Whatās the odds on the Argies putting a few cruching tackles in on Bellingham in the first 15 minutes. If so, someone needs to sort Messi out..
Argentina will use every trick in the book against us and France to try to retain the trophy. A most unpleasant teamā¦
I think it will be that sort of game. Iām not sure England, with a few divey exceptions (Kane, Gordon, Pickford for starters) have the ādark artsā to match the Argies and it could be a tough watch for the non neutral.
Think starting to play better football would actually help more than the obsession with Messi and Argentinas ādark arts footballā. You know the kind of level worthy of a team which is in the semi final of the World Cup. Worthy of a ābig nationā / the motherland of this sport.
Far too much is said about how others behave, instead of simply focusing on oneself. Unfortunately, it often just comes across as a diversionary tactic to distract from oneās own weaknesses.
Not getting lulled into a false sense of security would help. Also reacting to opposition changes.
England have looked good when they accelerate the game however look reluctant to do do.
Against Argentina itās important to be on your toes as they will punish you.
Indirect free kick to Norway.
Another rule which is frequently ignored, keeper throws the ball out but the ball/hand crosses the 18 yard line before the ball is released.
Only once in my life have I seen a foul given for this, against Pepe Reina
https://x.com/dave43law/status/2076219743191568658?s=20
You can hear her thinking, 'Shit, now Iāve got to go along to another match.ā 
Its not the decision that was bad, it was the technique. The way he ran, very vertical, allowed the defender to cut out the passing lane so it was never on to pass to Haaland.
He needed to take a hard cut inside and play it quickly.
He wanted to pass but defender blocked the lane. He should have faked left, gone right and shot.
But he hesitated and it killed the move.
Got the win but again didnĀ“t play well.
Have to say, I thought TuchelĀ“s subs were awful and killed our momentum a few times, though Saka is clearly better than Madueke. Reece James messing around in midfield and taking off O reilly seemed a bit odd unless he was injured. Kane absent all game.
Bellingham showed again heĀ“s a big game player though he didnĀ“t play that well in the general game. Rice and Anderson mostly sideways and back. I assume we ll play the same against Argentina. And thatĀ“s okay. WeĀ“re a limited side it seems so this is our fighting chance.
The further the World Cup has progressed, the more Iāve reflected on where my loyalties should lie, and who I should support since my home nation was eliminated.
All this rooting for teams from as far away as Africa to beat England was uncalled for and a bit petty.
After speaking to family members weāve decided to stop all this sour grapes nonsense and get firmly behind the efforts of our closest neighbours, cheering them all the way to lifting the trophy.
The Auld Alliance then?
Fuck no.
Donāt want them Frenchies winning it
Against Bolton. And the fuckers scored from it.
Dale Johnson was part of the pre tournament briefings that included explanations on the āmistaken identityā rule change. He commented after the Almiron yellow in the US game that it was an incorrect application of the new rule based on the meetings heād been to and the material shared. He is repeating that now after the Embolo red.
https://x.com/DaleJohnsonBBC/status/2076215517778452879?s=20
He says it was explained to them that it was expressly only to be used for objective calls where it was clear that the wrong player had been booked for a specific foul. Using it to come back to punish simulation was never mentioned and given how much more common this sort of situation is than the situations of mistaken identity that makes clear by its exclusion that is not what the change was intended to do and he notes there are numerous cases in this tournament where it should have been used in that way if that indeed is what it was intended for. This is how it is now described in the protocol
So, essentially, it would only be for the unlikely situation that the ref books, for example, the No 8 whereas the No 6 committed the foul?
bellingham can hold his own in the diving department, the kid has been trained and refined in the diving league itself.
There was the famous Ox-Gibbs red card. He says the main example they used in the reference material was an incident from the 2016 Euro final where a handball was given on the edge of the French box and a French player booked, but replay showed it was actually a Portugese player who handled it. Same offence, wrong player identified.
A yellow card for a foul vs a yellow card for a dive where there is no foul are not only two distinctly different offenses, but they happen so much more often that if this was indeed the intention of the rule change they could find an example incident from any random game to use and wouldnt need to go back 10 years to find a relevant example.
@Dane you wussā¦ im in the french, spain camp or whom ever can beat england. but argentina is so unlikeable that i am supporting england to beat them. will take a shower after the gameā¦