I Hate That I Have to Care About the Nations League

First things first, it feels weird that football is being played in a non-tournament summer. These players need time off. It’s not long that the club season is off each year, so for there to be international matches with some degree of value being played is odd to me. There’s 3 months of club season and then a World Cup coming. Let them have June and early July off, as is tradition. Their bodies need it to keep performing at the highest level. It won’t happen though. Not as long as UEFA and the respective football federations want to keep making money. It’s all about the money!

I’m also pissed off because England suffered their worst defeat on English soil in almost a century today, losing to Hungary 4-0 at Molineux in Wolverhampton. I watched the most tepid draw I’ve seen in years versus Italy at the weekend, and I expected more of the same today. That did not happen though. England looked toothless in attack for most of the match, and the defense went to shit when center back John Stones was (controversially) sent off after a second yellow card late on. Just a very bad outing overall.

What’s going to be even worse than the loss though is the reaction from the press and social media. It’s a long summer with few fixtures, and one of England’s worse losses under manager Gareth Southgate will give them plenty to chew on. In all four of England’s Nations League games this month, he has been criticized for a conservative style of play that has so far only netted two points and 0 (zero) goals from open play.

I dare say that the seat under Southgate may be starting to heat up. Had England just gone out and played to another dull draw, this match probably would have been forgotten about as soon as the final whistle blew. But a 4-0 loss at home to a frankly inferior team attracts attention. A 4-0 loss at home makes people ask questions. What’s wrong with England? Are they crap again? Is Southgate the right man for the job? The questions mount easily.

Now it’s going to be an endless debate over the summer about whether Southgate should manage England at the World Cup in November. It’s true these results are not encouraging, primarily because Southgate does not want to seem to adapt his game plans to whoever England is playing. He hasn’t learned his lesson, as he plays the same way each time. Sometimes it works, but it frequently does not work against talented opposition.

The other side of the debate is that Southgate is (perhaps sadly) the most successful England manager in 50+ years. He took us to the semifinals of the World Cup in 2018, the semifinals of the Nations League in early 2020, and the final of the European Championships in 2021. Despite his style of play, he wins matches at tournaments. No other England manager, aside from the legend Sir Alf Ramsey himself, can really say that. Factor in as well that he has been experimenting with the team selection in the last few matches and they simply haven’t worked. There’s also the fatigue factor for the players, as mentioned above.

Yes, a 4-0 loss at home is bad. Very bad. But I think once the reactive takes and opinions calm down a bit, cooler heads will prevail. Southgate needs to deliver a win to make everyone feel better and get some confidence back in the team. There are at least two more matches to do that in September, and they are against quality opposition in Germany and Italy. I think the FA will also schedule a friendly fixture or two against smaller nations so that England can use them as tune-up games. I would not feel confident about England’s chances if the World Cup were starting this week like it usually would, but given that we are still 5 months away, there is time to fix things. I think Southgate should be given the opportunity to do so.

But I ask – no, I implore – him to try being a bit more adventurous with his tactics. We have glorified friendlies coming up along with some actual friendlies most likely – so push the edge of the envelope a little! The matches mean next to nothing, so take a few risks and let the lads play a little bit. The Three Lions have an array of depth in attack, and we need to use it!

England Hold Ze Germans to a Draw in Munich

The series of glorified friendlies known as the UEFA Nations League continued today, with the Three Lions in hostile territory against a German side that might have been looking for a bit of revenge after England eliminated them from the European Championships last summer. Neither side was really playing at full strength and this match comes at the end of a long and grueling season for players from both nations, so as is usually the case it’s hard to take away much from a match like this one.

Germany were the better side in the first half though, and comfortably. They had two goals ruled out (correctly) for offside, but England’s defense was opened up rather easily several times. England were holding on for dear life at times in the first half, and were lucky to not be down 2-0 or worse. There was just no creativity in attack and no one looked like they had any idea what to do. That pattern is becoming a worrying trend under manager Gareth Southgate.

England were indeed pegged back on 51 minutes thanks to a deflected strike from midfielder Jonas Hoffman. England keeper Jordan Pickford managed to get a hand to the shot and probably should have done better to keep it out, the lion’s share of the blame for the goal has to be put on center-back Harry Maguire. He was drawn out of position when he tried to intercept the ball, and it was simple for the German attacking players to pass the ball to Hoffman who was largely on his own in the box. Maguire usually plays well for England, but it seems his poor club form has finally spilled over to the national side. I still believe he is a top center-back, but he needs to step away from the game (and social media) for about a month or so. He needs to get his head right and fix the mental side of his game desperately.

