Euro games reports

[Ronners]

Most of us can resonate with this:

https://twitter.com/paddypower/statu...32674424861085

😆😆😆

[jakethemiller]

I think i may have said this before but does anyone else feel like Southgate and England is like Millers with Warne? All good lads together, get a lead then sit back and let the opposition come at you and take it away?

[flourbasher]

Southgate saying that we tried something different 😮

He also said that we don’t have a natural replacement for Phillips 😮

So we’ve not tried owt different because the starting 11 was the same!

No one in a million years would think that

Another comment he said was that the midfield was an experiment

Experimenting in the middle of a major or tournament ??!!!
Phillips hasn’t played for a long time now so what’s he been doing to solve his problem, not that it is the problem though as many have indicated

These are feeble, unacceptable excuses

[GlennMiller]

To press or not to press - that is the question. Lots of fans, quite rightly IMO, question why after taking the lead, we don’t tactically press the opposition rather than sitting back and letting the opposition wander unchallenged through midfield to within shooting distance. When challenged on this, Harry Kane stated that he didn't think the team knew how to press properly. This statement alone should be sufficient for Southgate to be sacked immediately and underlines absolutely that he is a defensive coach who has no clue how to put a team under pressure and hammer home an advantage.

[Brin]

We move on with today's 2pm kick off giving us surprise package Slovakia v Ukraine.

Slovakia head coach Francesco Calzona has reminded his players they have "achieved nothing yet" after the "euphoria" of beating Group E favourites Belgium in their opening Euro 2024 match.
"We had a bit of euphoria for a few short hours, but we haven't achieved anything yet," said Calzona.
"We've only secured three points and three points aren't enough to make it through to the knockout stage.
"There's not too much to celebrate in terms of that win over Belgium because we still have our objective in front of us, which is to make it through the group."
Slovakia know only too well how quickly things can change having begun Euro 2020 with victory over Poland before being knocked out of the tournament with losses to Sweden and Spain.

Meanwhile in the Ukraine camp....

After their disappointing 3-0 defeat by Romania in Munich, Ukraine's players asked head coach Serhiy Rebrov and the staff to leave the dressing room so they could discuss the loss between themselves.
"Maybe in Germany this is not normal, but in our country this is absolutely normal, where guys talk among themselves and ask questions about what happened," Rebrov said.
Defender Oleksandr Zinchenko said his side must learn from their mistakes and look ahead to a tough game against Slovakia.
"I really, really hope, and I'm totally convinced, that everyone learned lessons from what happened, both individually and team-wise," he said.
"We want to turn the page and concentrate 100% on the Slovakia game.
"We understand that in every part of the pitch there will be a battle going on, and whoever comes out on top in every part of the pitch will be victorious."

How do things stand in Group E?

Not the Group E you might expect to see at this stage with Romania topping the table after that 3-0 win over Ukraine.
Group favourites Belgium's 1-0 loss to Slovakia leaves them third and they will face Romania on Saturday.
Slovakia will qualify for the knockout phase if they win today, but they cannot win the group until the final group match, where they face Romania.
Ukraine will not be knocked out if they lose today, but if they do lose and Romania avoid defeat by Belgium on Saturday their only hope of progression would be as one of the best third-place finishers.

Very close game me thinks but, I'm going for a Slovakia 1-0 win.

[Brin]

The match is must-win for both Poland and Austria if they are to finish in the top two and guarantee progression to the last-16 after Austria lost their Euros opener 1-0 to France.
Defeat for either side at the Olympiastadion would leave them on the brink of being knocked out.
Austria head coach Ralf Rangnick said he expects Lewandowski to play but it does not change his gameplan.
"Lewandowski is the key player for Poland and everyone tries to pass to him. I think he'll be playing tomorrow," Rangnick said.
"The importance of the match is clear. The team that wins tomorrow has a good chance of going through so it's a match you have to win."

A few match stats:

Poland and Austria have met 10 times before. Poland won five times, Austria won three times and there were two draws.
Poland could lose their opening two matches of a Euros for the first time. Their second match at their previous four Euros ended in draws, including against Austria (1-1) in 2008.
Poland finished bottom of the group in three of their previous four Euros appearances (including as co-hosts in 2012). The only exception was at Euro 2016, when they were beaten on penalties by eventual winners Portugal in the quarter-finals in Marseille.
Jakub Kiwior has played all 24 Poland matches since making his international debut in a 2-2 Nations League draw against the Netherlands on 11 June 2022. He has missed only three minutes of action in those 23 games.
Austria could lose three successive matches at major tournaments for the first time since the World Cup in 1978 (3).
Austria are unbeaten in 15 of their last 17 international matches (W12, D3, L2), only losing 3-2 at home against Belgium in a Euro qualifier on 13 October 2023 and 1-0 against France in their opening Euro 2024 match.

