England played their second of two international friendlies during this break earlier today when they hosted Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) at Wembley. England don’t usually play many African sides, but today they faced a side full of players with Premier League/European top flight experience. Serge Aurier, Eric Bailly (from Manchester United!), Nicolas Pepé, Franck Kessié, and Sebastién Haller are all incredibly talented and play important roles at their clubs. I like seeing unusual match-ups because it’s a good idea to play teams from all around the globe, so England can see different tactical approaches to the game and be ready for anything during a tournament. The Ivorians are ranked much lower in the FIFA world rankings than previous opponent Switzerland, but this could easily be a difficult test for the Three Lions. Manager Gareth Southgate made an array of changes to his starting XI from the Switzerland match, including benching Harry Kane and starting Raheem Sterling, Jude Bellingham, and striker Ollie Watkins. As has been said before on this blog, the name of the game in friendly matches is to figure out all the different ways you can potentially win a match, and what players deserve a shot in the final World Cup squad.
Thankfully, England abandoned the back-3 in defense that did not really work against the Swiss in favor of a traditional back-4. And from the start, England were all over the Ivorians. They were pressing well, forcing the opposition into errors, winning free kicks in dangerous areas, and creating chances to score. Sterling looked particularly lively in his familiar second-striker/attacking midfielder role, and he seemed to be the catalyst behind all attacking play. Bellingham was also in fine form playing on the right side of a midfield-3. His intelligence and creativity both on and off the ball are amazing to watch. He was unfortunate to see a shot deflected onto the post when it seemed almost certain he was going to score after a very clever run into the box. Winger/midfielder Jack Grealish also went close with a low shot at the near post that was barely held onto by Ivorian keeper Ibrahim Sangaré.
England did get the opener however on 30 minutes, thanks again to the creativity of Sterling. A loose forward pass from Grealish was recovered by Sterling in the left channel, after which he dribbled it into the box with the Ivorian defender giving him far too much space to operate in. He spotted Watkins making a run to the back post, and he played a rather simple cross along the ground that none of the defenders or keeper decided to clear. Watkins had a tap-in from 2 yards out and it was 1-0 England. A simple goal in the end thanks to poor defending, but credit to Sterling for his persistence and creativity and a congratulations to Watkins on opening his England scoring account. England deserved the goal for their dominance in the first 20-25 minutes.
Surprisingly, the Ivorians were down to 10 men on 40 minutes after right back Aurier was shown a second yellow card and given a subsequent red. He had been booked on 32 minutes for a pull on the shorts of Grealish, but his second one came after he visibly disagreed with a non-call from the referee. Once play had stopped, the ref came back to him and showed him a second yellow for dissent. You don’t see many sending-offs in friendlies and it’s perhaps a tad harsh on Aurier, but Tottenham supporters will tell you that a red card in a match is not a huge surprise for Serge Aurier. As a professional though, he has to know that he can’t go mouthing off to the ref once he’s already been booked. He’s asking for trouble there, and he got it. The West Africans were then required to play with only 10 men for the final 50 minutes or so.
And England cashed in on that advantage right on the stroke of halftime with a very pleasing to watch team goal. Center back Harry Maguire played a long pass forward to Watkins, who’s quick and deft touch-pass found Sterling on a run just off to his right. Sterling then carried the ball to just inside the box before firing off a high and powerful shot with his left foot, but it was blocked away by Sangaré. The rebound however fell straight to Grealish on the left side of the goal, and he simply played it back to Sterling low and along the ground. Sterling stuck out his right foot and deflected the ball into the back of the net. Good vision from Maguire, excellent touch and pass from Watkins, and some unselfish play from Grealish to go right back to Sterling. At 2-0 in a friendly with the opposition down to 10, the second half felt more like a formality than a requirement.
And as is often the case in friendlies, the pace of the game slowed down significantly in the second half. Ivory Coast were determined to keep the score at 2-0, as they came out in a very defensive shape and spent most of their time trying to clog up the middle of the pitch. England still had a few good chances to get a third, but it seemed like it wouldn’t quite come off for them. Southgate made the majority of his changes on 60 minutes, swapping out four players including Watkins for Kane. I’m sure Kane was chomping at the bit to get on the pitch, given that the opposition looked a little suspect at the back and they were down to 10. It was a golden opportunity for him to reach 50 England goals. Again though, England could not find a way through and it seemed destined to end 2-0.
All formalities were concluded when England did manage to get a third goal, late into stoppage time via center back Tyrone Mings. England had a corner on 92 minutes, and the ball was played into the box high up by substitute Phil Foden. Mings jumped highest to reach it, although the ball seemed to come off the front of his face more than the usual crown of the head. In any event, the ball went down into the ground and bounced into the goal with Sangaré unable to get near it. The whistle went shortly after that, and England were 3-0 winners.
So takeaways then? Well, Bellingham needs to be a starter for England if he continues playing like he is. He was easily Man of the Match today. The Ivorians had no answer for his runs into the box or his ability to find the right pass in the right situation. He has all of the natural talent in the world and the footballing brain to match it. But does his creative and attacking style of play have a routine place in Southgate’s conservative approach? That remains to be seen. Southgate likes to play Mason Mount or Foden in Bellingham’s place usually. No denying the talent of those players, but against a tough defensive side in a closely contested tournament match, Bellingham’s abilities could be the deciding factor. He’s only going to get better, too. I say he needs to start at the World Cup if he stays in this kind of form. Sterling and Grealish were phenomenal today as well, although their places in the squad are fairly solidified. Perhaps Watkins, Mings, and left back Tyrick Mitchell had the best days though, as they all laid down fairly significant markers to be included for World Cup 2022. It will be difficult for Watkins to unseat Kane as the starting center-forward, but having him on the bench would be a welcome addition.
Oh, and one more thing, England fans need to stop booing Maguire. He was booed during his first touches today and that is disgusting. It’s true he hasn’t had the best season at United and he isn’t the most popular player off the pitch, but he always plays well in an England shirt. Moreover, booing him will not help him improve. Players low on confidence do not need their confidence lowered any further by idiot supporters. I am happy Southgate has condemned the fans’ behavior in this regard.
England will have tougher tests than this though before the World Cup gets underway in December. The UEFA Nations League matches this summer against Germany and Italy will be much tougher tests for England. At this stage of things though, you have to feel that England are among the favorites to do very well next winter. I will at some point do a post about this upcoming World Cup and some of the controversies involved with it.
Manchester United and the Premier League return to action next Saturday, with the Red Devils hosting Leicester City.
The national teams are all in action for the next week or so, with many countries still attempting to book their place for World Cup 2022. England has already qualified, so the next few matches will be centered on manager Gareth Southgate deciding who he wants to take on the plane with him. Switzerland have already qualified as well, so they were in a similar mindset. When your team qualifies from their group outright and you don’t have to worry about a tricky playoff fixture, you have the luxury of focusing on different tactical formations and player lineups. Today’s match at Wembley was an example of both sides trying to figure out what works best for them.
England had some injury issues at the back coming into the match, which forced Southgate to play a back three of Connor Coady, Ben White, and Marc Guéhi (on his England debut). After this match, I don’t think Southgate will be eager to go back to that formation with those specific players. The Swiss aren’t known as a dominant attacking side, but they were very strong in the first half and found a lot of space on the wings behind the wingbacks. Indeed, it was Swiss legend Xerdan Shaqiri who found a bit of room on the right-hand edge of the box for a cross that led to the opening goal for the Swiss. Shaqiri wasn’t closed down properly, and he was able to get in a left-footed aerial cross that found the head of striker Breel Embolo. Embolo redirected the ball back across goal, and England keeper Jordan Pickford had no chance to get to it. Shaqiri should have been closed down on the edge of the box, and White was too far away from Embolo to get to the cross first. 1-0 to the Swiss and England couldn’t really complain about it.
England were lucky to not be down 2-0 shortly after that, after a shot from Shaqiri struck the hand of Pickford and rebounded off the underside of the cross bar. The Three Lions woke up a bit after that though, and finally started making some runs forward consistently and causing problems for the Swiss at the back. England and Crystal Palace right back Kyle Walker-Peters (not to be confused with Kyle Walker, it’s two different guys!) was causing problems down the right hand side. He was combining well with Chelsea loaned-Crystal Palace winger Connor Gallagher, and the Swiss weren’t sure how to mark them properly. Their pressing led to a giveaway from Swiss defender Fabian Frei, as Walker-Peters was able to block his poor clearance straight into the path of Gallagher. Gallagher played the ball along the ground, with midfielder Mason Mount letting the ball roll across his path. England and Manchester United left back Luke Shaw was on hand to strike the ball directly at the goal, and it was a sumptuous strike into the left side of the goal that gave deputy Swiss keeper Jonas Omlin no chance. Shaw doesn’t score many, but he did well to be in the right place at the right time. The Swiss hadn’t made many mistakes up to that point, but England punished them nonetheless.
The second half was nowhere near as fluid as the first, likely due to the litany of changes brought by both managers right around the hour mark. Both sides were defending well, but neither side was creating many dangerous chances. England had shifted to a back-4 with White moving out to right back, a change which seemed to suit him well. The Swiss could maintain possession, but they couldn’t find that final dangerous pass.
England got their second goal and eventual winner from talisman striker Harry Kane on 78 minutes from the penalty spot. A cross came in from the right wing that England headed towards goal, only to see it blocked by the raised arm by Swiss midfielder Steven Zuber. The ref did not award a penalty at first, but after a lengthy VAR check it was decided that a penalty was to be given. By the letter of the law it probably was a handball, although in the past under different iterations of the rule, it may not have been. Zuber had his back to the ball and knew nothing about where it was, but he had his right arm extended out from his body when the ball made contact. Any time an arm is in an “unnatural position” that helps the defender cover more space, there is always a chance a penalty will be awarded.