But credit where credit is due – England grew into the game after that. Substitutes Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish were magnificent as the half progressed. All of a sudden, England had options going forward. Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling, the attacking starters in this match, didn’t really have it today. I think Saka was tired from being played so much this season and Sterling picked up a slight injury early in the game. Both were limited in attack as a result. The final 20-25 minutes or so were good from England in the sense that there was a belief about them. England teams of old would have effectively rolled over and surrendered in a match like this one, but these lads kept pushing and they should be commended for it.

They were rewarded for their efforts in the final 10 minutes when striker Harry Kane was brought down in the box by a German defender. The contact in the box was clear, but VAR was consulted to ensure that Kane was onside before he made his run into the box. Candidly, the decision was marginal but it was upheld in the end. Kane stepped up to the spot and buried a low and powerful shot into the bottom left corner, with German keeper Manuel Neuer sent the wrong way. England were level, and moreover they were good value for their goal. Yes there was a little bit of luck on the penalty decision, but often in football and in life you have to create your own luck to an extent. You have to be in a position to get lucky, and that is exactly what happened today. Congratulations to Kane on his 50th England goal, now only three behind Wayne Rooney’s all-time England record.

Again, it’s hard to take away any future lessons from this match, but I don’t think anyone can complain about a 1-1 given how dominant Ze Germans were in the first half. What is abundantly clear is that the conservative approach from Southgate has to go. He seems to think England’s best defense is passive possession, but many are of the opinion that England are at their best when in attack mode. It’s no mystery why we got better once Bellingham and Grealish came on. Those two players offer talent in attack, while the players they replaced do not. Mason Mount had a below-average season at Chelsea and Kalvin Phillips was injured most of the year for Leeds United, so it’s curious why they even started in the first place. Southgate should get credit for bringing them on, but he also deserves criticism for not having them on from the get-go. Playing conservative cost us against Croatia in 2018 and against Italy last summer, and I think this style of play will ultimately be Southgate’s undoing if England don’t win a trophy soon. Personally, I’d rather lose while really going for it than lose via passive possession.

Speaking of, England fans need to stop being knobheads when they travel abroad. Seven England supporters were arrested by German authorities earlier in the day, and the charges are all related to drunken debauchery. These are the reasons why no one likes England supporters. We show up, drink all the beer, break stuff, and leave. I have no problem with passionate support for a team, but to act like entitled dickheads and to not respect the host nation reeks of arrogance.

England still sit bottom of Group 3 on one point, but a loss today would have really set us back. Still all to play for in the very early stages of this “tournament”. Rematch with Italy on Saturday!

England Uninspiring in Defeat – Congratulations to Wales

With the club season now fully over and done with, all attention turns to the national sides and the various tournaments, qualifiers, and friendlies that will be played during the month of June. Just when you thought you were getting a break from footie, here comes more matches! To be honest there probably are too many matches each year. The numerous fixtures are draining on the players and it’s difficult for casual fans to keep up with what sort of fixture is being played.

The Nations League has started for England and many other European countries. This “league” was created to replace friendly fixtures and to give them a little more competitive impetus. It remains to be seen just how important these fixtures are. Some of the players take them seriously, but many superstars have little interest in playing glorified friendlies after a long season. Manchester City and Belgium star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is one player who has recently voiced his dissatisfaction with the set-up. Really though, like everything with UEFA/FIFA, it’s about money. It’s all about increasing match revenue and TV ratings, which in turn creates more money for UEFA and the FA of a given country.

England’s first match was yesterday against Hungary. The match was played in Budapest, but it was supposed to be played in an empty stadium as a penalty on the Hungarian FA for allowing racist chants from supporters the last time England played there during World Cup qualification. Hungary’s FA has however found a loophole in that punishment, as they filled the stadium with roughly 20,000 or so children 14 and under with one adult per every 10 kids. It seems they can sell youth tickets to a match, even when they are not supposed to be making any money at all off ticket sales. UEFA doesn’t really seem to have a problem with this either, which proves that their anti-racism campaign is an utter joke and that they don’t really care about addressing the problem of racism in football. If the options are either 1) making money or 2) actually doing something to effectively punish an FA for racism, UEFA is going with option 1 every time.

The match itself was downright boring, with England losing 1-0 after a fairly dubious penalty decision which striker Dominik Szoboszlai converted from the spot. England’s style of boring football under manager Gareth Southgate reared it’s dull head again, and many have criticized Southgate for not really going for it. He needs to decide on a back-3 vs. a back-4 for England. Given that we like to build from the back, the make-up of the defensive back line is key for building attacks. Both formulas can be successful, but he needs to make up his mind and figure out what personnel are best-suited for the formation in question. Being overly-defensive cost us against Italy in 2021, and also against Croatia in 2018. I realize this was effectively a friendly after a long and grueling season in which England were missing some regular starters, but this result and the manner it was achieved does not make me feel excited about the prospect of the World Cup in November. The match on Tuesday against Germany will be more indicative of where England is as a squad. Any match against Ze Germans is never a friendly.