To close to call? Oh go on then, 1-0 to Austria.

[Brin]

Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman expects France to pose a difficult test for his side regardless of whether star striker Kylian Mbappe starts or not.
The 25-year-old was forced off during Monday's 1-0 Group D victory over Austria after breaking his nose.
Earlier on Thursday, France boss Didier Deschamps had suggested there was a good chance Mbappe would be available to start Friday's game at RB Leipzig's Red Bull Arena.
But Koeman said his focus was only on preparing his team for the game.
"Deschamps will know if Mbappe will play or not, we will have to wait and see," he said.
"France are such a strong team that even if Mbappe is not playing the substitute will play well as well.
"All I can focus on is our team and to prepare ourselves the best we can. Not everything depends on if Mbappe is there or not."
In the Netherlands' first game, Wout Weghorst came off the bench to score a late winner against Poland.
Asked if the striker will start on Friday, Koeman said: "Every match is different and we can make changes.
"Some players start the game, some players end it. You will see on Friday whether Weghorst starts or not."

France boss Deschamps will give Mbappe as long as possible before deciding whether to start his star striker.
But if he is unable to make the first XI, Deschamps is confident in whoever he chooses to replace him to help them get the result they desire against the Netherlands.
"I try to talk to the players who are going to start the game, and the players who are not going to start the game," he said.
"We are a group. You need to manage the group. It was the same with the first match - the players who will start and those who will be on the bench.
"Everyone has to be ready. I don't think it's anything special."

Match stats to ponder:

This will be the fourth meeting between the Netherlands and France at the Euros. France prevailed on penalties in the quarter-finals in 1996, while the Netherlands won both their group-stage encounters (3-2 in 2000, 4-1 in 2008).
France have won seven of their past eight matches against the Netherlands in all competitions, with the exception being a 2-0 loss in the Nations League in November 2018.
Only four of the previous 30 matches between the Netherlands and France have ended in a draw (15 wins for France, 11 wins for the Netherlands).
Cody Gakpo has scored in all four of his starts for the Netherlands in the group stage of major tournaments (World Cup and Euros). In all competitions, the Liverpool forward has been involved in six goals in his past eight appearances - four goals, two assists.
Three of Wout Weghorst’s four goals at major tournaments (World Cup and Euros) have come as a substitute, including his winner with his first touch against Poland in the opening game. It is the most substitute goals a Netherlands player has scored in major tournament history.


Think this will be a 1-1 draw, too very good teams as we have already seen.

[Derbymiller]

To press or not to press - that is the question. Lots of fans, quite rightly IMO, question why after taking the lead, we don’t tactically press the opposition rather than sitting back and letting the opposition wander unchallenged through midfield to within shooting distance. When challenged on this, Harry Kane stated that he didn't think the team knew how to press properly. This statement alone should be sufficient for Southgate to be sacked immediately and underlines absolutely that he is a defensive coach who has no clue how to put a team under pressure and hammer home an advantage.

worse than that Southgate said that with the players we have we are not able to press high???? Really so all the english players that play in teams that play a high press suddenly when they turn up at St georges park lose all their memory on how to play football, are they really that stupid?? This is the same with playing out from the back, it isn't the players it is a manager that is no better than an average championship manager and his supporting coaching staff. A great article last night (can't find it to share the URL) was talking about how teams like Italy and Germany have gone for high quality club coaches and we are seeing how that is transforming their teams and style. We haven't recovered from the 2021 final where we saw real questions asked about Southgate approach, in game decisions since then we have got gradually worse and unless something major changes in the next few days we will see England out at the last 16 stage.

[flourbasher]

Marek Rodak on bench again
His mind might be on other things if Steve Evans has tapped him up.
With a 80% cut in salary level but the chance to live in an apartment in Wickersley it might happen

[Stansmate]

Yet again two teams rated well below England play an entertaining game often end to end at pace - a breath of fresh air compared to our dire borin tip tap , give it away rubbish.

Would like to see Ukraine do well god theyre goin thru so much 💩