Kane stepped up to the spot and buried the ball in the left side of the net. Omlin actually guessed correctly and went to his right to save it, but the power and placement of the shot made the ball very difficult to save. Kane now has an astonishing 49 goals for England on just 48 caps, and he is now level second with the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton on England’s all-time scoring list. Kane is simply world-class. Ok yes this was a friendly and yes he would be expected to score from the penalty spot, but to be only 28 and a scant 4 goals behind Wayne Rooney’s all-time record is absolutely staggering. No doubts about his place in the squad when it is time to travel to the World Cup. If he carries on like he is doing and wins a trophy with England, it is very likely he goes down as the best English player of all time.
The rest of the match was mostly drama-free, with England’s talented subs creating a few half chances before the final whistle went. England won the match 2-1, and it’s always good to win in any situation. Southgate will have plenty of food for thought going into Tuesday’s match against Ivory Coast. Rotational players like Gallagher, Walker-Peters, Guéhi, and late sub Tyrick Mitchell all did well; but as alluded to it would be surprising if England played a back-3 again any time soon. If they do, it will be with different players in the line-up. The Swiss took advantage of the space on the wings far too often today, so the experiment there today probably won’t be attempted again. This wasn’t a classic or clinical performance by any standard, bur England got over the line in the end. Room for improvement for sure, but you’re never going to see the best football in a friendly.
Ivory Coast presents a different set of challenges, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Southgate switched things up again for that match. At tournament time, you need to be able to win as many different ways as possible, and you have to be ready to defend against many different styles of play. I would like to see Gallagher and Walker-Peters given more opportunities to shine.
***
Quick note: spare a moment to laugh at Italy. The reigning European champions were eliminated from World Cup 2022 qualification by minnows North Macedonia earlier in the week. A huge upset, and it means a second consecutive World Cup without Italy in it. Couldn’t have happened to a better set of fans and players 😉
These are all the various words that fit the description of what happened this evening in San Marino. England scored 10 goals in a competitive match for the first time since 1964, while also maintaining a clean sheet thanks in part to goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale on his England debut. To score 6 in the first half is incredible, but then to add 4 more in the second half is borderline unfair. England had a whopping 84% possession in this match, and San Marino only managed one shot on target. This was the final qualification match of Group I, and all England needed was a draw to progress. But they obviously got a lot more than that today – it was a thumping victory that showed a bit of ruthlessness not often seen from England.
Of course it must be said that San Marino are an out-and-out bad team. It is a microstate in northeast Italy with a population smaller than most towns in England, and no one on their national team is a professional footballer. This is team of electricians, gym teachers, and insurance salesmen going up against seasoned pros, and that is never really going to be a fair-fight. Truth be told, England could have had 12-13 goals today. When it was 6-0 at halftime the pundits I was watching debated whether or not England should be even playing teams like San Marino or Andorra. Simply put, it’s just not fair. More on that below.
A goal-by-goal breakdown for all 10 goals would be overly lengthy, and truth be told none of them were really all that stunning. They didn’t have to be. The tactics weren’t really all that complex either – England’s players were just bigger, faster, stronger, and better at passing and shooting than the Sammarinese (yes, that is the demonym!) players. It really is that simple. As is the case in most sports, if a team of pros plays a team of amateurs, the pros will win 99.9999% of the time.
Harry Maguire scored from a header for the second game running to open things up on 6 minutes, after which England were aided by a Sammarinese (I love that demonym) own goal from Filippo Fabri. Harry Kane then decided to score 4 goals in a row in a span of 15 minutes, two of which were from the penalty spot. Midfielder Emile Smith Rowe opened his England account on his second appearance on 58 minutes, and there was also a first England goal for center-back Tyrone Mings who planted England’s 8th goal in the back of the net with a header. Substitute striker Tammy Abraham scored on a finely-taken goal for the 9th, and England then hit the decade mark on 79 minutes via Bukayo Saka. Phew! I’ve never had to list so many England goals before. And as stated above, it could have easily been more. Abraham had a goal ruled out for a foul that was not a foul, and England missed numerous other chances to score. A quick shoutout to right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold for his hat-trick of assists on the final three goals.
Kane became the first England striker to score 4 goals in a competitive match since the early 1990s. He is also now level 3rd with the legendary Gary Lineker on England’s all-time goal scoring list with 48 goals for his country. He only needs 5 more goals to tie Wayne Rooney and 6 more to overtake him. Assuming he stays healthy, he will eventually be England’s all-time scorer. Yes it helps that two of the goals today were penalties and that he was playing against part-timers on literally the worst national team in the world, but they count all the same. Despite his struggles at Tottenham this season his form for England has been unaffected, scoring a staggering 7 goals in the final two qualifiers. England have never had a striker quite like him, and we need to cherish his clinical abilities in front of the net.
The most important thing from today though is that England have won the group, avoided a scary playoff scenario, and have firmly booked their place at World Cup 2022. I think this tournament will be the one that truly defines the legacy of manager Gareth Southgate. If England do well and they somehow manage to (knock on wood) win the bloody thing, he has the opportunity to go down in history as our greatest manager. He’s already the best one in my lifetime, although that might be more indicative of our under-achievement than anything. But we surprised everyone World Cup 2018 by making the semis, we got better at Euro 2020(1) by making the final and almost winning, and we have the opportunity to truly bring football home again in winter 2022. There are teams that can beat us, but not many of them and its a mighty struggle for anyone to do so. While Southgate and this current crop of England players won’t be judged on this victory in the long term, 10-0 is still a cause for celebration. Also, qualifying for a major tournament outright isn’t the easiest, but England were expected to and they have done so. The same can’t be said even for quality teams like Portugal and Italy, who have to qualify via a play-off due to not winning their respective groups.
Whenever a match like this happens, i.e. a big nation stomping all over a small one in a tournament qualifier – there are always renewed calls in the media and online for UEFA/FIFA to revisit the qualification process and format. Today was no different, and I have to agree that it doesn’t make much sense for England to play San Marino or for Netherlands to play Gibraltar for all the reasons mentioned above and more. A separate qualification process where the smaller nations have to pre-qualify for the qualifiers has been floated, but I feel that’s too clunky and it discriminates unnecessarily against those smaller teams. Look at Iceland for example! It’s a country with a population the size of a below-average city but they shocked the world at Euro 2016. Belgium is also a small nation that was crap 20 years ago, but now they are #1 in the FIFA rankings. You can’t just kick the small countries down to their own league essentially and make them have to qualify twice. I would propose a separate group of smaller countries, but also having that group be its own qualification group. If Kosovo or Andorra or Malta or whoever can win that group – they go directly to the big dance just like every other group winner. That way you are guaranteed to have one “small” nation at the World Cup every year.
The next piece I do that’s England-related will probably be about the fact that the World Cup is in Qatar in 2022. There are a lot of issues and problems with Qatar as a host nation, and I have a few things that need addressing. It’s a large and controversial issue though, and I didn’t want my readers to think I wasn’t going to talk about it. Today I am just focusing on the football, and the football news is that England have qualified for yet another major international tournament. Very proud of Southgate and all the lads for everything they have given to the country in the past three-ish years or so. It’s been the best bit of England football that I’ve experienced.
The international break is on for the clubs across Europe, which means that not only are England back in action, I get to take a break from writing about the very negative atmosphere in the red portion of Manchester right now.
England played their last home match of their World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign yesterday afternoon at Wembley, taking on Albania. Albania came into this match 3rd in Group I, while England were sitting firmly atop. Albania needed three points to keep any hope of making the playoff alive, while England knew that a win could potentially qualify them. That would only happen if Poland lost to Andorra though, which was a very unlikely thing to happen.
In contrast to previous matches where England got off to a slow and/or laboring start, England were at full throttle almost from the get-go. It’s very difficult to get all 11 players up and going right away usually, so to see such a fast start was welcome. England, in a resplendent blue kit, were positively flying around and passing the ball extremely well, and they were rewarded with the opening goal on just 9 minutes via a set-piece. England won a foul on the edge of the area and the free kick was taken by Chelsea right-back (today playing as a right-wingback) Reece James. He played a sublime diagonal ball over the top of the Albanian defense, where Manchester United center back (and captain) Harry Maguire met the ball with his head. He drove the ball back across the goal and into the net with Albanian keeper Thomas Strakosha beaten. He wheeled away in a celebration that perhaps indicated he was trying to silence the critics of his recent play at United. It’s true he’s had some shockers recently, but I think a goal for England is going to be good for his confidence. Maguire seems to be a confidence-driven player, and if he can start believing in himself a bit again it will be good for country and club.
It should be noted that England and Everton keeper Jordan Pickford was forced into a fine save just after the England opener, after Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker played a very poor back pass straight into the path of an Albanian striker. It ended up being a fairly tame effort on goal, but it could have easily been 1-1. However, it probably would not have mattered in the end given the eventual England onslaught.
It was only the beginning of a dream day for England and a nightmare for Albania. About 9 minutes later, England got their second via a wonderfully-worked goal down the right hand flank. James and Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson played a lovely 1-2 around the Albanian defenders, with Henderson finding himself on the ball on the right side of the box near the end line. He spotted talismanic Tottenham striker Harry Kane in the middle largely unmarked, and played a delightful chipped cross to him. Kane rose highest to the ball and nodded it deftly past Strakosha for 2-0. A good goal, but Albania were completely lost defensively. The marking was so bad that England and Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell would have also easily finished the cross had Kane not been in front of him. But a world-class striker like Kane does not miss from point-blank range. You expect a player like Kane to get into that position. Credit again though to James and Henderson for some very good build-up play.