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The positive action from today was Wales defeating Ukraine 1-0 and qualifying for their first World Cup in 64 years! The winning goal was the result of a free-kick from superstar winger/forward Gareth Bale, which took a deflection off the head of Ukraine winger/forward Andriy Yarmolenko before going in. The Welsh join England, USA, and Iran in Group B at World Cup 2022!

Commiserations to Ukraine of course. This was a team that the whole world – aside from Wales – was cheering for. They’ve had a really rough go of it recently as a country, and their football team doing well was one of the few positives they could hang their hats on. Indeed, had there not been an active war in their country, these qualification matches would have been sorted out earlier this year. Their victory over a frankly hapless Scotland side earlier this week gave them so much hope for qualification, only to fall short against Bale, keeper Wayne Hennessey, and the Welsh defense. All of the Ukrainian players are still heroes though, and as an England supporter I am happy to not have to deal with them come November. Ukraine will be back, though. Andriy Shevchenko is a talented manager, and they have the footballing heritage to rise again.

Take nothing away from Wales though, as they were underdogs with something to prove in their own right. This was Bale’s last chance at a World Cup, and his free-kick is the reason that Wales are in it. Due to their lack of depth in talent, the Welsh usually go as Bale goes. If he plays well, they have a strong chance to win. If he doesn’t play well or is marked out of the game, Wales usually struggle. He is the most decorated British player in the history of Real Madrid, and he knows this will be his final chance to make his mark on the most prestigious tournament in the world.

Excited for a British derby in Qatar!

Real Madrid Crowned Champions of Europe in Paris

The Super Bowl of Europe happened today, and it featured two giants of the game in Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF at the Stade de France in a rematch of the 2018 final. Liverpool were looking to add a 7th European Cup to their trophy cabinet and take some revenge from losing that 2018 final, while Madrid were looking to win it for an amazing 14th time. It was a lovely evening in Paris weather-wise, although the match was marred by ineptitude from UEFA and stadium officials who couldn’t figure out how to get fans in the queues into their seats. The delay of about 36 minutes probably impacted the match one way or another, and for UEFA to blame it on fans arriving late was nothing but comical. It is positive that there were no major issues with violence, but seeing fans tear gassed and maced just for trying to get in when they had a ticket to do so is a disgrace.

A lot of the pre-match talk centered on how each team would play the game from a tactical perspective, and it was agreed by most of the talking heads on television that Liverpool would probably be the more adventurous and attacking side, while Madrid would try to hold on as best they could and try to steal a goal when the chance presented itself. There was also concern from a Liverpool perspective about fatigue and injuries, given that they have played a whopping 63 games this season and also had to play their starters more frequently in the past few weeks than Madrid did.

And indeed, the first 40 minutes or so carried the theme of Liverpool domination with the Madridistas doing just enough to keep them out. All-world forwards Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah had good chances to take the lead, but the massive Belgian goalkeeper between the posts for Los Blancos had other ideas. Thibaut Courtois produced several fine saves in the first half that kept Liverpool at arm’s length while the Madrid forwards were struggling to get on the ball and create chances.

Some major controversy came just before halftime though, when Madrid striker Karim Benzema put the ball in the back of the net from about 6 yards out after Liverpool failed to properly clear the ball. Benzema appeared to have scored a good goal, but it was ruled out for offside. After a lengthy VAR check, it was determined that Benzema was offside. It is true that he was in an offside position, as there was only one man between him the goal when the ball rolled to him. However, Benzema’s position wasn’t the issue. The key question was whether or not the ball to him came from a deliberate move by a Liverpool player. Replays showed the ball ricocheting to Benzema after a collision of Liverpool defenders in the box, and the VAR official determined that ricochet to be unintentional. The goal was ruled out, despite some serious dissention from the public and the match pundits. The first 45 minutes then finished 0-0 without further incident.

The second half kind of went much like the first as things got back underway. Madrid grew into the game a little bit, but it was still mostly Liverpool asking all the questions. That changed on 59 minutes when Real drew first blood, with the help of a bit of good fortune. Madrid winger Federico Valverde was allowed to run into the box by the Liverpool defense, and he fired what appeared to be a shot towards the goal low and powerful along the ground. His shot went wide though, but luckily it went straight into the path of young Brazilian forward/winger Vinicius Jr. Vinicius had beaten his marker and was open at the far post, and he simply re-directed Valverde’s driven shot into the goal, with Liverpool keeper Alisson unable to do anything about it. Seemingly from nothing, Madrid were ahead 1-0. Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold can probably be apportioned a good deal of fault, as he was the one caught out of position and napping when Vinicius darted past him. Such is the risk of playing TAA at right back – he is an excellent attacking player but can suffer from defensive lapses at very inopportune moments.

