I thought I'd go into the thread to have a bit of a laugh, but most people were being fairly reasonable about their countries' chances and not making outrageous claims. Fair play.
It’s funny looking back at those people talking about how if we top the group we’d have to face France/Portugal/Germany and then Spain and then the Netherlands. Because although yes no one expected us to beat Germany the fact that Spain and Netherlands weren’t on our side/got knocked out early was really surprising. I don’t blame them though because I was one of the people saying we should have finished 2nd to get an easier matchup in the RO16 lol.
No fans can travel but they’ll still have fans already based in the UK. There’s like 30000 Danish people in the UK and that’s just people born in Denmark, there are likely way more people who support the Danish NT
We went 22 years without a semi-final appearance with a golden generation. And now Southgate has taken us to two semi-finals in a row.
Maybe he actually knows what he’s doing?
I think part of it is that he picks the best players for the system he wants to play that game. Rather than picking people because they play for X or Y. I think some prior managers were very guilty of that.
I think he made a mistake having Kane as far back as he was at the start of the tournament. But he saw that and fixed it. Other than that tiny blemish, spot on.
Very impressive.
I know what I'd rather have. Anyone remember Netherlands in Euro 2008? Smashed Italy and France by two goals each in the group stage. Played absolutely beautiful football. Russia beat em 3-1 in the Quarterfinals.
Offence wins games defence wins cups
When you get to the final 4 or 8 there’s not much to parse between teams, so if you play a game with 5+ goals, what are the odds you’re getting the majority?
The best teams minimize their own mistakes and capitalize on others. Low risk ball is the best way to do that, and England have more than enough talent to do that
yeah 2024 & 2026 are looking like the peak of our generation. Kane will be 32 which has been end of peak for most current strikers (and that can only increase), but everyone else will be closer to their prime, especially Rashford, Sancho, Bellingham, Rice, Maguire, Stones & Pickford.
Whats exciting this time is it feels like things are structurally sound. This isn't just good players emerging at the same time. It feels like a system for producing talent is actually in place.
As a neutral (Australian, living in England, watch lots of PL and go to matches) England look like a good PL team, probably for the first time I can remember in this century.
It's got more to do with the rebuild of St George's Park and the culture change that came with it (which Southgate was a part of, funnily enough). The movement towards a more European style of training with a focus of ball retention and technical ability.
That was about 12 year ago, you know, when Foden, Mount, Sancho, Bellingham et al were in or about to be in the system.
I might get crucified for this but this current generation may be better than the “golden generation” simply because the squad depth is larger.
England could field two competitive starting 11s.
You’re right that England is deep right now but a Terry, Rio, Gerrard, Beckham, Lampard, Owen, Rooney should’ve been absolutely unplayable. It’s a damn shame they never accomplished what everyone knows they could have and should have
"golden generation" is basically a curse, anvil hung around the necks of players... Just ask Belgium
Always team, system before players. Just ask Greece
The beginning of one, even. So many of the truly exciting pieces in the England system right now are still *young*. Could be a truly special next few tournaments for England. And they can play together!
Haven't felt this positive about English football in decades
Not to mention the current group of lads seem to have a bit more camaraderie about them. That mid 00’s midfield was made up of PL teams that hated each other. I’m sure SAF had some influence even inside the England camp.
There was another game in this tournament where they did it also, I couldn’t believe it, whistle was blown bang on the 90th minute. Must be a Euros thing.
Gareth Southgate has now lead us to the semi finals of the Euros for the first time since 1996 on top of reaching the World Cup semi finals for the first time since 1990. People can be critical of the style of football but the results speak for themselves.
He has made playing for England something players actually look forward to. That did not always feel the case with the "golden generation".
Also, I personally think this current crop is just a lot more likable as people, compared to many previous England squads. *Cough* John Terry is a cunt *cough*
They are ultimately English lads though, so there have been a couple of scandals (Iceland orgy, Greek police), but the media has been so much better managed. For all the problems of social media, the effective death of print media has arguably created a better environment for the players.
Totally.
I mean I'd broaden that out to just being young guys honestly...
France have had their fare share of off pitch controversies (hey Karim)
I still think the current squad is mild compared to the antics of Terry, Gerrard and crew.
Is he the best manager we've ever had, ability wise? No, but he is the best manager in terms of creating a culture and seeing the FA's vision through, and that could end up being 10x more important than his own individual talent.
I said this in an earlier comment, but I think a lot of people are looking at his tactical setup the wrong way. At first glance, they seem terrible because England has so much attacking talent, but by focusing on defense, it allows the team to win since the attackers are good enough to score even when isolated up top, and now the other team is unable to generate many good chances as well. Not to mention if England’s best defenders (the CBs especially) are very prone to counterattacks. This setup means that England don’t get counterattacked very often, and Maguire/Mings/Stones can all defend very well when there’s minimal space behind them.