The Three Lions smelled blood at that point and continued to pour on the pressure. It was Henderson’s turn to get on the score sheet, remarkably for only the second time in his England career. James was involved in the buildup again, with him winning a second ball from a poor Albanian defensive header in a dangerous area. He then played a short pass to Manchester City winger/forward Phil Foden, who then found Henderson about 20 yards from the box. Henderson played a sharp pass into Kane, and Kane controlled the ball beautifully. He played the ball with his heel back into the path of the onrushing Henderson, who took a very deft touch around an Albanian defender before pinging his shot into the bottom far corner of the goal. Henderson is normally a defensive midfielder, but England were dominating so well through the middle he was able to come forward and get involved with two goals. The floodgates were beginning to well and truly open and the only question was how many more England would get.
Then it was Kane time. He decided he wanted to score some more instead of providing assists. Albania gave the ball away very cheaply in midfield, and Manchester City winger/forward Raheem Sterling was allowed to run a good distance towards the goal. Kane was in front of him just off to his left. Sterling played an excellent through ball to Kane, who was being played onside by a defender fairly far away from him. He took a few touches into the left side of the box, before lashing a screamer into the far side-netting. Strakosha could do nothing about it. At 4-0 it was now over, just 33 minutes into the match.
Just for good measure, Kane secured England’s fifth and a first half hat-trick for himself a minute into stoppage time. England won a corner that was played into the box by Foden, and once again Kane was there to finish in spectacular fashion. He hit the ball on the volley with a scissor-kick, and Strakosha had no chance of keeping out a shot with such velocity on it. He saved his best finish on the day for last – falling away from the ball but still getting excellent contact with his right boot. Yes the marking was again by poor by Albania, but you can’t take anything away from Kane’s finish. It was 5-0 at halftime and if Albaia manager Edoardo Reja could have thrown in the proverbial towel, he would have.
The second half was dull in comparison, with England somewhat understandably in cruise control and not really trying all that hard to go and get another one. Albania had one or two shots on Pickford’s goal from long distance, but he was never really troubled. No more goals were scored, probably due to the substitutions, injuries, and fouls that created a very stuttered flow to the match. One notable moment was the debut of Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, a very promising young talent that has had a great season so far for the Gunners in the middle of the park. Again, nothing much of note happened for him, but it’s always good for a young player to get time in a competitive match.
Speaking of, Kane is now England’s all time leading goal scorer in competitive football matches, overtaking Wayne Rooney. He still has not eclipsed Rooney’s overall goal scoring record for England (53), but it is almost inevitable now that he will. With his hat-trick today he is now tied with the legendary Jimmy Greaves on 44 goals. He only needs 9 to tie Rooney and 10 to overtake him, and that could happen at next winter’s World Cup in 2022. England have never had a dominant center forward such as Kane, and we have never had a man score so many important goals for us.
Southgate of course will be happy with this display, and he will be even happier that it happened without the services of players such as Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho. It’s again a testament to England’s strength in depth that we can put 5 goals past half-decent opposition without several extremely good players. I suppose as long as Kane is out there, that’s all we really need. When he is in the mood, I don’t think he can be stopped. Southgate promised that England would put on a show in his pre-match interviews, and his team very much delivered on that. A 6th goal in the second half would have been a nice ribbon on the gift, but not getting one is hardly grounds for complaint.
As expected, Poland did end up beating Andorra 4-1. That means England have a 3 point lead over Poland with one match left in qualifying, and therefore they only need a draw against bottom-dwellers San Marino to secure passage to World Cup 2022 as the winners of Group I. That match will happen on Monday at the Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle in San Marino. All I will say is that if we can put 5 past Albania, we should be putting 10 past San Marino. They are the lowest ranked country in FIFA’s world rankings, at 210th out of 210. They have a goal differential of -35 and have not registered a single point in 9 qualifying matches. To say that they are underdogs would be the understatement of the year. All England need is a point against the minnowest of minnows, but it would be embarrassing even to win by a small margin. Barring the miracle of all miracles, England should qualify for World Cup 2022 on Monday.
England travelled to Andorra la Vella, Andorra yesterday for the first match of two in this international break. England were heavy favorites going in, and frankly it would have taken divine intervention for Andorra to get anything out of this. Going off the previous result, it’s abundantly clear that England’s players are bigger, stronger, and faster than the Andorrans. It’s really that simple, in this situation. Andorra would have to defend like their lives depended on it to get anything out of this match. It was interesting to see Andorra’s new national stadium, Estadio Nacional. To give you some perspective on how tiny Andorra is, the capacity for their national stadium is only about 3,000. Even more stunning is the fact that the population of Andorra is about 77,000 when the capacity of Wembley in London is 90,000. You could fit the entire population of Andorra inside Wembley Stadium if you needed to, with room to spare.
Things got off to a slow start for England but they were dominant in possession at least from the get-go. A lot of the normal first-choice players were not in the side. Frankly, you don’t need a Harry Kane or Raheem Sterling to win a match like this. Well, you shouldn’t at least. England had deployed forward/winger Phil Foden in holding midfield, a decision from manager Gareth Southgate I initially questioned as that is not his natural position. However, it was the correct decision as Foden was under instruction to use his range of passing to play balls in behind the Andorra defense on the left side. He consistently found free runners in the box and it was the key to the breakthrough goal on 18 minutes. Foden found Jadon Sancho in space in the box, having made a cleverly-timed run into the box. Sancho had his back to goal when he received it, but it played it to Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell who casually slotted home for his first England goal. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but after a VAR review it was determined that Sancho was level when he made his initial run into the box.
Despite scoring, Andorra failed to address the issue of Foden playing long diagonal passes into the box. I am not sure what they could have done to address it, but they simply could not handle Foden’s passing. Utterly devastating to them. England’s second goal on 40 minutes was also set-up by Foden, who played a straighter pass this time to Arsenal winger/forward Bukayo Saka in the box. The first touch was excellent from Saka and he blasted the ball into the roof of the net past Andorra keeper Josep Gomes with his second touch. Despite still being in the first half, this match was already close to over. It was only a question of how many England would win by. Andorra offered nothing to test deputy England keeper Sam Johnstone.
While the half ended without any further goals, the yellow cards piling up for England were somewhat concerning. I questioned the legitimacy of some of them, but there was no need for England to fly into tackles recklessly. I like being competitive and I like playing with desire no matter the opponent, but those two traits can’t get in the way of common sense. I normally slag off the referee when they don’t do well, but I think the all-female referee crew led by Kateryna Monzul did fairly well in the match. I only mention her gender because she was the first woman ever to referee an England match. Well done to her and her crew, one or two decisions notwithstanding.
England’s dominance continued in the second half with goal no. 3 coming on 58 minutes. Tammy Abraham was tasked with leading the forward line in this match, and it could be said he was somewhat wasteful in the first half, having scuffed a good chance off the post. But he made no mistake with this chance. Sancho found himself on the ball in the left channel, with only one man marking him. The marker gave him too much space, so he hit a cross into the box aimed generally at Abraham. Abraham made a nifty little run that left his marker in the dust, after which he got just enough of a touch on the ball to guide it into the net. Abraham has found a resurgence of form under Jose Mourinho at Roma, and it was nice to see him get on the scoresheet today. He probably will not be unseating Kane as the starting forward any time soon, but strength in depth is key for any side.
The Andorrans became more feisty after that, and really they were lucky to escape the match with all 11 players still on the pitch. England got their fourth due to this lack of discipline. Substitute forward Jack Grealish was brought down in the box, and Monzul decisively awarded a penalty. No question about it, despite a brief VAR review. Kane was not on the pitch, so Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse stepped up to take it. His initial shot was too close to Gomes and he produced a fine save, but Ward-Prowse was quickest to the rebound and he blasted it home from close range.
Andorra’s misery was further compounded about 10 minutes later. Johnstone collected a wary cross into his own area, after which he spotted Grealish streaking toward the opposite goal near the half-way line. Johnstone then produced an NFL quarterback-like throw directly into the path of Grealish, who carried the ball through the Andorra half. His dribbling prowess was on full display as he rode challenges all the way. He eventually got close enough and slotted the ball into the goal low and away to the keeper’s right. Andorra should have done better to get a tackle in, but you could see the fatigue in their legs and Grealish is simply just too good on the ball.
There were several points in this match where I almost felt sorry for Andorra. The gulf in class is just absolutely massive and it’s borderline unfair to them. I still think that how qualification is handled regarding these smaller countries needs to be re-evaluated by UEFA. If you want one of these smaller countries to have a shot at qualifying, they need to play in their own group. Feeding minnows like Andorra and San Marino to the likes of England and Poland is tantamount to lambs at the abattoir.
You could make a case for Sancho or Grealish being Man of the Match, but realistically it was Phil Foden. He was unstoppable in midfield all day and will give Southgate food for thought in future matches. England finished the match 5-0, and are now 4 points clear of second-place Albania in Group I. England have scored more goals in this WC qualifying campaign than the previous one, and we still have 3 matches left to play. All attention now turns to Hungary on Tuesday at Wembley. I expect more of the usual starters to play, as three points against the Hungarians all-but-qualifies England for 2022. If we win, then at worst we would have a four point lead with only 6 available points remaining.
England wrapped up the current international break with a trip to Warsaw where they took on Poland in the 6th match of the World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign. England had maintained a 100% win record thus far in the campaign but the Three Lions knew they would be facing probably their toughest test so far.
Poland are very tough to play at home, plain and simple. Their fans always provide an intimidating and raucous atmosphere, and they are led by a talismanic striker who was probably the Ballon d’Or winner last season (had FIFA awarded one), Robert Lewandowski. The Bayern Munich man is their principal goal threat, and if England were to win they would need to neutralize him. It is fair to focus much of the defensive effort on one man in this case because, truthfully, Poland do not have much attacking quality outside of him. England had already beaten Poland 2-1 at Wembley earlier this summer, but Lewandowski did not play in that match due to injury.