Liverpool kept at it though, with wave after wave of red attacks repeatedly crashing against a white wall of Madrid defenders. Courtois continued his domination from the first half well into the second as well. It must be said that even though Madrid defended well today, Liverpool probably should have done better with some of the chances they had. Salah in particular was guilty of missing some shots that he would normally put away, most glaringly when he had a breakaway down the right side but couldn’t get the ball past Courtois at the near post. It was a tense and nervy final 30 minutes, but Liverpool ultimately could not fashion an equalizer. The final whistle blew and Madrid won 1-0.

From a neutral perspective it was a good final, but it does feel like Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp played directly into the hands of Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti’s tactics. Madrid midfielder Casemiro was given the liberty to drop back into defense when needed, which created a back-5 for Madrid that was incredibly difficult to break down. It seemed like the Scousers were relying on winger/forward Luis Diaz to win his battles with Madrid right back Dani Carvajal and create chances from the left wing, but Diaz (and his eventual replacement Diogo Jota) were pocketed by Carvajal the whole evening. Combine that with a goalkeeping masterclass from Courtois, and you get a team that was very difficult to score against.

Congrats to Real Madrid on winning their record 14th European Cup and completing a Double, as they had already won La Liga this season. A case could be made for Carvajal to be Man of the Match, but realistically it has to go to Courtois. He made an incredible nine (9) saves today, the most in a CL Final since 2003-04. Without him, Madrid probably lose this match. A big day from the bulky Belgian!

Gonna take a second to laugh at Liverpool too. Yes they had a much better season than Man United so I can’t laugh too hard, but there is an element of schadenfreude in seeing them lose. A month ago the Scousers were singing songs about winning the Quadruple, only for them to finish the season with two domestic cup trophies. They lost to Madrid today and couldn’t wrestle the Premier League title away from Man City, which is funny to anyone who hates them. I guess sometimes you do have to walk alone.

Only one club football match left now, the Championship Playoff final at Wembley tomorrow between Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield Town. Very much hoping Forest can win and secure promotion to the Prem. After that is done though, the club season is over and all attention turns to the UEFA Nations League, with England set to play four matches during the month of June. There will be posts for all those matches of course, and I still will be addressing the situation with the World Cup in Qatar coming this fall/early winter.

United Crash Out of Champions League

Manchester United played host to Spanish side Atletico Madrid earlier today at Old Trafford, in the 2nd leg of their Round of 16 tie in the Champions League. United were in with a decent shout to win this tie thanks to Anthony Elanga’s late equalizer in Spain three weeks ago in the first leg, but it truly was finely poised. Atletico are an experienced side in the CL, and their tactics are a reflection of their colorful manager, Diego Simeone. In previous seasons, United would have had a larger advantage coming into this tie. The previously-observed away goals rule would have given United the edge thanks to their goal in Spain, and they could have played for a 0-0 draw with Atletico forced to attack. This season however, UEFA (in its infinite wisdom) has done away with the away goals rule. Their goal seems to be to force more extra time and possibly penalty scenarios, probably because it will allow UEFA to squeeze even more ad money out of their cash cow.

Anyway, the match started brightly for United. They looked to be full of energy and confidence on the ball, and Atletico seemed to be a little unsure of themselves. The first half hour for United was by far their best spell of the game. Brazilian midfielder Fred was playing extremely well, causing all kinds of problems for Atletico with all his flicks and tricks in advanced positions. United were denied one of their best chances all match when Elanga attempted to tap-in a fast cross from point blank range, only to be unluckily denied by the face of Atletico keeper Jan Oblak. Nine times out of ten, Elanga scores on this chance. Oblak’s head was just in the right place at the right time, and his face kept the ball out. Ouch for Oblak, but they were lucky to not be behind early on.

Atletico grew into the match after the half hour mark though, and they started seeing a lot more of the ball. A warning shot was fired at United when Atletico had the ball in the net via forward Joao Felix, but it was correctly called back for offside. United’s back four were torn apart fairly easily though, and there was much more tension around the ground all of a sudden. Atletico did find the all-important first goal on 41 minutes, when a cross over the top from striker Antoine Griezmann found left back Renan Lodi unmarked at the back post. He had a free header, and he buried it past United keeper David De Gea. Atletico players all ran around to celebrate, but the United players were arguing with Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic that the goal should be ruled out for fouls in the buildup. The replays did appear to show fouls on both Elanga and Fred in the build-up to their goal, but curiously the goal was allowed to stand. United’s back four were ripped apart too easily though, with center back Harry Maguire at the center of the action for the wrong reasons yet again. Atletico went into the halftime break with a lead, and you could tell the United players were feeling deflated.

