeatable.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119988991#Comment_119988991

Actually both van Bommel and Baresi were both underrated footballers. They are remembered as gritty hard men, but both could really play. Baresi in particular was the template for a lot of ball playing defenders that came later.

Bur yeah, they were great at destroying

theoneeyedman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119988943#Comment_119988943

Modric wouldn't get near that England midfield. He would have been chewed up and spat out by them long ago, they'd have given up on him at 22, too small, not fast enough, the list goes on. Creative midfielders don't last well in the English system.

adaminho

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119989028#Comment_119989028

I see those and raise you a Ronald Koeman! Knocked England out of USA 94 singlehandedly.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119991029#Comment_119991029

I still remember the song about it -

'Sitting in an Irish bar watching England losing 1-0 to San Marino.

Gazza's crying thier taking a bruising. Everybody's singing Cheerio.

Ronald Koeman's become a national hero, scoreline Holland 2 - England zero. Everybody's singing Cheerio'

dastardly00

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119989028#Comment_119989028

Is Franco Baresi underrated... Is he not widely regarded as one of the best defenders of all time?

When I think of the great Milan team of the last eighties and early nineties, Baresi comes to mind straight away. A d they were one of the most famous football teams in the world ever. Milan retired his jersey number when he retired from playing. And they voted him Player of the 20th Century.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119991160#Comment_119991160

I think he means underrated with the ball at his feet.

He did as the poster said help reinvent the CB position by combining the position with the sweeper and freeing up a player to move further up the pitch.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119991160#Comment_119991160

He’s very highly rated as a hard man defender. But people seem to forget how good he was with the ball, he had a passing range most central midfielders couldn’t emulate. He was pure class in every way

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119991289#Comment_119991289

Exactly.

Mr.Nice Guy

It would be great to see the little genius reach another World Cup final...best of luck to Luka Modric.

Croatian midfield has the edge imo but Argentina look like they have more threat in attack. I also don't see Croatia getting much luck with the decisions tonight. I'll say Argentina to win it but I hope not.

breezy1985

I think we all know who Messi is at this stage.

Any chance a pundit could tell us about any other Argentinian player ?

Brian?

I don’t really care who wins tonight. I want either Messi or Modric to win the World Cup though. 2 of my favourite players ever.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119992765#Comment_119992765

What channel are you watching. It’s all about Croatia on RTE2

pjohnson

Foul on Sosa goes unpunished...hopefully not a sign of things to come.

TheRiverman

Messi, whinger of the game so far.