The first half followed a familiar pattern for England these past few matches – tidy, but slow. We can pass the ball around nicely among the back four and even into midfield, but we seem to slow the ball down too much when we get into attacking areas. They looked unwilling to take chances, and I don’t know if that’s because of instructions from manager Gareth Southgate or because Poland simply weren’t giving them anything. Whenever England got on the ball they were quick to get back and defend, and it seemed that players like Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish were unwilling to try and dribble directly at defenders. Both Sterling and Grealish are excellent dribblers and they need to be running at their markers more directly. England were not helped by several very questionable officiating decisions from referee Daniel Siebert. He was trying to let both sides play a bit which might be ok to a degree, but that is a dangerous prospect when it comes to the shithousers on the Polish national team.
Speaking of shithousery, at halftime it was a rather tepid 0-0 but the action really kicked off after the whistle had gone for the end of the half. There was some sort of scuffle between Polish center back Kamil Glik and England center back Harry Maguire that led to all 22 players plus some off the bench getting into a shoving match near the touchline. Cooler heads eventually prevailed and the incident resulted in bookings for both Glik and Maguire. It was tough to see how the altercation started from the broadcast, but you have to believe that Glik grabbing onto/pinching the face of England right back Kyle Walker a few minutes previous was part of the issue. Glik had been antagonizing several England players throughout the half and probably should have been booked previous to that. Again, letting the players play is generally applaudable, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. Siebert almost let this match get out of control and he largely failed to stamp his authority down.
In the second half England were better but still struggled to create any real clear-cut chances. Poland had made some substitutions and seemed to have plenty of energy to defend and hold on for 0-0. But as he has done so often and consistently for England, Harry Kane arrived. He had been rather quiet in this match but he reminded everyone of what he can do on 72 minutes when he received the ball from Walker about 45 yards out from goal. He realized there was no pressure on him so he dribbled the ball about 10 yards before lashing the ball with his toe toward the Polish goal. It appeared to be going straight at Polish keeper Wojciech Szczesny at first, but then the ball began a vicious dip to the right that Szczesny had no chance of getting to. It was world-class from Kane and he has now moved into sole possession of 5th all time in goals scored for England (41). He won’t score many better than that one though!
I thought England were going to hold on, but the goal seemed only to galvanize the Poles and credit to them for keeping at it and playing for pride in front of their fans. Lewandowski had been quiet for most of the second half but saw a shot go just over the bar from the edge of the box, and England keeper Jordan Pickford was spared from a massive error when his goal-kick deflected off a Polish player and back towards the England goal. Pickford was able to scramble back in time to save it before the ball went over the line, but that had the potential to be really embarrassing. Curiously and somewhat frustratingly, England had failed to make any substitutions despite Poland’s growing presence in the match. More on that below.
Poland were rewarded for their tenacity in stoppage time when Lewandowski found himself on the ball on the left side of the penalty area, as a result of Poland’s siege on the England goal. He was allowed to take a few touches and hit a cross to the back post, where his compatriot Damian Szymanski was crashing towards the goal. Luke Shaw tried to get in the way but Szymanski got to it first and headed in from point-blank range with Pickford stranded. It was a very good goal and a stark reminder that Lewandowski can create just as well as he can score. The goal secured a vital point for Poland and they now sit in 3rd place in Group I.
From England’s point of view, there are worse things than an away draw to Poland. Yes we lost the 100% qualification record and yes it always sucks to have a lead and squander it, but those are minor blips on the radar. The truth is that we are one step closer to World Cup 2022 after today. England have a four point lead at the top of Group I with 4 games left to play in the campaign, with two of the remaining matches against minnows San Marino and Andorra. Qualification is not secured of course, but England will feel very good about their chances despite today’s minor setback.
The biggest negative by far today was that it seems that Southgate has not learnt his lessons about substitutions, tactical flexibility, and risk-taking that he should have learned from the Euro 2020(1) final. For some inexplicable reason, Southgate did not use a single substitution in today’s match. I do not understand that at all. He defended his decisions after the match by saying he didn’t want to “disrupt” anything due to the fact that things were going well. Was he watching the same match everyone else was? It was clear to see even to the most casual observer that England were tiring in the final 15 minutes or so. They wanted to just hold on and defend, and they were having issues maintaining possession due to being constantly harassed by the Poles. Some new and energetic legs in midfield or defense would have been just the remedy to potentially get Poland out of our half of the pitch. Poland were knocking on the door at the end there and it was obvious that the lead was in jeopardy, but Southgate did nothing about it.
To be clear, it’s not like he had to bring another forward on or an attacking midfielder. He just needed to bring on a defensive midfielder like Jordan Henderson and also maybe a replacement for Mason Mount or Grealish. All we needed was to be a little more solid in possession for the final few minutes and we’d have all three points. But no, he let obviously-tiring players stay out there and we were overran by Poland due to the simple fact that they made subs and we did not. So maddening. Sure, the penalty for it this time is minimal, and Southgate is still of course the most successful England manager of my lifetime. However, if we lose another big match this way by squandering a lead due to our own errors I’ll be calling for him to be sacked. This generation of England players is simply too talented to let them be wasted due to basic managerial errors like failing to make a substitution ins a close game, or making them too late for it to matter.
All of the players will be returning to their clubs now for the resumption of club football at the weekend. Manchester United will be hosting Newcastle at Old Trafford on Saturday, September 11th. This shall likely be a very notable match to watch because it will almost certainly mark the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. While he likely won’t start, he will likely come off the bench in the second half so the fans can give him a rousing reception. All I would like is a relatively stress-free 3 points, please.
England were back at Wembley today for the first time since the great tragedy of Euro 2020(1) where they took on minnows Andorra in a qualifier for World Cup 2022. England were heavy favorites going into this match and it was apparent from the outset why that was the case. It was not a question of whether England would win, but rather how much they would win by. For those who don’t know, Andorra is a tiny country in the Pyrenees mountains that straddles the border of France and Spain. As a team they are made up largely of semi-professionals and players who frequent the lower leagues in Spain. Indeed, Andorra as a country is so small and so mountainous that it doesn’t even have an international airport. If you want to fly to Andorra from anywhere else, you have to fly into Barcelona and then take a car/bus trip two hours to the north through the mountains.
Manager Gareth Southgate made wholesale changes from the team that started against Hungary, probably due to the facts that Andorra aren’t very good and because England have a much sterner test away to Poland on Wednesday. It seems that England have largely figured out who their best XI is plus two or three substitutions, so this was a match for the fringe players to make a case for inclusion on the plane to Qatar. Some notable players to watch today were Leeds striker Patrick Bamford and Liverpool right back/midfielder Trent Alexander-Arnold. Bamford was on his debut and looking to make an impact, while Alexander-Arnold came into this match with something to prove. He is a dominant force at Liverpool with his range of passing, but he has not quite matched that level of play in an England shirt. Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard was also given a start. He has not played much, if at all, for United this season but he does tend to perform well in an England shirt and he was in a rich vein of form at West Ham towards the end of last season.
The gulf in class between the two sides was immediate from the outset, as the match kicked off in a festive atmosphere at a packed Wembley. None of the fans were really worried about the result, they just wanted to see some good football, sing some songs, and have a pint or two in the nice weather. Usually, a less-talented side can cause the opposition problems through tactical discipline and defending, but England’s players were just too big and too fast for the Andorrans. For example, Tyrone Mings got a start in defense today and while he is very good he is still definitely the 3rd-choice center-back right now. But even our 3rd-choice center-back was bigger, stronger, and more tactically adept than the best Andorrans. When England were on the ball they couldn’t win it off us, and when Andorra was on the ball it was often won back with ease. Not just with Mings either, but every England player.
The match was cagey for the first 15 minutes or so, with England having all the possession and playing more passes. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham looked very lively, and was probably the best player of the half in a white shirt. He is only 18 but he already looks and plays like a man in his late 20s. Despite the resistance though, the deadlock was broken just 18 minutes in via Lingard. The ball was won in midfield by Mings and after a bit of a scramble the ball was played out to Arsenal winger (and birthday boy!) Bukayo Saka on the left side of the penalty area. He put in a cross that was only partially cleared by the Andorran defense, and the ball fell directly to the feet of Lingard who scuffed it past Andorran keeper Josep Gomes with his left foot. It wasn’t the cleanest or prettiest of hits, but Lingard did just enough to get it over the line. His celebration was joyous and a tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo, his friend and recently-returned teammate at United.
Despite that early-ish goal, it must be said that Andorra did a fairly solid job of damage control after that. England were still the dominant side, but no more goals were scored in the first half. England just seemed a tad too fancy at times and Andorra were able to clear away attack after attack. They didn’t create really anything themselves as England and West Bromwich Albion keeper Sam Johnstone did not face a shot on target. It was hard to tell just how good he is at the international level when a stern-looking traffic cone could have done his job today.
The early part of the second half was a carbon copy of the first half. England had all of the ball and they were playing all of the passes, but Andorra were very stubborn in their resistance. Again they did not really look like scoring themselves, but they were determined to not let England get another one. Right back Reece James came very close to finding a second after his long-range shot hit the crossbar, but aside from that chance England were again struggling to get clear shots on target. Southgate decided to ring the changes shortly after James’s effort, bringing on Harry Kane, Mason Mount, and Jack Grealish.
Southgate was rewarded for the changes on 72 minutes when Grealish and Mount combined well in the area, with the latter being brought down from behind in the box. It was about as stonewall of a penalty as you’ll see in this era of VAR. The Andorran defender was the wrong side of Mount and Mount probably would have scored had he not been brought down via contact on the back of his leg. Mount has been very good these past few matches for England and looks to be a shoe-in for 2022. Kane, England’s designated penalty taker, stepped up and beat Gomes to the keeper’s right with a low and powerful shot into the side of the net. Gomes guessed correctly and jumped the right way, but he could not keep Kane out. Kane now has 40 goals in 63 caps for England, and has scored in every World Cup qualifier for England going back to 2017. At age 28, you have to feel that England’s all-time scoring record is well within his grasp. He only needs 14 more goals to break the mark of 53 currently held by Wayne Rooney, and he has at least two major tournaments left in his career. At this point, it would be more surprising if Kane didn’t break Rooney’s record.
