Final Matches for England Before World Cup 2022

England took on Italy last Friday and Germany today in the UEFA Nations League, a tournament of pseudo-friendlies that serve no real purpose other than making money for UEFA and perhaps being tune-up games before major tournaments. England manager Gareth Southgate was primarily concerned with the latter, as the Three Lions have no more matches between now and the kickoff of their match against Iran at the World Cup in Qatar on November 21.

The match against Italy was terrible. There’s no point in going over it in detail because it was incredibly tepid from an England point of view and they frankly looked disinterested in the result. It was a 1-0 loss at Wembley that had the whole punditry industry and every person with access to a keyboard calling for Southgate’s sacking and replacing before the tournament begins. I was by no means impressed either, but I have to question how much that match actually mattered to the players in the grand scheme of things. Italy won’t be at the World Cup (haha) and none of the teams in our group play a style similar to them. Yes, England should have played better, but the motivation for the players will be much higher at a match that actually matters.

The match against Germany today at Wembley was much improved, and it will give the players something to build on going into the World Cup. The aforementioned uproar from television and pundits and social media was heard by the players, and they played with a lot more purpose and pride than they did in the Italy match. Indeed, Ze Germans were lucky not to be down one or two goals at halftime. Raheem Sterling in particular was guilty of a bad miss despite otherwise playing well. 0-0 at halftime, but it was much better from an attacking perspective.

The second half of today’s match was insanity. England went down 1-0 via a penalty conceded by the ever-controversial Harry Maguire, and then he gave the ball away again which ultimately led to a second German goal. I almost turned the match off, down 2-0 to the Germans with 2/3 of the match gone. But all credit to the lads for fighting back today, and when I say “the lads” I primarily mean Jude Bellingham. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder was England’s best player on the pitch today, and if he is not starting in every match come November then Southgate deserves the sack for negligence. He has confidence, power, speed, dribbling, passing – everything you want out of a central midfielder. He simply refuses to stop trying, and contributed heavily to the first England goal from Luke Shaw. The goal lifted the lads, and Mason Mount got the equalizer just four minutes later with a very impressive strike that left German keeper Ter Stegen dumbfounded. Bellingham was also involved in the third England goal, winning the penalty that striker Harry Kane superbly converted to give England a 3-2 lead.

Although backup keeper Nick Pope fumbled a cross that Germany’s Kai Havertz was able to bundle in for a German equalizer late on, the three goals in 11 minutes of play showed what England are capable of when given the liberty to do so. Southgate made some good substitutions today and he needs credit for that, but he deserves more than his fair share of scrutiny for the his routinely conservative approach in previous matches and his focus on defending. Put simply, England are much better in attack than they are in defense, at least right now. We can score goals against any opposition in the world, and I am confident of that. So why isn’t Southgate playing to his strengths? Why does he insist on shackling players like Kane, Sterling, Bukayo Saka, and Phil Foden with defensive duties when not on the ball? We need to get those lads on the ball and get them running at the opposition. As I have said many times before, I’m sick of losing 1-0 or 2-1 to teams with effective tactical plans. I do think we have enough juice to win the group, but beyond that I worry about how far England will go playing Southgate-ball.

If the Three Lions can cut down on individual mistakes (Maguire, Pope) and lean into their attacking talent, they have a chance to do well at this tournament. If we insist on playing conservatively though, I fear we won’t go very far. The question of who all goes to Qatar is also up for debate, and I’m sure the next two months of club play will have an influence on Southgate’s final squad. I’d say there’s probably 8-10 players that are guaranteed to go, but the competition remains open for the other 10-15 spots. I think Jordan Pickford will be the No. 1 keeper after Pope’s error today, and I’d like to see center back Fikayo Tomori play in at least one group game as an alternative to Maguire.

Three Lions on the Shirts!

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!

Three Lions Take Third in the Nations League; Lionesses Off to a Winning Start

It’s rare that both of England’s senior teams, women and men, are in competition on the same day. Both teams have vastly different schedules, so a day like today should be cherished. It’s even rarer that both teams actually manage to win!

England’s men’s team took home 3rd place today in the inaugural UEFA Nations League with a penalty shootout win over Switzerland, securing their first piece of silverware (albeit a bronze medal) in over 51 years. The last time England’s men’s team won anything of substance was when they took home 3rd at the European Championships in 1968. While there is still room for improvement, it is clear that vast improvement has already been made. This particular match was largely uneventful as indicated by the 0-0 scoreline after 120 minutes, but I think on balance England were the better team in terms of going forward and creating chances. Southampton striker Callum Wilson was unlucky to have a goal disallowed for a foul in the 82nd minute.

