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Euro 2024

Taking on Iceland tonight, channel 4 starts at 7.00. :eek:

I'm hoping we can get a draw out of this one :thumbs:
 
I've just put money on Spain to finish in first or second, I forgot I'd already put a bet on Spain. Now I've two bets on Spain to do well. :facepalm:
 
I think Grealish should have gone, he played well the other night and produced more than Bowen or Palmer managed. Maguire would have gone if he'd been fit despite being not good enough for England for about three years.

I think if the right defence is there we have as good a chance as anyone.
 
Why was Grealish left out? Has his form been particularly poor this season? He always strikes me as one of our best players.
 
So when we're playing out from the back are the forwards going to run around to try to find some space or is it just going to be passing across the pitch and then forwards and backwards again like most games?
 
skyscraper101 said:
Why was Grealish left out? Has his form been particularly poor this season? He always strikes me as one of our best players.
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Been Pep'd. Hardly plays for City. Form's suffered. Emergence of Palmer and Gordon has taken his place.
 
Its a strong squad imo. Although I like Wharton I would have kept Grealish rather than him. Southgate likes versatility so it's no surprise that he has players who are flexible about their positions. England are semi finalists at worst imo.

Portugal's squad has plenty of depth and Martinez has had a good run as the new manager. If they get it together they could make the semis
 
surreybrowncap said:
I think the midfield is excellent.
Several of the forwards can and do play in midfield...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was basing that on this group - presumably itll be Rice + Gallagher/Mainoo other to start?
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).
 
The midfield is pretty strong tbf

Rice is a nailed-on starter, Trent has qualities nobody else in the squad has, Mainoo and Wharton have (for all their inexperience) genuinely wowed the established players so I hear, Gallagher was excellent the other day and has been playing centre mid all season, oh and there's that lad from Real Madrid who played centre mid up until this season.

We're strong everywhere except centre back imo
 
Oh, and goalscorer. Anything happens to King Harry and we're fucked - he has 63 England goals, next is Saka on 11, then we're into the 4s and 3s including Stones and Shaw
 
It’s very odd. I remember when England could only produce big tough centre backs, which was blamed on making tweens attack full-sized goals or something.
 
Steel Icarus said:
The midfield is pretty strong tbf

Rice is a nailed-on starter, Trent has qualities nobody else in the squad has, Mainoo and Wharton have (for all their inexperience) genuinely wowed the established players so I hear, Gallagher was excellent the other day and has been playing centre mid all season, oh and there's that lad from Real Madrid who played centre mid up until this season.

We're strong everywhere except centre back imo
Click to expand...

Yeah Mainoo has been impressive. Looking forward to him doing well. It was hard to get a sense of them vs Bosnia the other night because of all the new try outs. For quite a while it was a very lacklustre game I thought.
 
Steel Icarus said:
The midfield is pretty strong tbf

Rice is a nailed-on starter, Trent has qualities nobody else in the squad has, Mainoo and Wharton have (for all their inexperience) genuinely wowed the established players so I hear, Gallagher was excellent the other day and has been playing centre mid all season, oh and there's that lad from Real Madrid who played centre mid up until this season.

We're strong everywhere except centre back imo
Click to expand...

And left back. That whole 'hope x player somehow gets fit' thing hasn't exactly worked out in the past has it.

TBH though I don't think anybody is going to have top quality in every position - there isn't a peak-Spain type team who are clearly miles ahead of everyone at the moment. And England probably have more genuine top level players than at any point in my lifetime.
 
I don't watch much Premier League football, but Lewis Dunk seems a possible weak link in the defence based on the couple of Brighton games I watched in the Europa League this season. Not quite quick enough at this level
 
skyscraper101 said:
But if any country knows how to fall at the first with their "golden generation" of players... etc
Click to expand...

Yeah maybe, this lot have already made a final and a semi relatively recently though, there's not a lot of recent history of comically falling apart there. There's also been less 'Golden Generation' hype I think compared to the Gerrard/Lampard/Rooney era.
 
Monkeygrinder's Organ said:
And left back. That whole 'hope x player somehow gets fit' thing hasn't exactly worked out in the past has it.

TBH though I don't think anybody is going to have top quality in every position - there isn't a peak-Spain type team who are clearly miles ahead of everyone at the moment. And England probably have more genuine top level players than at any point in my lifetime.
Click to expand...
I'd pick Trippier ahead of a fully fit Shaw, and Gomez has played well there this season.
 
Something that doesn't seem to have been picked up on much but in my view could shape how we play - just how good John Stones is.

Most of our best players are at the sharp end of the pitch - specifically Foden, Saka, Bellingham & Kane, plus Palmer in spectacular form (and Gordon, Eze, Bowen, Watkins)

The argument against playing them all together seems to be that we need an extra midfielder (Mainoo, TAA) alongside Rice to "give them a platform to play". I'd argue we already have that in possession, if Stones has the same license to step into midfield when we have the ball. Kyle Walker has evolved into the near perfect right back/right centre back to suit that formation (as at City) and Luke Shaw has proved himself equally adept at Utd as a left back/left centre back. Like a Gvardiol tribute act, one that Joe Gomez could also do. Marc Guehi might not quite be Ruben Dias as the other purely defensive centre back, but he's still very, very good as a reader of the game and a 'defend first' kind of player.
 
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