The second half did not bring much improvement for United. Atletico are a side that are well-drilled defensively, and soaking up pressure while clearing crosses is their favorite thing to do. Atletico are also well-versed in the art of shithousery, and it was on full display today. They start time wasting during free kicks, throw ins, and corners. They pretend to be injured for longer than is necessary. They start talking shit and messing with the heads of the opposition. All of these tactics might come across as gamesmanship or outright cheating, but it’s an art form perfected by Simeone when he was a player (ask David Beckham) and he has instilled it into his players.

Shithousery tactics are incredibly effective when the referee allows a team to get away with all of that, as Vincic did today. My regular readers know that I am not normally one to blame the referee in a losing effort. At the professional level, a team can always overcome poor officiating in most situations by simply playing better than they had been playing. But today this referee was absolutely horrific. Atrocious, terrible, and downright bad. His decision making and frankly up odd behavior got worse as the match went on. Blatant foul after blatant foul wasn’t called, and it allowed Atletico to do what they do best – frustrate and annoy the opposition into submission. When a foul was called, he failed to administer yellow cards when needed. There was even a moment where he appeared to be simply watching the match instead of officiating it – when the ball went out of play behind United’s goal and he didn’t call it. He also oddly booked United’s technical director Darren Fletcher shortly after missing the ball going out of play, and sprinted 40 yards across the field to deliver the booking to the United coach. Why? Unclear.

Perhaps most frustrating however was when United had the ball in a good attacking area, only for Vincic to stop play due to an ankle injury on an Atletico player. He is not required to stop play at all there, and most referees will let play go on in that scenario. More egregiously, United right back Diogo Dalot went down after a clear blow to the head from an Atletico player, and Vincic failed to 1) call a foul and 2) stop the match for treatment. Dalot was on the ground, holding his head. The ref is required by player safety rules to stop play for head injuries, and it was obvious Dalot had suffered one. What on earth was this referee doing officiating in the knockout rounds of the CL? The occasion looked way too big for him and his odd calls/behavior are indicative of that.

Center back Raphael Varane had United’s best chance of the half, when his header from an Alex Telles free kick was saved by Oblak. Varane got good contact with the ball and the shot was on target, but Oblak got a strong left hand up and palmed it away. Rangnick tried bringing on the likes of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, Nemanja Matic, and Juan Mata to try and find an equalizer, but no one was really able to contribute. Rashford in particular was once again poor. It gives me no pleasure to slag off England players like Rashford and Maguire, but a spade must be called a spade. Rashford lost possession numerous times, and his crosses into the box were easily blocked by his marker on most occasions. I don’t know what’s wrong with the both of them, to be honest. They were both great last season, had a good Euros tournament and a good start to this season, but somewhere along the way they both seem to have lost confidence in their game. Confidence is so important at this level. The opposition can smell self-doubt from a mile away. You have to believe in yourself, or no one else will. It should be noted that star forward Cristiano Ronaldo was largely missing from the proceedings today as well. I don’t recall a single instance where he was on the ball in a forward/attacking position.

Anyway, United are out of the CL cuz of a lack of creativity, Atletico shithousery, and an absolutely shambolic display of refereeing. United were knocked out of the League Cup early, they are out of the FA Cup, they have no chance of winning the Premier League (and face a stern challenge to finish top-4), and now the CL is gone. It’s going to be another trophy-less season in the red half of Manchester, and that is a dour thought indeed. The players we have don’t try consistently, the manager’s tactics are coming into question along with his lack of adaptability, and we seem to be in need of yet another clearing out/rebuild. Whoever United bring in as permanent manager, he will have a mountain of work to do.

Champions League Draw + Match Postponement

The draw for the Round of 16 in this year’s Champions League tournament took place on Monday, in which Manchester United were drawn against Spanish side Atletico Madrid. I’ll go into the matchup more in a second, but a quick summary would be that Atletico are a very good side defensively and they have the superstars in attack to beat anyone. They routinely beat teams with bigger budgets and they have a manager in Diego Simeone who has won La Liga multiple times.

The headline from the draw though was that it actually had to be done twice by UEFA after it was discovered that there was an error in the computer software that put the teams into the various pots needed for the draw. Originally Liverpool were given Atletico, but they can’t play them in the Round of 16 given that they played in the same group during qualification. So the entirety of the draw was done again, and this time United were given the difficult prospect of dealing with the scrappy Madrid-based club.