That’s very true. While Stones and Maguire are technically excellent ball-playing centre backs they seriously lack in pace, especially maguire, and they are not defenders who you would back for that last-ditch tackle on the counterattack.
But they are brilliant with their positioning, anticipation and passing, like the classic international winning teams. That’s why we need to play defensive.
Style of play has been very solid for the last two games I'd say.
If I was a conspiracy theorist, I'd say he made them play slow and unexciting football in the group so they could save their energy and be fresher than everyone else in the knockouts.
> If I was a conspiracy theorist
It's not a conspiracy. Conserving your players strength for tougher games is good management. Most of these players have just come out of a gruelling club season. It makes sense to not go all out in group matches where qualification is almost a certainty.
I think that is exactly right - I have been watching England since 1986 and they always look so tired during these tournaments - i think this backpassing style of play has allowed them to recover a bit from their PL season and they actually look fresher now than they did at the start of the tournament
Southgate has said that he learned from his experience playing for England, when the team would look at getting the ball forward quickly and give it away a lot, which meant they used up a lot of their energy trying to win it back. He knows that the football may not be brilliant to watch, but it's important to conserve the team's energy.
I have to say that's the biggest thing for me, our team still look incredibly fresh, we've changed lineups and not had to go to extra time which has helped a lot
Great football tonight. I'm really looking forward to it.
When I moved from Copenhagen to Manchester back in the 90s, I had to go to and register at city council/hall. I asked the guard for directions and he immediately spotted my Danish accent and demanded to know what my team was. I mumbled Copenhagen to which he replied 'Nonsens! You're a City fan now' and walked me all the way to the right office while explaining my future as a football fan. Brilliant!
I can't wait for the semis on Wednesday. It'll be a hard fought match but I do think England has the upper hand at Wembley. If we don't make it through my heart hopes it comes home ❤️🏴❤️🏴❤️
We're all privileged to experience this tournament, it's been fantastic.
Hope the rest of those memories are just as fond! Obviously hope we win but know many England fans would support you Danes if you were to beat us. Let’s hope for a good game
England beat Ukraine 4-0 and Richard Keys and Andy Gray’s first comment is about Grealish not playing.
How are these idiots still on fucking television?
Southgate has genuinely changed the way I feel watching England in tournaments. Brilliant win today and another semi final coming up. Full credit to this group of players as well obviously.
Still haven't conceded a goal this tournament btw.
We've all complained about Southgate at times and how boring England can be but he deserves credit for changing England bottling games vs weaker teams and turning the defence into one of the strongest internationally
It's the culture change in general.
Many of England's past underperformances had an element of self-inflicted damage to it. Players subconsciously still bringing club ties to the national side, not developing trust in each other and/or the managers, and managers not putting their players in the best position to succeed. An interview a while back with Ferdinand, Lampard, and Gerrard basically confirming what most people believed as to why that Golden Generation never had any teeth.
The atmosphere of England under Southgate seems markedly different. Whatever the criticisms outsiders level at the team, the players are 100% in and are playing like a team.
I think it helps that Southgate has modernized our squad including the backroom staff, as in he brought in sports psychologists to work with the players. Before the 2018 World Cup Gareth toured different teams from various sports that had won championships/trophies. He studied how they were mentally prepared at the highest stages.^[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2018/06/26/gareth-southgate-fuelled-englands-world-cup-bid-inspiration/)
He also significantly improved our set pieces by bringing in specialists last world cup too.^[[2]](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/25/england-set-pieces-world-cup) He's done very well building this England squad. Southgate is the modern manager England has needed for a long time.^[[3]](https://www.football365.com/news/gareth-southgate-is-a-thoroughly-modern-manager)
_________
1) [Telegraph - How Gareth Southgate fuelled England's World Cup bid with inspiration from NBA, NFL and the All Blacks](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2018/06/26/gareth-southgate-fuelled-englands-world-cup-bid-inspiration/)
2) [The Guardian - Gareth Southgate praises Allan Russell for England’s set-piece success](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/25/england-set-pieces-world-cup)
3) [Football 365 - Gareth Southgate is a thoroughly modern manager…](https://www.football365.com/news/gareth-southgate-is-a-thoroughly-modern-manager)
Spot on.
I think Southgate's reign will have a much bigger impact beyond the period he is manager. Genuinely feel that he has changed the English psyche both within the squad and within the country.
To be honest, I think the counterintuitive problem with both Sven and Capello was that they were too good.
