UEFA Euro 2024: Mod Note Added 2/7/24

He was absolutely blessed with the teams he got in the knockouts in 2020. A piss poor German side, Ukraine and Denmark.

Cassano had the world at his feet with the talent but as you mentioned he was fecking mad.

Immobile a few years ago liked the real deal but again kind of fizzled out.

They had a bunch in the early 00's but since then it is players who were just good club players or guys who never reached their potential like Balotelli

That team had Del Piero, Toni and Inzaghi. All world class and they would kill for just one of them now.

Fair point. But Portugal, France have more I would argue. To be honest I think the English fans and media just get notions even at the worst of times. They almost assume it is a given "England Expects" etc. Now there is even more expectancy than usual.

I realise England are in an easy group but it reads 4 points, unbeaten and only one goal conceded. Which was a a low percentage shot from way out.

It is a funny thing what perception is. The likes of Brazil 82 and Holland 74 are lauded as great teams. They played attractive football yet won absolutely nothing.

But England seem like a harder team to beat than that Brazil team and Holland team. If England played expansive flair type football and was more likely to lose. Would the English media and negative critics of the English team be happier?

But yet Greece won the Euros in 2004 by been functional organised and playing to their strengths. Direct and no messing high energy. Denmark 1992 were functional plus a bit Laudrup flair. When Portugal won in 2016 you could hardly describe them as a "flashy" team. They ground out results at times. Third in their group with three draws. Knockouts involved plenty of penalty shoot outs and the ET wins. When Italy won the last time they were dependant on nous/defensive solidity and those wingbacks.

I still think tournament football suits Southgate his teams do not blow teams away, but they manage to stay in games. That can get you very far in tournament football. It all depends on your perception of it.

Edit - Brazil 82 NOT 70!!

According to most of us he was inept before he got the job and he's done nothing to change our opinions. His previous attempt as a manager was very poor before he went into the England set up.

England have had an incredible amount of great players for the last eight to ten years. What they have right now is the best they've ever had. When you look at who wasn't brought, Branthwaite, Chilwell, Tomori, Maguire, Henderson, Madison, Grealish and Rashford. How many squads could leave any of them at home?

Iain for everyone to see that the tactics are all over the place and not suited to the players he has

Tournaments from 20 to 50 years ago are pointless comparisons. When Greece won the Euros the sport was in a very different and more cynical place tactically.

Giving up possession now like England do is just inspiring confidence and giving chances to teams England have on the ropes. No way should they sit back at 1-0 and it should rightly be criticised. Their own recent history proves that they need to push for 2-0 because they keep ending in draws or worse like Croatia in 18 or Italy in 21.

But Italy do it all the time. Sit back soak up pressure nick a goal/be hard to beat. As you have said Italy would kill for an Inzaghi/Del Piero. But would you would still say that Italy have the ability to make it awkward for teams. They only lost 1-0 v Spain had that hard fought win v Albania which looks great now.

That Portugal win in 2016 was very recent and they were very lucky to even get out of their group. Austria, Hungary and Iceland were in their group. And they didn't even get a win in that group.

Do Italy do it all the time ?

Or is that just a perception people have of Italian teams. This current Italian team don't score because they are useless at it not because of tactics. They also did not make it hard for Spain. Spain bottled a load of chances which had nothing to do with Italian tactics.

Their run in 21 is considered a miracle in Italy and they were absolutely on the ropes against England who could have crushed them and any other top non Southgate team would have went for the kill.

I get that you seem to have a thing for Southgate but the criticism is valid.

Italy still do it in tournament football though. I had them tipped as winners in the last Euros because they were in a nice group and knew Mancini's style would suit tournament football. The wingbacks were great.

Even the best Italian sides would normally shut up shop at 2-0 because it is in their culture. I think that is what Southgate would be happy with. Nothing flashy, low risk football.

I switched to BBC the other night to get away from the RTe analyst (can't remember who) to find a female commentator on the Portugal game. No problem with that until Ronaldo got a half chance. She screamed as if she had witnessed the second coming - I had to switch back to RTE.

BBC RED BUTTON on satellite is worth looking up for a kit of games, less hysterical commentary. Ignore the experts at half time, go make a cuppa.

Barca will crock him fast. 16 years old and made 50 appearances for them last season

Straight of of Luca's Wikipedia.

"with 322 career goals, he is currently the fourth-highest scoring Italian player of all time, second only to Alessandro Del Piero in the post-World War II era"

Del Piero is second in career goals for an Italian. Not bad for a "not a real goal scorer"

Southgate just doesn't seem to trust his players to go for the jugular. At 1-0 last night, Denmark stormed back in as if they were a PL team trailing to a lower league side in the cup.

There was no composure in the English side and some these are highly-successful club players who've won the biggest tournaments, they're not newborn lambs.

I can only imagine Southgate's message is get ahead and let the other team wear themselves out, which is a decent approach as a smaller nation but he is blessed with an incredibly talented bunch of players; he doesn't need to do that whatsoever and I believe his insistence on that approach is undermining the player's self-belief.

Even the Denmark game in 21, having overcome the mental block of beating Germany, they were lucky to win it and they never believed they could beat Italy.

FWIW, I'd be between Spain and Germany for favourites so far, though I don't feel either have had serious challenges yet.

Southgate's never been a fan of Grealish… Jack has only ever started one tournament match, and that was just in a 3rd group game with the next round already assured.

He's predominantly gone Saka and Sterling as his two wide players from 2020 onwards, with Foden being his next most used wide player in tournaments. With Sterling's form being especially bad, he's just followed his usual pattern of going for Foden next up. Gordon would probably suit the system better as is, as the only guy they have who will play in a similar way to Sterling - particularly since they're already stuck with a fullback that can't overlap on the left.

I blame Alf Ramsey for crossing that funeral on the winner's procession in '66. It was all downhill after that. Only Geoff Hurst alive from that team, if we are following that "logic" to its natural conclusion !!!!

That co commentator on the Slovakia Ukraine game is clueless. Within two minutes he said Dovbyk "didn't have the right mentality" to score that headed chance despite the ball obviously being too high for him, and then claimed Mudryk "looked really good playing in Germany" despite having spent his entire career playing in the Ukrainian league before going to Chelsea

Yaremchuk - their star performer in the last Euros - gets the potential winner! Great slightly speculative long ball, and then fabulous touch and finish.

Delighted for them.

There's one more 2pm tomorrow, Czechs against Georgia - then we're down to only 8pm kickoffs for two days!

anyone know if lewandowski is likely to make an appearance?

Scrappy equaliser by Poland, shot blocked, rebounded kindly to another Polish player who ticks it into the bottom right hand corner.

Great chance for Austria on the break to retake the lead, they didn't take advantage of it.

Austria back in front. Baumgartner with the finish into the bottom right.