The points were secured, but in similar fashion to the match against Hungary in mid-week, England kept their foot firmly planted on the gas pedal. Lingard got his second goal and England’s third just six minutes later, as it became apparent the Andorrans were tiring and the proverbial floodgates opened. Some good build-up play from Grealish saw him find Saka in the middle of the park, and Saka was allowed to run diagonally forward and to his left. He spotted Lingard mostly by himself in the left channel, so he played the ball along the ground into his feet. Lingard took a touch back to the inside to create a space, and his marker was much too far off of him. He toe-poked a shot with his right towards the goal, and the movement created with that technique took the ball away from Gomes. It bounced in front of him once and went over his arm for 3-0.
England dominated possession some more and got their fourth and final goal on 85 minutes, this time with Saka scoring and Lingard being the provider. England won a corner and Alexander-Arnold adeptly played the corner quickly while Andorra were still setting up. Due to them being asleep at the wheel, Alexander-Arnold was easily able to find Lingard in the right channel near the edge of the box. Lingard chipped a ball in over the top towards the England forwards in the box, and the ball was met at the back post by Saka’s head and steered into the goal. He wheeled away in celebration and the England fans roared their approval. Not only was it a birthday goal for the 20 year-old, it was an opportunity for England fans to show their support after the nightmare Saka endured back in July. It was his missed penalty that handed Italy the trophy, so it was good to see him back on the score sheet at Wembley and to hear the fans singing his name. No one has forgotten the missed penalty, but it also seems that many fans have moved on from that intensely negative moment. He’s an excellent player and deserves all the support he can get. He had one bad moment that whole tournament and his career should not be defined by that one bad moment.
All in all, a positive result that sees England maintain their five point lead at the top of Group I. 5 games played, 15 points secured, and a goal differential of +16. There really isn’t much to complain about with any of that. Of course England fans are still England fans and some are complaining about how it took the addition of Kane/Grealish/Mount to finish off such lowly opposition, but those fans really need to calm down. Andorra had 11 men behind the ball for most of this match and it can be difficult to break through teams like that due to the sheer amount of bodies in the way. Also, I think England would have gotten a few more goals even without bringing on the big guns. The Andorrans were physically spent by the 70th minute and we probably would have gotten more goals without the changes.
I think the biggest positives to take away from this match were the individual efforts of Bellingham, Lingard, and Alexander-Arnold. It’s true that the opposition wasn’t good today, but it’s beyond doubt that Bellingham is going to be a superstar. He needs to keep developing his game and progressing at the club level, and all signs indicate he is going to continue doing that. Alexander-Arnold will also give Southgate some food for thought. He is a natural right back but due to England’s current over-abundance of right backs there may not be a spot for him there due to his occasional lapses in defense. If Alexander-Arnold finds himself on the plane to Qatar, it will likely be as a right-sided midfielder. His passing might be simply too good to not bring him along.
Lingard is probably the most enigmatic English player I’ve seen in years, though. Sometimes he plays like he did today – quick, alert, and instinctual. He enjoys playing at Wembley and has scored some big goals in big games. At other times though he looks utterly lost on the pitch and it appears as if he’s never played the game before. He also likely won’t get much playing time at United this season, as he sits behind Bruno Fernandes in that attacking midfield position. However, there is no denying his contributions today. Even if he does not make the final squad, he is an important rotational player for this qualifying campaign. It’s unclear what Southgate will do regarding his future, but his Man of the Match performance today will not be forgotten.
In the bigger picture, there is also some lively debate about whether teams like Andorra (such as San Marino, Luxembourg, Gibraltar, Malta, Monaco, Liechtenstein) should even be playing the bigger teams like England in World Cup qualifiers. My personal stance is that there is a flaw in the way the qualification tables are set-up. I’d like to see a system where these smaller nations all play each other in the same group, and then the winner of that group gets to qualify. For example, right now Andorra and San Marino have a snowball’s chance in hell of qualifying because they have to go through England, Poland, Hungary, and Albania to do so. However, if the six smallest teams in UEFA only had to play each other in a group, all of a sudden the prospect of qualifying looks much easier. This format change would also ensure that only the best of the small teams makes the tournament. They would still be heavy underdogs, but they would at least have a shot at shocking the world and making a run. Even if the “small nations” group idea doesn’t work, I’d like to see some sort of merit-based process for getting these teams a fairer shake at qualification. National sides are constantly on the rise and fall. For example, Belgium were a laughing stock just 15 years ago but now they are a European powerhouse. The current format is not working, and I think football in these smaller nations could suffer as a result of it, if they aren’t already.
But, England can only play the team put in front of them, and they played them off the pitch today. A whopping 88% possession, 20 shots, 6 shots on goal, and a clean sheet. It does not get much more dominant than that at the professional level. England can now turn their full attention to Robert Lewandowski and Poland, where they will travel to on Wednesday evening. Three points from that match would put a canyon-sized chasm between them and second place in the group. They would be 8 points clear of second with only four qualification matches left after that. Poland away will be a much tougher test, but even if Lewandowski scores I don’t think the Polish will be able to stop England from scoring.
The Red Devils travelled to the West Midlands of England today to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) in the Premier League. Wolves have traditionally given United a lot of problems in the past few seasons. They are big, physical team with just enough flair and pace to get out quickly on the counter-attack. Interestingly. this match was a bit of a Portuguese derby in the sense that Portuguese-speaking players were well represented in both lineups today. Bruno Fernandes, Fred, and substitute Diogo Dalot made up United’s contingent, while Wolves are primarily made up of internationals from Portugal and Brazil. This is somewhat of an oddity for a Premier League team these days but its down to the influence of previous Wolves’ manager Nuno Espirito Santo and current manager Bruno Lage, both of whom hail from the western part of the Iberian Peninsula. To cap it all off, the shadow of the greatest ever Portuguese player loomed large over this match too. Even though he didn’t play and was not in attendance, Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence was still felt at the match. Some United supporters even brought a cardboard cut-out of Ronaldo to ensure he was at least there in spirit if not physically. Ronaldo is currently in Portugal and is expected to join up with the club after the upcoming international break, having signed earlier this week from Juventus.
Despite all the good news surrounding the Ronaldo transfer, this match was rather poor from a United standpoint. They started out in a 4-3-3 formation, which is a departure from the now-standard 4-2-3-1 that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer usually deploys. Fred was tasked with playing that lynchpin defensive midfield position that is crucial for ball distribution to the forwards. I liked that OGS wanted to go more attack-minded today, but it was a big risk playing Fred in that position. I have to wonder if it was a necessary change made due to the injury to Scott McTominay, who would normally play alongside Fred in defensive midfield. Together they usually do a good job of maintaining possession and starting attacks, but Fred is not a natural defensive midfielder and I question whether or not he has the size and physicality to play there on his own.
Still, United should be winning this match handily on paper. Today was the debut for center back Raphael Varane and winger Jadon Sancho got his first full Premier League start as well. I was watching those two players closely today to see just what kind of players the club had spent all that money on.
For most of this match however and certainly most of the first half, Wolves were the better team. Our tactics were simply wrong from the start. The objective was to sacrifice a little bit of defensive stability for more attacking prowess, but we couldn’t create and were exposed at the back several times. Wolves’s 3-4-3 was proving to be challenging to break down through the middle going forward, and we couldn’t keep possession on the wings. Additionally, as I suspected, Fred simply cannot play as a DM by himself. He was targeted by Wolves every time he was on the ball, and he couldn’t win the ball to save his life. He was being tormented the whole match by the pacey and powerful Wolves winger Adama Traoré in particular. Opposite winger Francisco Trincão was also causing a ton of problems for the United midfield with his dribbling and passing into dangerous areas. Wolves weren’t doing anything super complex – they were just hounding us when off the ball and playing it forward rapidly when they won possession. Ruben Neves was in particularly fine form, and he showed why he was a target for United this summer. He is a very good defensive midfielder and seemed to be everywhere at times. Wolves forced a save from David De Gea just three minutes in via a counter-attack, and then Aaron Wan-Bissaka was forced into a goal-line clearance a few minutes later. Both chances were very good and both were the direct result of mistakes made by Fred. Wolves were tormenting us, truthfully.
Due to Fred being tormented whenever he was on the ball, Paul Pogba was quickly moved down into a more defensive position. This meant that he was less able to ping the ball towards the forward players, and we continued to struggle to create any real chances of note in the first 45. Wolves midfielder João Moutinho had a shot go over the bar, and Bruno later had a goal called back for offside after being clean through on goal. United’s best chance came just before halftime when Mason Greenwood fired wide of the far post from a tight angle on the left side of the box. He was close, but it’s always tough to score from that angle and the half ended 0-0. The score line was somewhat relieving for United fans though, as Wolves were definitely the better team and probably should have been up at least 1-0. They have had trouble with finishing so far this season though and those problems were continuing today. They were doing everything right – pressing, tackling, and passing. It was all good, apart from putting the ball in the net. Of course, that’s the most important part of the whole process. United needed a change of shape or personnel desperately though because Plan A was decidedly not working. United hadn’t held a clean sheet so far this season and I was concerned we were going to let one in.
OGS didn’t make any changes at halftime though and things carried on much the same for the opening part of the second half. United maybe had a little bit more possession, but Wolves were still defensively resolute and very happy to hit us on the counter or to run at the goal having won the ball in a dangerous area. Given that things still weren’t going well, you had to wonder when OGS would make some changes to try and win this match. Despite all the domination from Wolves, they still hadn’t scored and United only needed one good chance to maybe snatch a win. I was happy to see Edinson Cavani come on at 52 minutes for the ineffective Daniel James. A big criticism of OGS last year was his tendency to wait too long to make changes when things weren’t going according to plan. I didn’t know if Cavani would actually help us or not (and ultimately he really didn’t do much), but at least we tried something different instead of banging our heads against the wall repeatedly and hoping that it works.