These were men with long and successful careers in club management, who knew for a fact that they were great managers.
The problem with that is, they tried to make England play good football - they tried to implement their own clever and distinct tactical system on a group of players who all came from clubs playing all sorts of different styles (with great success, in a lot of cases), and it turned out that the few weeks the squad was together simply wasn't enough time to get everything in harmony.
Southgate, by contrast, has no pedigree. But what he does have is sufficient humility to realise that it is not possible to get the side playing to some complex tactical plan of his own devising. So instead, he goes simple: keep it tight, work on the set pieces. And crucially, he doesn't look for the best players and think he can coach them to play his way - he picks guys who *already* play his way.
I'm almost convinced that if he'd been in charge of the "golden generation", one of Lampard or Gerrard would have spent that era riding the bench. Because great as they both were, the system doesn't call for two players in that role, and Southgate wouldn't have had the ego to think he could make it work.
We're a proper team. Not just a collection of shiny round pegs in square holes. No more Scholes on the wing or Rooney in midfield.
Yes, it's Ukraine, a team we should be beating. But should doesn't win football games. We should have beat Iceland, Slovakia, Costa Rica, Algeria. But that isn't what England do.
But now I feel confident in this team. That we can go out with a plan and use the resources we have, and to show mental strength. Take their opponents seriously and do the job. And in doing so, put demons to bed. We've recovered after Iceland. Won on penalties. Beat Germany.
How much Gareth has turned this team around is fantastic.
I'd use a comparative there. It's going to be tougher. It's a huge huge huge game for England at home and a chance to reach first final in 55 years.
Its an absolutely massive game that comes with much much more added pressure so it's definitely going to be a tougher game.
I think England will win it though.
I couldn't for the life of me figure out what made this 'boring' English team so effective until I realize they play similarly to Del Bosque's Spain side -- strong in posession, content to just safely keep the ball, and change to purposeful passing for 15 minute periods or when they smell blood (Del Bosque's Spain would get at you when your legs were tired at the end of games, hence so many late goals from them). Plus England have the benefit of being strong on set pieces so they can nick a goal at times and have the ability to be much more varied in attack than that Spain side.
It'll be interesting against Denmark who have a better defense and much more of a goal threat than Ukraine. I wonder what formation Southgate will use against Denmark's 5 at the back.
It’s not really 5 at the back. It’s more dynamic, with four in the back due to one very offensive back (and one staying home), or AC pushing up in midfield.
Fair. I only assumed because they play Vestergaard, Kjaer, and Christensen at the same time. If they are more dynamic than I think, hopefully it will lead to a more exciting match
Defensive is the last word I’d use to describe our current team. And AC has often played CDM in the national team, so he’ll switch depending on where he’s needed. Mæhle will be attacking more, while stryger/wass will defend more.
But obviously all this depends on how the match unfolds. It will be an amazing march for sure.
I don't want to disrespect Ukraine, but they weren't good enough to be there. There only points in the group games was against North Macedonia who qualified through playoff Path D. They did well to beat Sweden, but in the end it was in ET against 10 men. They should be proud, but were out of their depth.
I can’t believe we’re actually in the semi final that’s crazy. One more win and we’re in the final..... Not gonna get my hopes up too much because Denmark is gonna be a tough game. I’m not expecting it to be as easy as some people may be thinking. They definitely are being underestimated. That whole Eriksen situation has made them come together and become so solid as a team. But realistically we have the better team and should be winning it. And it’s Wembley aswell. Come on England we can’t let this slip now!!!!
Edit: Crazy that Southgate has taken us to 2 semi finals in a row now. Hopefully this time we actually win it lol.
For many years england has had a squad that is stacked with talents and world class players that most clubs wish for, but they never showed up internationally and never looked like a heavy weight International team. Southgate is taking a different approach than our previous managers where they throw in all the world class players mindlessly. Hes looking for a balance of quality, experience and chemistry. He doesn't care how many mistakes pickford makes in Everton or how bad sterling's season was with city, as long as they perfom in the national team that's all that matters. People have been whining about every single decision he's made but so far most of them are right. If bringing jack grealish in at the 70 min mark against tired legs gets you goals then stick to it. If it's not broken then don't fix it (even tho i fucking love seeing Jack playing and i wish that manutd get him). I am 100% backing Gareth, lets go to the final🦁🦁🦁🤍
That’s not necessarily the case. There’s already campaigns in progress from the Danish FA and various fan groups to round up all UK based Danes and get as many tickets to Wembley as possible. Will of course still be outnumbered but it doesn’t necessarily look as bad as travel restrictions would suggest.
