This makes sense.
Have to say I’m not sure how I am feeling about the PL this season.
I felt a bit drained by it last season and it isn’t as appealing to me as it once was.
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To me it’s incredible that Southgate gets plaudits for reaching two finals, a semi and a quarter in his time as manager.
He has an incredible squad of players, and has been gifted absolutely piss easy draws in the tournaments he’s played. It’s a totally false position.
He is a mediocre manager, limited tactician, and with a snide Hodgson-esque tendency towards throwing other under the bus to save his own skin.
For those that want to see them, him limitations were plainly visible. But I’ll just say this. England have looked dangerous for about 30mins of football across two matches in this tournament. Both spells came as a direct result of taking off Harry Kane.
If Southgate hasn’t got the balls to drop his captain, who everyone can see is a massive problem, then he shouldn’t be managing the team.
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Well, it’s the day after. Final thoughts: I don’t have the highs or lows watching England, at least in relation to Liverpool. I wasn’t too disappointed.
Getting to another final was a good achievement, but the circumstances included a favorable draw and a lot of drab football along the way.
Southgate is a steady man, and in a way that is a good thing, as the players are the stars. But as a coach he is just too timid.
He stumbled onto a new formation, mid tournament. But he wasn’t quite brave enough to take the shackles off, and so we only saw one good half from England in the whole tournament, against the Netherlands, plus some top moments when someone produced something. They looked much better when Harry Kane came off and the attack had a focal point with someone to try to run in behind and stretch it.
Spain were the best team, winning all their games.
The tourney seemed very well organized, and generally - a few incidents notwithstanding - the fans entered into the spirit of it all.
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Yep. Last night was a case in point.
Kane spent sixty minutes ambling round without purpose, dropping deep looking for the ball. The Spain defence pushed up, and squashed the space in attacking midfield, as they were confident that England wouldn’t be able to run in behind.
When Watkins came on, suddenly the defence had to worry about pace and off the shoulder running, and dropped about 10 yards.
That then created the space for the shot from Palmer.
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Have to say I thought Palmer had a decent tournament and really should have been given more time.
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This is one of the frustrations I have with Southgate’s approach. Usually there are not just substitutions made earlier in games but rotation within the group games to utilise the squad. He declined to do this.
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Apparently not. I certainly hope not.
Similar to his stint at Utd
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Lamine Yamal seems to be the real deal…Barca is soooooo lucky that their La Masia has unearthed yet another gem.
What irritated me most is when he kept hoofing the ball to inevitably a Spanish player and he was allowed by Southgate to keep doing it in every game it was really embarrassing
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And he hates players who have gone anywhere near Liverpool
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Sorry didn’t see your post I said a very similar thing below
I think there were only 2 small patches of play in the entire tournament where the side that Southgate put out looked anything like competent - the first 15 minutes in the first game up until Jude scored and we went back into our shell, and the first half against the Dutch. Everything else positive from an attacking sense came from either an isolated flash of inspiration completely disconnected to the flow of the game, or after subs were brought on who were not like for like replacements and so forced the team our of their rigid planned on approach. This to me is the biggest negative mark against Southgate. When the best football your team plays is during the periods when all plans go out of the window and it’s just up to the players to figure out a way to make it work, and then after get the goal you were looking for you immediately go back to type and bring on Connor Gallagher for a forward to regain your shape, then you are actively making the group worse.
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Opta’s team of the tournament:
Get in there, Cody la.
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Reports from the US that his people have contacted the USSF about their vacancy. Could be bollocks, and could be purely a move to get the Spanish Fed to give him a pay bump. What it almost certainly isnt is a genuine interest in him leaving the Spanish job to go to work for the US.
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On the other hand, introducing Watkins and Palmer opened up England’s midfield, and that’s why towards the end, Spain started to rip it up completely again. Anyone could clearly see Spain’s second goal coming, and I was wondering why Southgate didn’t do something quickly, in order to close these wide gaps opening up time and time again.
With the benefit of hindsight, Spain were just too good. When England had to do something, they opened up, got the equalizer, but were then utterly destroyed after that. Let’s face it, any other England manager would have had his work cut out against this Spain side, which was far stronger than anyone would have expected before the tournament. Not even Germany and France, two better balanced sides than England, couldn’t do something against them.
This England team was strong in midfield and attack in terms of overall quality, but had some inherent weaknesses: a mid-level goalie and a so-so central defence. You can’t beat world-beaters like Spain with this handicap, and that’s not Southgate’s fault. Imo, he did the most with what he had at disposal.
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Something that’s overlooked is that Spain was by far the best managed side in the tournament. In terms of talent, Spain are not on a level of their own. France, Germany even England, to some extent, more than match up to them.
They were though by far the fittest and the best drilled team and that’s what made the difference. Their pressing and counter-pressing were phenomenally effective and they had excellent patterns of play going forward. None of their opponents could claim that they came close to that level. Maybe Germany, who probably deserved to go through on the balance of play.
Ultimately, the biggest difference was Spain’s coaching staff. Swap Southgate with De la Fuente and Spain look a lot more lucklustre.
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Interestingly De La Fuente is not considered any great shakes as a coach and was hired because he was a proper company man. His appointment came from the same place as Southgate’s…create a coherent football philosophy, institute it at the youth levels and then promote the coaches through the ranks up to the senior side so everyone from the players to the manager and staff will be familiar with it and each other when they all reach the senior side.
Turns out a sound philosophy doesnt work by itself.
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lol…I fucking raged when they did this. Took about 30 seconds to get the ball back into play then finally when he makes a decision what to do it’s back to the keeper within 2 touches 
https://x.com/recospurs/status/1812609441507807434?s=61&t=VxX1vHU3NOwwNhlbyICG-g
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