As a neutral I am hoping for a crazy match or I’m going to turn it off.
I think there’s a good change this will start in very boring fashion with lots of defensive errors creeping in (like with France) and we could end up with a real crazy match again (then of course we might not).
It’s amazing how poor the ‘top’ teams defenses are from what I have seen (which isn’t much to be honest).
If it does go crazy I think England could well pull through as I have a feeling they are faster. The interest for Germany is to keep it boring then.
Anyway a good old tussle between 2 poor managers should at least make it funny, no?
(I’m tempted to say something about France but it would be off topic and nothing anyone doesn’t know already).
Germany not allowed to train at Wembley to preserve the pitch?
Oh, the irony.
So many games being played at bloody Wembley because it probably can’t pay off, so the pitch is a little bit crap considering it’s the “home of football”. But this is a whole new level.
Almost makes me wish for a Germany win on penalties, Pickford to act stupid and end up like Hart against Italy in 2012 and Neuer to decide the game.
Southgate apparently using a back three because Germany are using wing backs. I’m really not sure you should be changing the shape of the team at this stage of a tournament.
Maybe he doesn’t trust Grealish in this game and without Mount, he’d drop a defender back (just add a RWB and play Walker RCB) and play Sterling & Saka (if he keeps his place ahead of Foden) behind/around Kane in a 3-4-3. We’ll see if that happens. Interesting game indeed. I think England will hope Germany have a bit more possession, but not too much initiative (Portugal, being a more conservative side, were really crap in defending the sides, switches of play, Gosens was alone all day). Then look to hurt Germany’s back 3 CB’s, which looked as their weak point (and not since yesterday, already in the last tournament). But never write off Germany, their mentality and experience always makes them a serious side as long as they’re still in the competition.
Have you ever hear the English commentators pronounce Alderweireld and yes it is a tricky one for none Dutch/Flemish speaking people, but it doesn’t even come close.
Oh yeah I know. Although I’m Croatian, I was born and lived in Belgium (French speaking), so I know what you mean. Very different pronunciations. Ancelotti recently called Gbamin “Kabamen”.