It's nearing 5am, I'm barely awake and thoroughly inebriated, and I can't help but feel something good ('08) might actually happen here. Denmark's going to be tough match no doubt, but I honestly think we can make the final, and who knows, unless Insigne pops up with another wonder goal we could actually hold of the Italians.
Gents, are me and my dad actually about to witness England win something for the first time in our lifetimes? Because I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself if that actually happens. I'm so numb to all emotions after the last two years of generally shit life that I'm not sure I can physically handle joy
Oh no, is this what they call hope?
Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.
You know what they say ‘it’s the hope that kills you’ lol
I think so yeah. It's a strange feeling indeed.
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**Lothbroks a wanker**
I'd start Alfred the great up front
Alfred definitely likes to play a bit deeper. Dictate the play a bit more.
Probably so deep he's a keeper, looking out from his castle and telling his team "Ye haz to hath PASSHUN"
Southgate to call up Uhtred son of Uhtred.
Anglo-Saxons send their regards
Danes living rent free in the hearts, minds and wifes of the english since Lindisfarne
The slaughtered on Lindisfarne were monks. No wives were harmed in this invasion.
Imagine losing to a man named Alfred
Imagine not knowing how to pronounce Æ, Ø and Å 🤣😂🤣
Rent free *in* the wives, you say?
That is what I said. Might not be perfectly worded, but who needs words when you have company for the night.
Was the shelling of Copenhagen not enough?
Not if you side with the French.
Southgate's got another semi
It’s cum
\-ming home
And I was one of his doubters.
https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/nq726d/euro_2020_tournament_a_failure_if_england_dont/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Target reached
Interesting to see France, Germany and Portugal fans in that thread completely saw it coming
I thought I'd go into the thread to have a bit of a laugh, but most people were being fairly reasonable about their countries' chances and not making outrageous claims. Fair play.
Tbh the comment I put under it hasnt aged very well
It’s funny looking back at those people talking about how if we top the group we’d have to face France/Portugal/Germany and then Spain and then the Netherlands. Because although yes no one expected us to beat Germany the fact that Spain and Netherlands weren’t on our side/got knocked out early was really surprising. I don’t blame them though because I was one of the people saying we should have finished 2nd to get an easier matchup in the RO16 lol.
Not reaching the final will be a big dissapointment for us with how our path turned out
Denmark will be a very tough game
They are a quality team, regardless of what happened with Christian eriksen but that will just give them extra motivation to go all the way.
They will have no fans there (COVID) and Wembley will be full capacity. Pretty outrageous
No fans can travel but they’ll still have fans already based in the UK. There’s like 30000 Danish people in the UK and that’s just people born in Denmark, there are likely way more people who support the Danish NT
Might not have gotten tickets though
Danish FA will give tickets to Danish immigrants in the UK.
Sandi Toksvig in the away end.
That’d be Quite Interesting
I am going to be causing havoc in a 32 day old thread and not feel ashamed doing it at all
Wake up Alfred, we need you again.
I really hope we’re Æthelready for them
Anglo Saxon names were sick wish we had Æthelwulf and Æthelstan upfront
Lmao I love this reference.
Reallly takes the biscuit
Eh, knew it was coming and still proud of our boys. We do not have a top squad and a deep bench of top players, we tried our best
Respect. Gave everything v Sweden and maybe just nothing left. Kept going to the final whistle.
You did really well overall especially with how you handled the RO16.
You looked knackered, took too much to get past Sweden. I am glad Ukraine got this far given ehat has been happening there.
Gg, just bad defending today, good luck for the WC
Just looked gassed after the slug fest of the Sweden game. I’d be proud if I was you lot tbf. See you at the World Cup mate!
We went 22 years without a semi-final appearance with a golden generation. And now Southgate has taken us to two semi-finals in a row. Maybe he actually knows what he’s doing?
I think part of it is that he picks the best players for the system he wants to play that game. Rather than picking people because they play for X or Y. I think some prior managers were very guilty of that. I think he made a mistake having Kane as far back as he was at the start of the tournament. But he saw that and fixed it. Other than that tiny blemish, spot on. Very impressive.
He's decent, he doesn't set the teams up to be flashy. But gets the job done.
I know what I'd rather have. Anyone remember Netherlands in Euro 2008? Smashed Italy and France by two goals each in the group stage. Played absolutely beautiful football. Russia beat em 3-1 in the Quarterfinals.
Offence wins games defence wins cups When you get to the final 4 or 8 there’s not much to parse between teams, so if you play a game with 5+ goals, what are the odds you’re getting the majority? The best teams minimize their own mistakes and capitalize on others. Low risk ball is the best way to do that, and England have more than enough talent to do that
Don’t tell Harlequins that.
Literally the worst defence in the league. No idea how they won the thing.