Wolves weren’t done though, as De Gea was called into action on 66 minutes when they won a corner. Moutinho swung the ball in and gigantic center back Romain Saïss outmuscled his marker Varane to get good contact with his head. The ball was headed downwards with pace, but at straight at Big Brave Spanish Dave who made a reflexive point-blank save off the header. Due to the power on the header though there was a rebound off De Gea straight back to Saïss, who tried to hit it with his right foot into the bottom corner from 2-3 yards out. Despite still being at point blank range, De Gea stuck his left arm out and made another ludicrous save on that shot too. This time though the ball bounced away and United eventually cleared. Everyone in the stadium – Saïss included – had no idea how the ball didn’t go in. A double-save like that is as good as a goal, and you felt afterwards that Wolves would be made to pay for their wastefulness. All credit to De Gea for finding some of his old form to start this season.
Neves had a long range shot saved by De Gea again after that, but the breakthrough finally came on 80 minutes via the teenager Greenwood, and it was not without controversy. The ball was played from the Wolves box out towards Pogba, who took a very heavy touch and lost the ball to Neves. Pogba attempted to tackle Neves but missed the ball and most of Neves in the process. The ball was not fully cleared and though and it fell to Varane who was covering behind Pogba. Varane spotted Greenwood in the right channel and played the ball to him along the ground. Greenwood took a few touches before being met by a Wolves defender, but he cleverly played the ball towards the end line and got a shot off at a tight angle. Wolves keeper Jose Sa should have done much better with his save, as he only got one hand to it as the ball went down and away to his right. He got a piece of it, but the ball bounced almost under him and into the net for 1-0. Neves and all of Molineux were belly-aching for a foul committed by Pogba in the build-up to the goal, but replays showed the Neves basically took a dive after minimal contact on his foot by Pogba. He even looked at referee Mike Dean, who was stood right next to him, before falling down. Theatrics all the way and it was never a foul. Dean even booked a Wolves player for dissent afterwards and it was hysterical.
The goal was the result of poor keeping to be sure, but take nothing away from Greenwood for the dribble and powerful-yet-precise shot. He is still only 19, but he is scoring goals at the rate of a striker in his prime. He is small, but that makes him slippery due to a lower center of gravity, and it’s hard for a defender to use angles to cut him off due to his quickness. He can generate a lot of power in a very small amount of space, and his shooting accuracy might be the best at the club. The sky is the limit for this young man and he is now our joint-level goal scorer this season. 3 goals in 3 games for Greenwood. What a player! Why England manager Gareth Southgate isn’t calling him up, I have no idea.
United then spent the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time playing keep-away to the best of their abilities. There was no need to risk the 3 points pushing men forward, so we played it amongst ourselves and invited Wolves to try and take it off of us. We won several fouls and took our time on free kicks as well. Wolves maybe had a corner at one point but it came to nothing. The final whistle went and United snatched a victory that our play frankly didn’t merit.
But still, the mark of a champion is the ability to win even when not playing well. There were countless matches in the days of Sir Alex Ferguson were United were absolutely shocking, yet due to tenacity and determination they eventually found a way to win. This match felt very similar to those ones. But this mentality is what you need to win the Premier League – just sheer determination and doggedness. Escaping Molineux with a win will lift the team spirit and have them feeling good going into the international break.
I think De Gea probably gets Man of the Match today for the double-save, but a surprising runner-up for me is Varane. He barely put a foot wrong today, and also managed to grab an assist for himself. His pace is incredible and his instincts are usually right, and he did well to snuff out some half-decent chances for Wolves at several points throughout the game. He did get outmuscled by Saïss on a header during his big chance, but he was bailed out by De Gea. Overall a very good debut. I wish I could say the same for Sancho, though. He was largely anonymous all match and didn’t seem to be too involved overall. I’ll cut him some slack due to it being his first start, but he needs to get on the ball a lot more in future matches. I’m sure he will improve.
Speaking of future matches, United are now off until the 11th of September due to the international break. Most countries are playing World Cup qualifiers, assuming they aren’t cancelled or postponed due to COVID. It is unclear if Ronaldo will play against Newcastle on that day, but that would be the most likely scenario. Give him a debut at Old Trafford, let him come off the bench for an ovation, etc. As for United the club are now level second in the table with West Ham, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Everton. Surprisingly, it is only Tottenham Hotspur who have a 100% record still, and they have a two point lead at the top. Even more surprisingly, Arsenal are at rock-bottom of the table in 20th, having lost all 3 of their matches so far and having scored no goals. What is going on at Arsenal? There is no managerial seat in the Prem hotter than the one under Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
But England return to play next, with three World Cup qualifiers scheduled away to Hungary, at home to Andorra, and then away to Poland. It’ll be the first time everyone plays together after the loss in the Euro 2020(1) final, so it’ll be good to see them back. Maybe we can take our frustrations out on Andorra at Wembley. The matches away to Hungary and away to Poland are not guaranteed wins though. England will need to be sharp in order to stay on track for qualification for 2022. They are top of the group currently, so a few more victories will really go a long way to ensuring that England will be there.
I apologize for the tardiness of this blog but it’s been a very emotional 24-48 hours since the final penalty was taken in the match. The loss of course is one thing, but then there was the resulting fallout from it as well. I think it’s probably best to discuss the match itself first and then go over the shitstorm that happened afterwards.
The atmosphere at Wembley on Sunday pre-match was electric, and it must be said that the overall vibe was a positive one. There had been some skirmishes with some idiot England fans trying to get into Wembley without tickets, but again those were minor when compared with the overwhelming majority of fans who were there to have a good time. Choruses of “Sweet Caroline” rung out around the ground in the lead up to kick off, as England fans celebrated their first men’s final in 55 years.
And things went from a reserved frenzy to a raucous celebration just 2 minutes into the match when left wingback Luke Shaw was found in the box by a cross from fellow wingback Kieran Trippier the right hand side. He hit it towards the Italian goal and keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma could not get to it as it crept in just inside the left-hand post. It was clear from the outset that Italy’s initial tactical set up was all wrong. They had come out in their usual 4-3-3, while England manager Gareth Southgate had changed his formation again and set up England in a 3-4-3. Shaw and Trippier were overwhelming them in the space on the wings, and the Italians could not figure out how to mark them with a back 4. Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips were also dictating the possession and tempo in the middle of the park, and for the entire rest of the first half Italy looked rather toothless. Italy forward Federico Chiesa put a shot just wide of Jordan Pickford’s goal after a long run with the ball, but that was Italy’s best chance. The one negative from the first half is that England did not score a second goal, but the way the match was going you figured there would be an opportunity for another one.
But Italy manager Roberto Mancini is no stranger to adversity, and he made some key changes that really swung things back in Italy’s favor. He took off ineffective striker Ciro Immobile and brought on attacking midfielder Federico Bernadeschi, which immediately gave the Italians more fluidity in attack. Along with the urgency of knowing they needed a goal and fresher legs in midfield, Italy really pressed England for about a 10-15 minute spell in the early second half. They were unfortunately rewarded for their efforts after they won a corner, which was tapped in to the back of the England net by center back Leonardo Bonucci after a mad scramble in the box. England failed to clear the ball and Bonucci was in the right place at the right time to make England pay. Sometimes, that’s all you need.
Italy continued their dominant spell for another 10 minutes or so but could not find a second goal. England had a little more possession in the final 10-15 minutes, but solid Italian defending and closing down in midfield prevented England from mounting a serious attack. Southgate had indeed brought on help in the forms of Jordan Henderson, Jack Grealish, and Bukayo Saka, but I felt that those subs were too little and too late (more on that below). In the end no more goals were scored and extra time would be needed.
Extra time in a major final is nothing new of course, but I was worried about our fatigue levels given the lack of substitutions. I thought that Mancini had done a better job of getting his tired players off the field, even if one or two of them were necessary changes due to injury. I was more than relieved to see Chiesa go off injured late in the second half. I don’t wish injury on any player, but he had been tormenting England all match and was Italy’s best attacking player on the day.
Italy dominated the first 15 minutes of extra time, but England fought back a little in the second 15 minutes with some better possession and movement around the box. Center back John Stones barely missed getting his head on a cross from Shaw, but there were no serious attempts on the goal. There was a moment where I thought defender Giorgio Chiellini would be sent off for a foul on Saka, but the referee only showed a yellow. I felt it probably should have been a red given the egregious manner in which Chiellini grabbed Saka’s shirt color and yanked it back, but I am not sure how much of a difference it would have made that late on in the match anyway. The referee definitely let a lot of contact go in this match and generally tried to let both teams play. That is fine when it helps your team and it’s what the neutrals would be happy to see, but it’s maddening when it cuts against your team.
Forwards Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were indeed subbed on, but only with about two minutes to go in extra time. I was happy to see those two come on, but it was far too late for them to get involved in the match. Penalties loomed and a nation held it’s breath. Once penalties were confirmed, I was trying to be optimistic. This group of players beat Colombia in a World Cup elimination game on penalties in 2018, so they knew how to win one this way. Higher stakes this time of course and England do have a long history of penalty failures before that, but there was reason for a degree of optimism going into the pens.
I won’t go through it kick by kick because most people saw what happened and it’s too painful to type out anyway, but Italy won 3-2 after a save from Donnarumma on Saka with the fifth and final penalty. Rashford and Sancho missed penalties as well, with Harrys Kane and Maguire converting theirs. Pickford produced two fine saves to keep England in it, but Saka’s penalty was too low and lacked power. Donarumma was the hero on the day, and Italy were crowned European Champions. I turned the stream off and walked away for a bit. I was absolutely crushed, and you could tell Saka, Rashford, and Sancho all felt horribly too. I think it is fair to say that having a 19 year old take the fifth penalty, which is often a decisive one, was an error in judgment from Southgate.
