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We lose and our deficiencies are exposed to the max .
That's 3 defeats on the trot to the cream , Belgium , Croatia and Spain .
This isn't a criticism as such because I think Southgate gets the absolute max out of what he has but all things considered we aren't really that much better on the field than in previous years .
The squad are a tight group , Gareth has a plan and a style of play which we haven't always had but we still appear to be well behind the elite just the same .
These top notch country's always seem to be better at keeping the ball than we do , miles better at it , for 25 minutes in the second half last night we couldn't get a sniff of the ball .
Why is that ?
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On my many visits to Spain I take the opportunity to watch some local football on a Sunday morning [while wife is looking round the shops]
They play on 3g or astroturf mainly & the ball is invariably played on the ground with quick passing so ypougsters are brought up on this type of game from an early age
Perhaps that has some bearing on the game from this level & is built into the national psyche
Can't comment on Croatia or Belgium
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That's a decent point exile and when kids start off on the right footing it becomes natural to them because they don't know any different .Originally Posted by Exiletyke
The Spanish last night weren't hitting 50 or 60 yard glory balls , just short passes based on movement and finding just enough space to operate in .
Is this really that hard to coach ? , surely not , during the semi final against Croatia I cringed with embarrassment in the second half , Modric and co had too much and yet Croatia is a small country with limited facilities and yet .....
We try to play the right way under Southgate but we still look behind the elite when it comes to keeping the ball , which is key at that level .
There's much made of the young teams representing England who have won world cups at that level but I'm still far from convinced it will lead anywhere at the highest level .
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Despite Spain playing us off the park for large spells last night, Im still convinced we deserved the draw. That disallowed goal late on was a pathetic decision, when Wellbeck didn't even jump and challenge De Gea the keeper, and he rolled around of course like he'd been picked off by a sniper etc.
Southgate has got a lot of us back on side again and interested in the England team again, and Im sure we all know its going to be a long hard slog along the way. This is still an inexperienced squad and mistakes are going to be made, like we saw last night.
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Yes Wellbeck's goal was chalked off rather harshly but look at the bigger picture , the technique and movement was far superior to what we offered .
We had a good world cup but let's not kid ourselves , we aren't that great acido , competitive I'll give you , making finals and semi's regularly well I'm not convinced .
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Im not kidding myself either Animal, and I know it was a one-off how we made it all the way to the WCup Semi finals.
However I'll still support our national team regardless of how disappointing and/or over rated we are (glutton for punishment of course lol).
This new Nations Cup thingy will take some getting used to but I like the idea of it scrapping pointless friendlies, and matches like we saw last night against a quality Spain side will surely teach our squad more than friendlies could ever do.
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I want England to be the best they can be , there's no reason that I can think of that prevents us becoming a nation who can compete at the highest level .
The country is football nuts , why doesn't it happen consistently .
Frustrating to say the least .
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I agree with Exile. The kids in foreign countries are brought up on possession based football, they learn to hold the ball playing on smaller pitches from a very young age making their touch and awareness more natural. Our kids play on full sized pitches from 12 upwards hoofing it long cos there's too much space around them. We play a more physical game which has been almost outlawed in recent years. It's no wonder we're pony.
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When we do try and keep possession you can see there's no plan though. It's creativity that we lack.
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A significant factor is Sky TV money and the Premiership. Our top clubs are flooded with foreign mercenaries filling the team sheets meaning that English lads who may win things up to the age of 20 are squeezed out and given little chance to develop. A large number of clubs are now owned by foreign individuals or consortiums who encourage this internationalisation to develop their global brand.
Thank god it will never happen at Barnsley FC.
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