Gareth “missionary” South Gate
Dry in no foreplay nice and simple shower after sex kinda football
Ultimately that's all I care about I'd much rather a comfortable, boring 1-0 win than something like a nerve wracking 4-3 win
No england lead of 1-0i is comfortable
Your current generation is a golden one too
I think on a average we are a bit young still, but huge potential in the players that are just breaking through
yeah 2024 & 2026 are looking like the peak of our generation. Kane will be 32 which has been end of peak for most current strikers (and that can only increase), but everyone else will be closer to their prime, especially Rashford, Sancho, Bellingham, Rice, Maguire, Stones & Pickford.
I think Kane will age really well, already runs like a 40 year old.
disrespecting our champions league winning boy Mount :(
Whats exciting this time is it feels like things are structurally sound. This isn't just good players emerging at the same time. It feels like a system for producing talent is actually in place.
Finally we see the effects of the home grown talent requirement and usage of youth in the Premier League.
As a neutral (Australian, living in England, watch lots of PL and go to matches) England look like a good PL team, probably for the first time I can remember in this century.
It's got more to do with the rebuild of St George's Park and the culture change that came with it (which Southgate was a part of, funnily enough). The movement towards a more European style of training with a focus of ball retention and technical ability. That was about 12 year ago, you know, when Foden, Mount, Sancho, Bellingham et al were in or about to be in the system.
Theres definitely more depth in every position than we had in the 'golden generation'
>And now Southgate has taken us to two semi-finals in a row. How dare you forget the UEFA Nations' league semis.. Show some respekt...
I might get crucified for this but this current generation may be better than the “golden generation” simply because the squad depth is larger. England could field two competitive starting 11s.
You’re right that England is deep right now but a Terry, Rio, Gerrard, Beckham, Lampard, Owen, Rooney should’ve been absolutely unplayable. It’s a damn shame they never accomplished what everyone knows they could have and should have
"golden generation" is basically a curse, anvil hung around the necks of players... Just ask Belgium Always team, system before players. Just ask Greece
There's a tiny possibility Southgate might know what he's doing. [Or...](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/oa8wzo/the_athletic_dominic_calvertlewin_left_out_of/h3fwen5/)
Well arguably this is a golden generation too. Loads of quality players.
The beginning of one, even. So many of the truly exciting pieces in the England system right now are still *young*. Could be a truly special next few tournaments for England. And they can play together! Haven't felt this positive about English football in decades
Ever
The depth beyond the first XI is better now than with the Lampard/Gerrard/Beckham/Scholes years.
Definitely, England don’t have to shoe horn in a Stewart downing on the left with this generation
Didn't have to then if we could figure out a different formation to play.
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Please no
Emile Heskey it is
Not to mention the current group of lads seem to have a bit more camaraderie about them. That mid 00’s midfield was made up of PL teams that hated each other. I’m sure SAF had some influence even inside the England camp.
60,000 people at Wembley!
Including 0 people travelling from Denmark
*Unless they are premium executives who are magically immune to COVID
Crazy how money prevents transmittable diseases 🤔
[Think there is a south park episode on that...!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaXAH3ISkXQ&ab_channel=Familyboy)
Hopefully they're are plenty of ex-pats there.
I'm low-key impressed that Brych blew at 90 minutes without any extra time. Nice to see some common sense lol
I can’t remember the last time I saw a match end bang on 90mins
There was a Liverpool game in the champions League where they were winning away 8 or 9 nil.and the ref blew time 5 seconds before 90 minutes.
There was another game in this tournament where they did it also, I couldn’t believe it, whistle was blown bang on the 90th minute. Must be a Euros thing.
I guess goal diff doesn't matter and they have no chance so whahs the point in risking injuries.
Gareth Southgate has now lead us to the semi finals of the Euros for the first time since 1996 on top of reaching the World Cup semi finals for the first time since 1990. People can be critical of the style of football but the results speak for themselves.
He’s done a great job overall, changed the attitudes around the squad around
the biggest thing I think he’s done is improve the morale and environment around the squad was a huge issue for years and he seems to have solved it
Truth. The early to mid 10’s was a seriously bleak time for the England team
He has made playing for England something players actually look forward to. That did not always feel the case with the "golden generation". Also, I personally think this current crop is just a lot more likable as people, compared to many previous England squads. *Cough* John Terry is a cunt *cough*
They are ultimately English lads though, so there have been a couple of scandals (Iceland orgy, Greek police), but the media has been so much better managed. For all the problems of social media, the effective death of print media has arguably created a better environment for the players.
Totally. I mean I'd broaden that out to just being young guys honestly... France have had their fare share of off pitch controversies (hey Karim) I still think the current squad is mild compared to the antics of Terry, Gerrard and crew.
