Watched Italy v NI, OMG borefest. If the chaps in blue are supposed to be "on the up" then God help this competition. For al I think we should have kept BPF he was complete bollox for Italys second, and that fact that Italy actually GOT a second shows how pi55 poor NI were (sorry Dallas lad, but you should have opened to play for Scotland!)
I think the 3 lions should stick with their tried and true model.
Select a group of very highly paid, over the hill primidone's that are uncoachable and don't care if they win or lose. It helps if you get a coach that's more worried about upsetting the players than representing the country with pride. Mix in some boring tactics and poor long term strategic planning and you have the recipe for success that has made them such as dominant world power the last 50 years.
They were really good before TV came along and ruined it all for them.
Worries me how Southgate doesn't use Phillips properly, gives him two chaperones in midfield which he doesn't need and he looks a bit lost trying to figure out why people are right next to him all the time.
Leave Phillips to it and get a Grealish or Foden on instead of these donkeys.
Must say Ward-Prowse looked good, don't think he is good enough as he has no pace and isn't good enough creatively to be an attacking mid or defensively to be a defensive mid but technically he is a great player.
Mount and Ward-Prowse fall into same category for me of being good but not quite good enough going forward i.e lack of pace or skill and not good enough defensively to play a bit deeper. Great players but think they lack that edge we need that the likes of Foden or Grealish bring
Agree Alf, I always think that keepers in teams like Burnley are better as they have to be, They get a lot more practice than keepers in the top teams. Look at Ramsdale, Dean Henderson last season, Patrico at Wolves, McCarthy at Saints, Meslier at Leeds - keepers that have more to do each game tend to hone their skills to a better level - and have sharper reflexes - Just my opinion like