Many people (myself included) from all over Europe have suspected for many years that the draw for the Round of 16 is somehow rigged or otherwise unfair, and this “error” with the computer software only adds fuel to the fires of conspiracy theory. United fans were particularly aggrieved to draw Atletico, when we were theoretically supposed to be given an easier draw due to winning our group. Chelsea however did not win their group but were drawn against French side Lille, one of the weaker teams left in the tournament. Manchester City did indeed win their group, but still were given another weaker side in Sporting Lisbon. I am happy that United avoided Paris St. Germain for once, but Atletico presents fierce opposition. It just seems that United are routinely getting screwed by the draw, while our domestic rivals get easier competition regardless of where they finish in their groups.

Whatever is going on with UEFA, it smells fishy. This is an organization that doesn’t have a clean history of promoting fair play either, so the calls for the draw process to be re-evaluated are only going to get louder. United do have a solid chance to beat Atletico of course, and they do have the advantage of having the 2nd leg of the tie played at Old Trafford. But, it will be difficult to stop or slow down the likes of Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann, and Joao Felix. All three of those players are world-class on their day, but as mentioned Atletico are a club that pride themselves on rock-solid defending. Simeone has turned their stadium into a fortress, and despite some stuttering form in La Liga they are still 4th in the table. This is an intriguing and tricky fixture that will give United manager Ralf Rangnick plenty to think about.

United will play Atletico at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on Wednesday February 23, 2022 with the return fixture in Manchester on March 15, 2022.

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In more immediate news, United’s match away to Brentford FC that was supposed to be played today has been postponed due to an outbreak of COVID-19 among the United players and training staff. It is unclear who has the virus, how many cases there are, or even how severe each case is. The match has not been re-scheduled as of the writing of this post, but it will be eventually. This is one of those times when the real world crosses over with football, and it must be addressed even though this is primarily a football blog.

First, nothing but well-wishes and a speedy recovery to those afflicted and I hope no one suffers any long term effects. Second, I am sick of this virus and the whole bloody pandemic. Sick of it. It’s affected everything in our lives, not just the cancellation of football matches. And of course, I am not against the postponement or even cancellation of a match if it cannot be played safely. Football is a game after all, and matters of life and death should never be prioritized below a game that we play and watch for fun. However, I am sick of the fact that the pandemic appears to be unending. If you can get vaccinated, do it. Wear a mask. Stay socially distant from other people. We all need to do everything we can do to end this pandemic, but too many people are thinking of themselves first. The “me first” attitude is rampant in America, but its clearly a problem worldwide as well.

Further, the late announcements postponing these matches are causing financial strain on the fans. People book train tickets and hotels for long trips (such as the one from Manchester to Brentford in west London) and oftentimes these tickets and reservations are non-refundable. Fans need to be given as much notice as possible for when a match is going to be postponed so they have the best chance at getting their hard-earned money returned to them. If football really is nothing without the fans, the Premier League needs to ensure that fans are taken care of. The fact that there does not seem to be a hard rule about what circumstances require a postponement is part of the problem.

United are scheduled to take on Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford next Saturday, but it remains unclear if the match will go ahead as planned.

England Hit San Marino for 10, Qualify for World Cup 2022!

Demolition. Destruction. Shellacking. Beat-down.

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.

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England Draw With Hungary, Match Marred by Fan Violence

England took on Hungary today at Wembley Stadium in London, in what was the 8th match out of 10 in World Cup 2022 qualification. England had already beaten Hungary 4-0 away in Budapest earlier this year, but they’re a more talented side than they appear at first and have gotten some famous results earlier this season.

The match ended 1-1, with both goals coming in the first half. Hungary took a surprising lead from the penalty spot via forward Rolland Sallai, who sent England keeper Jordan Pickford the wrong way as he slotted home. The actual penalty was earned by right back Loïc Négo, who collided with a high boot from England left back Luke Shaw just inside the box. The contact on Négo’s head was minimal, but the problem was Shaw having his boot that high up in the first place. It’s a long-established rule in football that your foot can’t be up high near the head and neck of other players, and Shaw has to know better there. He is asking for trouble with his foot that high up, and he wouldn’t have even needed to fly in like that if he was quicker to the ball. But he was lackadaisical in getting over to the bouncing loose ball, and Négo put him under pressure to make a clearance. Unfortunately, he did not clear the ball effectively.

England did get an equalizer 13 minutes later, having put their foot fully down on the gas pedal after the Hungary goal. The tying goal was courtesy of three Manchester City players – Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, and John Stones. Grealish was probably England’s best attacking player the whole match, and he won a foul in the right channel after some of his trademark nifty dribbling. Foden stood over the dead ball and delivered a very dangerous diagonal cross into the box. It was met at the far post by Stones, who simply stuck his foot out and the ball bounced off him and into the net. Wembley erupted in celebration, and it was great to see England scoring from a set piece.