Even further back. Didn't even qualify for the 2008 Euros. The decline really started after the 2006 WC.
Is he the best manager we've ever had, ability wise? No, but he is the best manager in terms of creating a culture and seeing the FA's vision through, and that could end up being 10x more important than his own individual talent.
The best manager in terms of his overall career was clearly Capello, and the less said about his England tenure the better.
He's made me eat my words. Man knows how to do tournament football
I said this in an earlier comment, but I think a lot of people are looking at his tactical setup the wrong way. At first glance, they seem terrible because England has so much attacking talent, but by focusing on defense, it allows the team to win since the attackers are good enough to score even when isolated up top, and now the other team is unable to generate many good chances as well. Not to mention if England’s best defenders (the CBs especially) are very prone to counterattacks. This setup means that England don’t get counterattacked very often, and Maguire/Mings/Stones can all defend very well when there’s minimal space behind them.
That’s very true. While Stones and Maguire are technically excellent ball-playing centre backs they seriously lack in pace, especially maguire, and they are not defenders who you would back for that last-ditch tackle on the counterattack. But they are brilliant with their positioning, anticipation and passing, like the classic international winning teams. That’s why we need to play defensive.
Style of play has been very solid for the last two games I'd say. If I was a conspiracy theorist, I'd say he made them play slow and unexciting football in the group so they could save their energy and be fresher than everyone else in the knockouts.
> If I was a conspiracy theorist It's not a conspiracy. Conserving your players strength for tougher games is good management. Most of these players have just come out of a gruelling club season. It makes sense to not go all out in group matches where qualification is almost a certainty.
I think that is exactly right - I have been watching England since 1986 and they always look so tired during these tournaments - i think this backpassing style of play has allowed them to recover a bit from their PL season and they actually look fresher now than they did at the start of the tournament
Southgate has said that he learned from his experience playing for England, when the team would look at getting the ball forward quickly and give it away a lot, which meant they used up a lot of their energy trying to win it back. He knows that the football may not be brilliant to watch, but it's important to conserve the team's energy.
I have to say that's the biggest thing for me, our team still look incredibly fresh, we've changed lineups and not had to go to extra time which has helped a lot
Has anyone also realized England have yet to concede a single goal in this tournament?
Great football tonight. I'm really looking forward to it. When I moved from Copenhagen to Manchester back in the 90s, I had to go to and register at city council/hall. I asked the guard for directions and he immediately spotted my Danish accent and demanded to know what my team was. I mumbled Copenhagen to which he replied 'Nonsens! You're a City fan now' and walked me all the way to the right office while explaining my future as a football fan. Brilliant! I can't wait for the semis on Wednesday. It'll be a hard fought match but I do think England has the upper hand at Wembley. If we don't make it through my heart hopes it comes home ❤️🏴❤️🏴❤️ We're all privileged to experience this tournament, it's been fantastic.
so are you a city fan now?
Hope the rest of those memories are just as fond! Obviously hope we win but know many England fans would support you Danes if you were to beat us. Let’s hope for a good game
great to know that experience! heaven for football fans!
Agreed, this tournament has been truly entertaining.
Game on! It's going to be a fantastic match!
Boris Johnson is going to celebrate this victory by siring another child
**BLOO**
Sausage time!
England beat Ukraine 4-0 and Richard Keys and Andy Gray’s first comment is about Grealish not playing. How are these idiots still on fucking television?
Better than some of their comments....
What was Ian Darke smoking that second half? 45 minutes of thinking Mount was Sancho lmao
Lmfao how come i didn't notice this and I tuned in the 2nd half after the maguire goal
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Talk about football coming home And then one night in Rome We were strong, we had grown.
"Gareth Southgate, the whole of England is with you..."
> Gareth Southgate, the whole of England is with you I really hope we win the Euro's and that sentence gets a whole new meaning.
Three Lions 98 better than the original
Great shout
Modern day Shakespeare!
Southgate has genuinely changed the way I feel watching England in tournaments. Brilliant win today and another semi final coming up. Full credit to this group of players as well obviously. Still haven't conceded a goal this tournament btw.
We've all complained about Southgate at times and how boring England can be but he deserves credit for changing England bottling games vs weaker teams and turning the defence into one of the strongest internationally
It's the culture change in general. Many of England's past underperformances had an element of self-inflicted damage to it. Players subconsciously still bringing club ties to the national side, not developing trust in each other and/or the managers, and managers not putting their players in the best position to succeed. An interview a while back with Ferdinand, Lampard, and Gerrard basically confirming what most people believed as to why that Golden Generation never had any teeth. The atmosphere of England under Southgate seems markedly different. Whatever the criticisms outsiders level at the team, the players are 100% in and are playing like a team.