But that was not his biggest error on the day. Saka and Sancho hitting a weak penalties and Rashford missing altogether were also not the main reasons for the loss. Penalties are a crap shoot and anything can happen when the match gets to that point. The principle reasons for the loss were not killing off Italy when we had them on the ropes in the first half, and then failing to respond quickly enough to their tactical changes in the second half. Mancini did not play a perfect match tactically, but his adaptability and willingness to take risks was what won his side their first European title since 1968. He saw that what he set out with wasn’t working, so he took a gamble or two and it paid off. Of course, it does become easier to gamble when you have the defense that Italy has. The center back pairing of Bonucci and Chiellini is world class, simple as. They were excellent at keeping Kane and Raheem Sterling at bay for all 120 minutes. Those two have been England’s best attacking players all tournament, but they were largely anonymous for most of the match.
If England are to win a trophy with this current crop of players, Southgate must be willing to be more adventurous when the time is right. Yes, the conservative approach got us through the first six games, but in a final sometimes you have to take risks and go for the goal. I do not trust England on penalties and we should never try to play for penalties. We were not explicitly doing that in the final, but Southgate was unwilling to change things despite conceding a goal that looked like it was coming for at least 7 or 8 minutes. Sancho and Rashford should have been brought on in normal time, not 2 minutes before penalties. Grealish should have been brought on before the 70th minute. There should have been some kind of tactical plan for more outlet passes from the back to relieve the pressure the Italians were pouring on the back line in the lead up to their goal. The goal may have still come anyway, but England would have been much more suited to getting a second one if he had been less rigid in his approach.
So yes, to lose a major final at home like that is heartbreaking. It’s not an enjoyable experience in any way. But what was even more heartbreaking was the response to it from fans, the media, and even the British government.
Within minutes of England being eliminated, hate speech and vile racist attacks came pouring in from supposed England “supporters” on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. I won’t repeat what was said but suffice it to say that it was just some of the nastiest things one could say to another person. Rashford, Sancho, and Saka got most of the attacks and many (false) correlations were made between the race of those players and their ability to take penalties. There was even an Australian newspaper that ran a later-retracted headline about England’s Black players missing while the white players scored. A mural of Rashford in south Manchester was also defaced with racist language and symbols.
It’s fucking disgusting. That’s all there is to it. You would have thought that by the year 2021 we would be done with the farcical concept of racism, but the reality is that it has only gotten worse in recent years. It definitely seems to be worse at the least, due to the fact that every idiot with a pair of thumbs can express his/her asinine opinion and share it with the world instantaneously. Social media platforms claim they are trying to fight back against hate speech online, but that’s a hydra that is difficult to slay. As soon as you shut down one idiot, two more pop up elsewhere. It should be no wonder why England players took a knee before the kickoff of every match at this tournament to protest against racism. It is clearly still needed.
England fans already had a reputation before this tournament as being rowdy and block-headed, and we’ve done ourselves no favors with all this idiocy. Immediately after the wave of racist nonsense came in, another of wave of hatred pervaded the internet in response. This time though it was a different set of people calling out the racism of our supporters and generally lampooning England as a nation. It was hard to see that as an anti-racist England supporter, but a lot of it was justified. This country does have a problem with racism and it must be addressed. If it takes national embarrassment to get that done, then so be it.
I am no sociologist and I do not know how to fix the problem entirely, but one thing that would help immensely is if UK politicians like Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel stopped stoking the fires of discrimination among their constituents. Politicians like those two were elected on nationalist/exclusionist principles, and in the past they frequently targeted dark-skinned immigrants as being the source of many of the UK’s problems when pushing for Brexit. Both Johnson and Patel were quick to condemn the racism from social media, but that was a very hypocritical position to take when it’s primarily those two and their party responsible for a good portion of the racism in the first place. England center back Tyrone Mings was correct to point that out, and his tweet response to Patel went viral almost instantly. You cannot claim to be against racism when you’ve spent the last several years subversively promoting it!
But in the darkest hour for England, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Kane, a white man and England’s captain, posted a condemnation of racism on his social media that provided me a sense of relief in it’s strongly-worded tone. Kane is normally somewhat tepid and lukewarm on issues that don’t directly involve football, but the message of “we don’t want you” re: racist supporters was unequivocal and it was the exact message needed. I echo his words now: if you are racist, you are not an England supporter and we don’t want you.
I was further emboldened by the response of Rashford and the support for him on social media. As toxic as some people were, the real England fans showed up to support the lad when he was being attacked. Rashford admitted his penalty wasn’t good enough, but he refused to apologize for being a Black man and of course he shouldn’t have to. Rashford is 1000x the man any of the racists are. He’s spent the past 1-2 years feeding schoolchildren and funding literacy programs. He even went toe-to-toe with PM Johnson himself when it came to school meals during the pandemic. He has donated roughly £20m to charities in the past year, which is more than his entire net worth. He was recognized for his services by the Crown as well, who awarded him an MBE. Rashford is the shining example, but many England players have made great contributions to the communities they grew up in.
The support for the statements of Rashford and Kane was overwhelmingly positive. For every idiot racist sounding off, there was 10 more people in full support of everything these lads have done and are doing for this country. It was absolutely vital that they got some support from English people, as that has not always been the case in the past, even for extremely popular (white) players like David Beckham and Wayne Rooney. Becks was hung in effigy outside pubs in London after his red card against Argentina in 1998, and Rooney was the target of threats and personal attacks after his own red card against Portugal in 2006. Yes England lost in disappointing fashion, but the cycle of attacking our players when they don’t perform for England seems to be breaking. We need to be encouraging these players and helping them remain positive. Having them terrified of playing for England will not result in success. Toxicity only breeds more toxicity.
This team’s run to the final captivated and united the nation, for the most part. We played well for long stretches in the final as well, and for 60+ minutes we were European Champions. I could not be more proud of them and the manager, and that sentiment is shared by many. In many ways, this whole incident showed both the very best and very worst of social media. You had the vile racism at first, but the swift condemnation in response to all of it was nothing short of positive. Even the normally-alarmist British tabloids were mostly supportive of the lads post-match.
The damage to Rashford’s mural was covered with messages of support written on bits of paper and England flags, and earlier today the street artist who initially did the mural was out there repairing it.
If we want England to have any degree of success over the next 10-15 years, we have to continue showing support like this. If the players are able to put their club tribalism aside and play for one another, then so can the average fan. This tournament and the subsequent fallout I think created a strong bond among these England players; a brotherhood of sorts. They know they’re good and they know they can do well at tournaments, and if they can get through this level of fallout they can get through anything. All we need to do as England fans is keep supporting them and they will eventually bring us another trophy. Getting to the final was a huge step in the right direction and I think there will only be more growth as the team grows and matures. Many of our players this tournament were still very young, including Rashford, Sancho, Saka, and Jude Bellingham. They are only going to get better. If they know England fans are going to be behind them even if they lose a close match, that will only make success more likely.
This England team under Southgate might be the one to bring us success on the pitch, which is why I titled this post as “It’s Not Coming Home (This Time)”. We will have more chances to win with this group, as we have shown that we can play with anybody. Reaching the semis in 2018 and a final in 2020(1) is already the best I have seen England do in my lifetime. At this tournament we beat the Germans, scored four in a knockout match, and went to our first major final in 55 years. More importantly, their efforts off the pitch may end up being a catalyst for real societal change in the UK as well. Mark my words – these players will make history one way or another.
Lastly, I’d like to thank everyone who read these blog posts during the Euros. My readers are of the utmost importance to me and I hope it was informative and entertaining for you all. It truly was a great tournament marred only by the actions of a small amount of knuckle-draggers.
I shall now be taking a few weeks off from the blog as there is a lull in competitive football matches in late July/early August. United’s pre-season gets underway soon, but I’ll do a full season preview for that once the Premier League is closer to returning.
Network: ESPN for Americans (unfortunate as ESPN has been sub-par with their coverage for me)
Now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s dive into this epic match and try to glean some sense of what could happen. I am happy that this is the final matchup, as Italy an England have been inarguably the two best teams this tournament. Both are defensively very sturdy and both have a generous amount of attacking talent as well. England have conceded only one goal so far this tournament, and the Italians have only conceded three. Italy has had England’s number at tournaments in recent years, knocking us out in 2012 and beating us in the World Cup group stage in 2014. England will be looking to buck that trend and win their first major trophy in 55 years. Italy have won the Euros before but not recently, with their best result in the last 20 years or so coming in 2012 when they lost in the final to Spain.
I think that overall this is going to be a very tense match and I don’t anticipate a lot of goals being scored. The final match of a major tournament is almost always a very defensive affair anyway, and that will continue this time around due to the defensive structure of both teams. Both teams are built on not losing first and foremost. I think both managers Gareth Southgate and Roberto Mancini would be happy sacrificing some attacking play if it means there is more security in front of their respective nets.
Italy
This squad is talented and has a very deep bench. Italy will be the toughest team that England has played so far this tournament, but that’s how tournament football is supposed to be played. It is not supposed to be easier as it goes along. That being said, while this Italian team is very good, they are not invincible. There are ways to get at them.
I have spent some time in the past few days looking at portions of replays from Italy’s matches so far this tournament, and the main thing I noticed is that this team punishes mistakes. If you misplace a pass or spend too long on the ball, Italy will be on you and looking to win the ball. Several of their goals in the group stage and in the knockouts came from simply being opportunistic and jumping on other teams when they spent too much inside their own half. They hunt the ball like a frenzied sharks who can smell blood. I think they will spend at least some time pressing England if/when we decide to try and play it out from the back.