The Three Lions had the better of the chances and the majority of the possession for the rest of the half and indeed the rest of the game, but they could not put the ball past Hungarian keeper Péter Gulácsi. He made several fine saves on Raheem Sterling, but overall the credit must go to Hungary manager Marco Rossi for his tactical set-up. They were in a 5-3-2 and set up very compact, making it hard to break them down. They also pressed England at precisely the right times, and England admittedly lacked ideas in terms of creating chances. I applaud Gareth Southgate for realizing that his initial tactical set-up was wrong and actually making substitutions, but today the problem was that he made the wrong substitution. Bringing on Bukayo Saka for Grealish was mystifying when both Sterling and Harry Kane were far more ineffective. Saka needed to come on, but not for Grealish. He was the only one really running at the Hungary back line, so to take him off almost did them a favor. It was just an overall disappointing performance on the pitch, but credit to the Hungarians for playing well and forcing England to stumble slightly on their path to World Cup 2022.

England are still atop Group I, but their lead has narrowed to 3 points after Poland’s victory over Albania. England have a massive game against Albania in a month, and the last one is against minnows San Marino. Win either of those, England are virtually in. Ideally they would take 3 points in both games, and they will indeed need to be better than they were today against a highly-motivated Albanian team.

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Unfortunately, the first 10-15 minutes of this match were marred by clashes between the London Metropolitan Police and some of the Hungarian supporters inside the stadium. I normally am not one to defend the police, but there is a section of the Hungarian supporters that are absolute knobheads. They held up a banner protesting the England players kneeling before the opening whistle, and were jeering loudly when one of England’s Black players touched the ball. Absolute racist bastards and the images of them throwing punches at the police were disgusting to watch. It seems the police eventually got the situation under control and at least one arrest was made, but I couldn’t believe just how brazen the actions were of those few dozen supporters. I know for a fact that not all Hungarians are racist hooligans, but that loud minority of them is very loud indeed.

Which begs the question: where is UEFA on this? Why has the Hungarian FA even been allotted tickets for their supporters at this match? There is supposed to be a ban on fan attendance at their home matches for this exact sort of behavior the last time England played Hungary, so why are they allowed in our stadium? It’s this sort of thing that makes the whole “Say No to Racism” campaign feel hollow and frankly fake. When actual racist incidents happen, UEFA does nothing about them and leaves it up to the local authorities to sort out the shitheads. Hey UEFA, fucking punish this kind of conduct! Lifetime bans for fans who engage in racist conduct. Points deductions from teams if fans engage in racist conduct. I understand that England is not free from sin in this department, so these rules would apply to our fans as well. The fans also must self-police more effectively and call out racist conduct when they see it! I’m fed up with this behavior and it needs to stop.

England Demolish Andorra, One Step Closer to WC 2022

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.

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England Display a Dominant Second Half Performance In Victory Over Hungary

Today, England travelled to the elegant Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary to play their first match since the loss against Italy in the final of the European Championships. The Three Lions came into the match top of the World Cup qualifying group having won all three of their matches so far, but Hungary were a mere two points behind them in Group I.

Although a victory for England was expected, Hungary are not a team of pushovers like they have been in the past. They are well-organized and tactically sound defensively, and that can create problems for any opposition. This same Hungary team pushed France and Germany to their limits at Euro 2020(1), and they were buoyed by the addition of their most naturally talented player – attacking midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai. Don’t ask me to pronounce his name, as the trickiness of the pronunciation is mirrored by the trickiness of his feet. England would need to make sure he is marked at all times because he has the dribbling and shooting technique to trouble even the best defenses.

England took the pitch in front of a packed house in Hungary, and the atmosphere pre-kick off was mostly upbeat. England were on the ball for most of the first half though, and were clearly the better side in terms of possession, passes, and chances created. The problem was struggling to get clear shots on goal. The Hungarians deployed a 5-3-2 formation that made them incredibly difficult to break down. The other side of that though is that they had no presence in midfield and couldn’t get the ball into Szoboszlai or any of their attacking players. I don’t think England keeper Jordan Pickford even touched the ball in the first half, aside from goal kick clearances. A very stale encounter in that first half plus a very hostile atmosphere had me thinking that England may need to be satisfied with a draw today.