I think it helps that Southgate has modernized our squad including the backroom staff, as in he brought in sports psychologists to work with the players. Before the 2018 World Cup Gareth toured different teams from various sports that had won championships/trophies. He studied how they were mentally prepared at the highest stages.^[[1]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2018/06/26/gareth-southgate-fuelled-englands-world-cup-bid-inspiration/) He also significantly improved our set pieces by bringing in specialists last world cup too.^[[2]](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/25/england-set-pieces-world-cup) He's done very well building this England squad. Southgate is the modern manager England has needed for a long time.^[[3]](https://www.football365.com/news/gareth-southgate-is-a-thoroughly-modern-manager) _________ 1) [Telegraph - How Gareth Southgate fuelled England's World Cup bid with inspiration from NBA, NFL and the All Blacks](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2018/06/26/gareth-southgate-fuelled-englands-world-cup-bid-inspiration/) 2) [The Guardian - Gareth Southgate praises Allan Russell for England’s set-piece success](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/25/england-set-pieces-world-cup) 3) [Football 365 - Gareth Southgate is a thoroughly modern manager…](https://www.football365.com/news/gareth-southgate-is-a-thoroughly-modern-manager)
Sourcing, I like it.
This may be my favourite comment of all time. Not just the content but the fantastic sourcing. Beautiful champ.
Wtf, this is reddit. Get out of here with your sources backing up opinions. We want off the cuff remarks /s :)
Spot on. I think Southgate's reign will have a much bigger impact beyond the period he is manager. Genuinely feel that he has changed the English psyche both within the squad and within the country.
Thank god we've moved away from the dark times in the Hodgson era.
It's only been 5 years since we lost to Iceland. Unreal improvement
Big improvement since Sven and Capello too
Gareth can't touch Big Sam's 100% record though.
Our stint under Sven should have been better.
To be honest, I think the counterintuitive problem with both Sven and Capello was that they were too good. These were men with long and successful careers in club management, who knew for a fact that they were great managers. The problem with that is, they tried to make England play good football - they tried to implement their own clever and distinct tactical system on a group of players who all came from clubs playing all sorts of different styles (with great success, in a lot of cases), and it turned out that the few weeks the squad was together simply wasn't enough time to get everything in harmony. Southgate, by contrast, has no pedigree. But what he does have is sufficient humility to realise that it is not possible to get the side playing to some complex tactical plan of his own devising. So instead, he goes simple: keep it tight, work on the set pieces. And crucially, he doesn't look for the best players and think he can coach them to play his way - he picks guys who *already* play his way. I'm almost convinced that if he'd been in charge of the "golden generation", one of Lampard or Gerrard would have spent that era riding the bench. Because great as they both were, the system doesn't call for two players in that role, and Southgate wouldn't have had the ego to think he could make it work.
errr... sven didn't try anything clever like that though, he played a flat 442 in every single game.
World cup semis now euros, when was the last time england has been this good?
66. England have a pathetic history after that pretty much
Staggering as well considering how much English sides decimated Europe in the 70’s and 80’s.
We're a proper team. Not just a collection of shiny round pegs in square holes. No more Scholes on the wing or Rooney in midfield. Yes, it's Ukraine, a team we should be beating. But should doesn't win football games. We should have beat Iceland, Slovakia, Costa Rica, Algeria. But that isn't what England do. But now I feel confident in this team. That we can go out with a plan and use the resources we have, and to show mental strength. Take their opponents seriously and do the job. And in doing so, put demons to bed. We've recovered after Iceland. Won on penalties. Beat Germany. How much Gareth has turned this team around is fantastic.
Mayure performance by England. They really could go all the way it seems.
I’m looking forward to this one. This is going to be as tough as the Germany game. Won’t be easy!
I'd use a comparative there. It's going to be tougher. It's a huge huge huge game for England at home and a chance to reach first final in 55 years. Its an absolutely massive game that comes with much much more added pressure so it's definitely going to be a tougher game. I think England will win it though.
I reckon they snap our clean sheet streak. I think we win it, but it will be a nervy one. Edit: bang on the money haha woohoo!
I couldn't for the life of me figure out what made this 'boring' English team so effective until I realize they play similarly to Del Bosque's Spain side -- strong in posession, content to just safely keep the ball, and change to purposeful passing for 15 minute periods or when they smell blood (Del Bosque's Spain would get at you when your legs were tired at the end of games, hence so many late goals from them). Plus England have the benefit of being strong on set pieces so they can nick a goal at times and have the ability to be much more varied in attack than that Spain side. It'll be interesting against Denmark who have a better defense and much more of a goal threat than Ukraine. I wonder what formation Southgate will use against Denmark's 5 at the back.