But that’s not the only way they can win. Like any good side, this Italy team can beat you in a number of different ways. They have also looked incredibly proficient on the counter-attack when needed, and they can also do the traditional possession-based tactics when looking to break down a stubborn defense. Marco Veratti is the traditional midfield “general” who has that magic ability to find the right pass at the right time. Under Mancini that possession-based approach has dwindled somewhat though, as he seems to favor more aggressive and direct tactics. Their match against Spain proved that they are capable of winning without a lot of possession. Typically, when on the ball, Italy are doing their best to run at you. When off the ball, they are doing their damnedest to get the ball back. Mancini’s deft application of the 4-3-3 allows Italy to be aggressive in that manner and the 4-3-3 is expected again from them tomorrow.
Winger/forwards Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Chiesa are going to be the main goal scoring threats for Italy tomorrow. Insigne has dazzled at the tournament with his dribbling, and he scored an absolute stunner that ended up being the winner against Belgium. He cannot be allowed any space on the edge of the box, as he is capable of scoring from distance or finding a deadly pass that unlocks the defense. That goes for every Italian forward or midfielder, as they can all shoot from the edge of the box. Much like Raheem Sterling, Insigne’s runs at defense tends to pull defenders out of position, which creates openings for other attackers (usually from midfield) to run into. I do not know if England will double mark him, but it should at least be considered.
Chiesa is slightly different in that he is not really known for long bursts of pace and dribbling. Unlike Insigne, he is not going to run 40 yards with the ball and then try to get a shot off. Where Chiesa excels is in tight spaces at short distances with the ball at his feet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player with his ability to get shots off from seemingly-impossible angles and create a goal from nothing. His goal against Spain was just such a goal. He spent a few seconds in the Spanish box wriggling and turning around, so much so that you thought the chance for a goal was gone. But his coordination and balance are such that he was able to get a shot off with not a lot net to aim at, and he still found the far corner. He also cannot be allowed to operate undeterred on the right side of the Italian attack. If he and Insigne are finding time and space on the ball, it’s going to be a long night for England.
The Italians also have the size to be dangerous from set pieces, but they also have conceded from a set piece too. Austria’s only goal against them was a simple header from a corner. They were just switched off at the back and the first Austrian player the ball came to simply headed it down and low. I don’t think the Italians will be that switched off again on Sunday, but all it takes is a moment of carelessness. You can expect stalwart center backs Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini to make a big impact from set pieces, whether it be attacking or defending. Those two have been rock-solid this tournament at the back and they will again be charged with organizing everything in defense.
The absence of left back Leonardo Spinazzola will once again be sorely missed for Italy. He was having an electrifying tournament before succumbing to an ACL tear, and in several of their matches he was the main attacking threat. His combination play with Insigne was borderline unstoppable at times, and while Emerson has been a solid deputy in his absence, Emerson’s decision making in the box leaves a lot to be desired. He can dribble and cross like Spinazzola, but he doesn’t always know when to do one versus the other. England’s right back and right winger will be happy that Spinazzola will not be playing.
Unmentioned Notable Players: Manuel Locatelli, Nicolo Barella, and (Olympic gold medalist in diving) Ciro Immobile
England
Southgate deployed England in a 4-2-3-1 against Denmark, which was perhaps a tad conservative but obviously nonetheless effective. Aside from a 20 or so minute spell in the first half, Denmark had little attacking play and did not create many chances. The best thing about the Denmark match from a tactical perspective was England’s response to going a goal down. Up until the semifinal England had not been behind in the entire tournament, but very importantly they were only down for a grand total of 9 minutes before equalizing. I wanted to see how this team would respond to going a goal down, and I am happy we don’t have to run that experiment against the Italians. When they have a lead, they rarely give it up.
I think the 4-2-3-1 will be used again in an effort to neutralize the midfield against Italy. Declan Rice will be charged with getting himself in the middle of the passing lanes, and if I was Southgate I would utilize Kalvin Phillips to man-mark Veratti. Spain provided somewhat of a blueprint on how to slow down Italy, and a big part of it was using Koke to constantly harass and harangue Veratti so that he has no time on the ball. When he as time to play a pass, he can hurt you. When he doesn’t, he becomes largely anonymous and ineffective. Phillips looked a little leggy at times against Denmark, but I think he will find some success in sticking to Veratti. He is a tenacious midfielder and is proficient at closing down the player on the ball. If we make Veratti consistently pass it backwards, that is a victory.
In attack, I think almost everything is going to go through Sterling and Harry Kane. Those two are on fire for England right now and in excellent form. Actually, Sterling only plays well after I insult him repeatedly, so I am going to get that out of the way now. Sterling makes poor decisions, he loses the ball too much, and he can’t consistently finish to save his life. Now that I’ve said that, he’ll go and score a hat-trick just to prove me wrong.
There is a degree of mystery as to who will play on the right wing for England, and also who will be in the “number 10” attacking midfield role behind Kane. As for the right wing, both Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho have had good tournaments playing there. Saka created England’s first goal against Denmark and Sancho was a key player in the win over Ukraine. Both offer pace, dribbling, and attacking intent. Whoever is played, they need to be eager to make diagonal runs between the left back and left center back. I’d generally like to see England’s forwards making runs in behind and also being quick to get the ball into the box. As good as Bonucci and Chiellini are, they have a combined age of 70 and as a result they are not fast players. We may not be able to out-position them or out-muscle them, but we can certainly out-pace them. For that reason, the counter-attack may be an effective tool against them as well.
Kane’s role in attack will also be interesting. He’s a natural goal-scorer of course, but against Denmark he was also the principle playmaker. Mason Mount was the designated number 10 attacking mid against Denmark, but Kane was in his spot so often it seemed like Mount was playing a different position. Kane has been known to drop back off the forward line into the space in front of the center backs when he plays for Tottenham, and because he can shoot from distance the center backs are required to run out at him and close him down. This pulls the defenders out of position and makes it even easier for speedy wingers to get in behind. I expect Italy to deploy defensive midfielder Jorginho to try and keep Kane from receiving the ball, or at the least to prevent him from turning and running with it. Kane is deadly in the box of course, but it seems he is just as deadly with the ball at his feet and other attackers running ahead of him. I doubt he starts as the number 10 tomorrow but he will undoubtedly make his way to that position if he is not seeing enough of the ball.
Another tactic England should take from Spain’s playbook is using the press against Italy. It’s true they’re incredible at pressing others, but they looked a little shaky when Spain pressed them, particularly when Italy were trying to build from the back. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is an excellent shot-stopper and he commands the penalty area well, but he looked shaky (at the least) when asked to hoof the ball up the pitch towards his forwards. Like many modern keepers, he likes to play short passes to his defenders which enables his team to build up attacks through possession more easily. Blasting the ball 60 yards gets it away from your goal, but it has the risk of being more easily collected by the opposition. That’s exactly what the Spanish made him do. When Donnarumma was on the ball, Spain’s forwards got right up on the defenders he would normally pass to. That made it too risky to pass to them, and left him with the option of clearing it long, which he did rather unconvincingly at times. I counted at least two average-to-good chances created that way for Spain. Hopefully England are more clinical in their finishing.
England rode their luck to a degree against Denmark, but you cannot rely on luck to win a final. Maybe you get some and hey it’s great when you do, but it cannot be relied upon. England will need to be very focused defensively and clinical when their opportunities to score arrive. It is almost certain that England will have at least 1-2 good chances to score, and they must take them. The Italians have proven to be very opportunistic this tournament, and England will have to be the same way. England themselves have been fairly mistake-free so far, one or two questionable clearances from keeper Jordan Pickford aside. We cannot afford to make a wary pass in midfield or under-hit a back pass from defense, because if we do the Italians will make us pay. England do not have to be perfect to win this match, but we do have to be damn well close to perfect.
Unmentioned Notable Players: Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Jack Grealish. Phil Foden is unfortunately a doubt to play after suffering a foot injury in training. He would be a loss, but not as big a loss as Spinazzola is for Italy.
Referee/Shithousery
Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers will be holding the whistle tomorrow and he will have to be on his toes indeed. The referee should ideally be a non-factor in every match, but I have a feeling that he will be called into action repeatedly tomorrow. England won a penalty off a “dive” in their last match, while the Italians have spent generations perfecting the art of selling fouls to win free kicks/penalties. If the Italians get a lead in the second half they will certainly employ that element of gamesmanship to get them over the line. VAR will also have an influence on the match, even though ideally it should not. Prepare yourself for shithousery on a level never seen before and the resulting controversy, because it’s going to happen. There will be cries for a penalty if either team’s defense even so much as breathes on the attacking player.
Final Thoughts
Too close to call this one, and even if it wasn’t I still wouldn’t venture to guess. It seems that overall most neutrals are rooting for Italy, and for a wide variety of reasons. A lot of people didn’t like that England beat Denmark on a soft penalty, a lot of people think our supporters are arrogant, and some even go as far as to root against England due to its bloody colonial history. All of that is mostly nonsense. Denmark got at least two decisions in their favor against us, our supporters have no foundation to be arrogant given that we’ve won naff-all in 50+ years, and if you’re going to be mad at England’s colonialism you should also be pretty mad about Italy’s. My point is that all this hatred towards England is largely unfounded and frankly I don’t get it.
Two incidents I will not stand for however is the harassment of opposition fans/players on social media, and the use of a laser pointer on the face of Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel in the run-up to Kane’s penalty. The first of those is immoral and the latter is outright dangerous. I want to win, but I don’t want to win because the fans are enabling cheating.
Everything else is fair game though. Boo the Italian national anthem. Sing songs about how they dive more frequently than submarines. Show them what true gamesmanship is by crying for fouls and waste time by rolling around on the ground. Take forever to do substitutions if we have the lead, etc. I don’t care anymore. You don’t beat Italy or win finals by being gentlemanly about the rules. It’s time to give them a taste of their own shithousing medicine. If the occasion calls for us to be villains, then villains we shall be.
4-4-2 