But England upped the tempo a little bit in the second half and Hungary struggled to keep up. Harry Kane just missed a gilt-edged chance on 50 minutes after being through on goal. It was a good save from keeper Péter Gulácsi but you feel that given Kane’s quality he should have scored. But no worries though, as Hungary were undone just 5 minutes later. West Ham midfielder Declan Rice did well to win the ball in midfield, and he played a quick pass out to Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish on the left wing. Grealish brought the ball to edge of the area, after he which he played in fellow midfielder Mason Mount on an overlapping run towards the end line. Mount used his quickness to get to the ball and drag a cross back along the ground, directly into the path of the unmarked Raheem Sterling. Sterling had to be quick, but it was a relatively simple finish into the bottom corner with Gulácsi unable to get to it. Good team goal from England and it was 1-0. The celebrations for Sterling were marred by some poor behavior from Hungary fans in the stands, who decided it would be a good idea to throw full bottles and cups at Sterling from the stands. More on Hungary’s fans below.

The second goal came via the talismanic Kane about 8 minutes later. Sterling found himself under a bouncing ball on the right wing, and he hit it first time low and along the ground towards Kane in the middle of the box. The ball took a bounce off the foot of a Hungarian defender, which caused the ball to pop up in the air a bit. Kane was able to get his head to it with enough power to put it through the arms of Gulácsi for 2-0. Always good to see Kane on the score sheet and he atoned for his earlier miss with that header. Now that all 3 points were in the bag, you could see England relaxing a little and just seeing the game out.

That didn’t happen though, as center back and Manchester United captain Harry Maguire was next in the queue to score England’s third just 6 minutes later. The floodgates had well and truly opened, as Kane was unlucky not to get his second just before Maguire’s goal. Fellow Red Devil Luke Shaw delivered in a peach of a cross from a corner, and Maguire did well to position himself under it. He headed the ball down and towards the opposite corner, but it didn’t appear to have a ton of pace behind it. Gulácsi couldn’t get down in time to save it though, and it rolled in after taking a deflection off his arm. Good teams can score in a variety of ways, and England showed they are capable of that by finally executing a set piece. Our defenders are so big that we should be scoring more often from those.

The fourth and final nail in the coffin came on 87 minutes, and this time it was Rice both finishing the chance and somewhat creating it. Kane had just missed another chance to score, and Pickford had actually made his first real – if routine – save of the game just after that. But Grealish was involved once again as well, and this time he got an assist. Rice played the ball to Grealish on the right side of the box. Grealish then cut in from the right side using his dribbling and looked to be trying to create space for a shot. He was blocked off though by defenders so he wisely played a backwards diagonal pass back to Rice, who was positioned for a shot on the edge of the box. He passed the ball with the inside of his foot towards the goal, and it was straight at Gulácsi. He really should have done better with the save, as he seemed to drop it and the ball went under him before it went over the line. Still, poor keeping or not, you have to have the temerity to take on that strike and Rice should be credited for going for goal.

So yes, 4-0 away in a hostile atmosphere in a competitive match is about all you can ask for. England were patient in the first half, and that patience was rewarded with dominance in the second. Hungary may feel that poor keeping did them in today, but England’s first goal had nothing to do with Gulácsi. Once the first one went in, you felt the result was never in doubt. Hungary were just lacking the quality going forward today. It’s an over-simplification to blame the keeper in this case, despite his notable errors.

The behavior of too many of the fans in Budapest was very disappointing, not only due to the bottle-throwing after Sterling’s goal but they also booed when England players took the knee before kickoff to protest racism in football. Hungary’s players were very professional in this match and credit to them for showing their fans that is possible to lose with dignity and grace. But that fanbase has a reputation for poor sportsmanship and FIFA must take action to regulate this sort of thing if they are serious about stamping out hooliganism and fan violence in this sport. UEFA has already sanctioned the Hungarian Football Association and had this been a Euro qualifier the match would have been played in an empty stadium. But it seems that FIFA and UEFA don’t carry the same punishments for whatever reason. I am sick of this pigheaded behavior from supporters and it needs to stop. England fans are no exception to that, either. There are too many England fans who behave this way too, they just weren’t on TV today. It is always difficult for me to call out this behavior from other countries when England’s house isn’t fully in order.

But in terms of the match, this was a very good performance from the lads and exactly what England needed to exorcise a few of the demons lingering after the loss to Italy back in July. Coming out against decent opposition, away from home, and putting 4 past them in a span of 32 minutes is just what the doctor ordered. England were already in the driver’s seat in this group, but now World Cup qualification seems much closer despite the fact that there’s only been four of ten games played in this campaign. Hungary are probably the second-best team in the group (aside from maybe Poland) so England can take confidence from the way they handled themselves today. Composed and clinical after a potentially-frustrating first half. Man of the Match for me is Declan Rice, but a case could be made for Sterling, Grealish, or Kalvin Phillips.

England take on minnows Andorra at Wembley on Sunday. An emphatic win is expected against such a small nation. England are now 5 points clear on top of Group I.

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