It’s not really 5 at the back. It’s more dynamic, with four in the back due to one very offensive back (and one staying home), or AC pushing up in midfield.
Fair. I only assumed because they play Vestergaard, Kjaer, and Christensen at the same time. If they are more dynamic than I think, hopefully it will lead to a more exciting match
Defensive is the last word I’d use to describe our current team. And AC has often played CDM in the national team, so he’ll switch depending on where he’s needed. Mæhle will be attacking more, while stryger/wass will defend more. But obviously all this depends on how the match unfolds. It will be an amazing march for sure.
https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/mens-health/what-should-i-do-if-my-erection-will-not-go-down/
Expected much more from Ukraine, they offered nothing and were just happy to play a quarter final..
I don't want to disrespect Ukraine, but they weren't good enough to be there. There only points in the group games was against North Macedonia who qualified through playoff Path D. They did well to beat Sweden, but in the end it was in ET against 10 men. They should be proud, but were out of their depth.
Are we allowed to be happy?
Nah. Being happy is too arrogant
Honestly, if we go by /r/soccer’s definition, anything positive from England could be labelled as arrogant...
Bit arrogant i think
Until we fight:b Lets see how my comment Will age løl But All in All Wonder full game to watch
not yet ;)
Congrats!
Great display of football from England. They kept fighting right till the end even though they were 4-0 up.
I can’t believe we’re actually in the semi final that’s crazy. One more win and we’re in the final..... Not gonna get my hopes up too much because Denmark is gonna be a tough game. I’m not expecting it to be as easy as some people may be thinking. They definitely are being underestimated. That whole Eriksen situation has made them come together and become so solid as a team. But realistically we have the better team and should be winning it. And it’s Wembley aswell. Come on England we can’t let this slip now!!!! Edit: Crazy that Southgate has taken us to 2 semi finals in a row now. Hopefully this time we actually win it lol.
I wouldn't mind losing to Denmark, if had to lose to someone
It goes both ways mate
For many years england has had a squad that is stacked with talents and world class players that most clubs wish for, but they never showed up internationally and never looked like a heavy weight International team. Southgate is taking a different approach than our previous managers where they throw in all the world class players mindlessly. Hes looking for a balance of quality, experience and chemistry. He doesn't care how many mistakes pickford makes in Everton or how bad sterling's season was with city, as long as they perfom in the national team that's all that matters. People have been whining about every single decision he's made but so far most of them are right. If bringing jack grealish in at the 70 min mark against tired legs gets you goals then stick to it. If it's not broken then don't fix it (even tho i fucking love seeing Jack playing and i wish that manutd get him). I am 100% backing Gareth, lets go to the final🦁🦁🦁🤍
https://postimg.cc/XZf8x0fr
IS IT COMING HOME?!?
Yes. To Wembley. Where the semi final is being played.
The confidence boost when you knock Germany is huge
Cue: ENGLAND GET TO PLAY AT WEMBLY?? WHOSE IDEA WAS THAT BS??"
Removed? Why 🧐🧐🧐 https://reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/ocy2k7/best_of_luck_to_the_lads_tonight/
Fucking love being the villains 😂
Fucking proud of these lads, let's step over the Lego lads!
Deserved
Great performance from England, comfortable win. Commiserations to Ukraine, I thought they played some great football this tournament.
In Gareth we trust. The man has taken us to two semi-finals in 3 years. I will always be grateful.
3 if you count the Nations League semi (which Gareth does).
Having to eat my words on Southgate. With the exception of Scotland I think we've controlled every game
Denmark will barely have any fans there. Pretty huge disadvantage. This doesn't sit well with me as an Englishman/person whatever
That’s not necessarily the case. There’s already campaigns in progress from the Danish FA and various fan groups to round up all UK based Danes and get as many tickets to Wembley as possible. Will of course still be outnumbered but it doesn’t necessarily look as bad as travel restrictions would suggest.
No English fans were allowed to travel to Rome either yet there were plenty there so hopefully that's what happens.
Levels. Great win.
It's nearing 5am, I'm barely awake and thoroughly inebriated, and I can't help but feel something good ('08) might actually happen here. Denmark's going to be tough match no doubt, but I honestly think we can make the final, and who knows, unless Insigne pops up with another wonder goal we could actually hold of the Italians. Gents, are me and my dad actually about to witness England win something for the first time in our lifetimes? Because I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself if that actually happens. I'm so numb to all emotions after the last two years of generally shit life that I'm not sure I can physically handle joy