While it is still unclear just how important or valued the Nations League actually is among coaches, players, and fans; what is very clear is that England seemed to have broken the penalty shoot-out curse that has plagued us for decades. England won 6-5 on penalties today against the Swiss, and each player who took a penalty displayed steel nerves and mental toughness that has been missing from previous iterations of this team. It’s only the second time in the history of competitive English football that England have gone 5 for 5 in penalties at all. Someone usually misses one or has one saved, but that did not happen this time. Along with the penalty shootout win over Colombia at the 2018 World Cup, England are now 2 for 2 in penalty shootouts under Gareth Southgate. Whatever training methods or mental exercises Southgate has implemented into this team to help with penalties, it has clearly worked and he and his staff deserve all the credit for it. Teams used to play for penalties against England because they knew we’d crack under the pressure. They may think twice about playing that way now in a quarterfinal or semifinal of a major tournament.

Jordan Pickford also cemented his place as England’s number 1 keeper until further notice. The Everton goalie is an absolute bulldog between the posts, and what he lacks in physical size he makes up for in positioning, reflexes, and athleticism. He does make some questionable decisions when distributing the ball, but there is no keeper in England better than him overall right now.

The men’s players are now all off until late July / early August. Rest up boys, you’ve all earned it!

A few hundred miles away from southern Portugal and about an hour later in France, the Three Lionesses got their World Cup campaign underway against Scotland. I admittedly don’t know a lot about Scotland’s women’s team, but given how talented England are I expected a victory.

The first major incident in the match came in the 11th minute, when England forward Fran Kirby played a ball into the box from the right wing that appeared to take a deflection off a Scotland defender in the box. The Video Assistant Referee then got involved, and signaled for the head referee to the review the play. After a pause, it was determined the Scottish defender used her arm to block the cross.

This incident allowed us to see into how handball decisions will be handled under some new rules implemented on June 1 by football’s world governing body, FIFA. Under the new rules, any use of the arm by a player to attempt to “make the the body bigger” will be deemed a handball, regardless of where the arm is. Some have criticized this rule as too harsh on defenders, as they often use their arms for balance when changing directly quickly, and they often have no intent on touching the ball. On the other hand, some have said that this rule will lead to more goals, and as a result more open play. I’m still on the fence about this new rule, but I won’t be too mad about it right now since it was to England’s benefit. I might change my mind when it goes against one of my teams though!

In any event, the penalty was perfectly dispatched by forward Nikita Parris into the top left corner of the net. Hit with pace and power, and it was clear that Parris was amped after scoring. Massive goal celebration with the whole team! I didn’t know much about her before this tournament, but she’s quickly become one of my favorites. She plays with attitude and confidence, and that’s exactly what I like to see from an England player.

England continued to dominate for the remainder of the first half and were rewarded for their dominance with a second goal from striker Ellen White. Scotland couldn’t clear their lines, and the ball dropped to a largely unmarked White, who slotted in with a fine finish to the keeper’s right. I thought that would be just about it, despite a whole half to play.

Scotland improved after the break though and showed they weren’t going down without a fight. They were rewarded for their more physical and aggressive play with a goal from winger Claire Emslie, the first Scottish woman to ever score at a World Cup. England were forced to hold on after that and it was a tense finish, but England did secure 3 points in the group in the end. Given that England beat Scotland 6-0 the last time they played in 2017, Scotland seemed to have come a long way themselves. They still lost, but they also have a good chance at progressing out of this group if they show the fight and fire they showed today against England.

England manager Phil Neville summed up basically everyone’s thoughts on this match: England were good, but there is room for improvement. Parris, White, Kirby, and Lucy Bronze were all excellent for England, but the team collectively fell off in the second half in the sweltering heat of Nice, France. They will have to get used to playing two complete halves as the tournament moves forward. They face minnows Argentina next, but after that is a tough matchup against a formidable Japan side.

Come on England! Three Lions On the Shirts!

England Out of the Nations League; Transfers; and a Tribute to Ada Hegerberg

The Three Lions disappointingly crashed out of the semifinals of another tournament last Thursday, losing 3-1 to an up-and-coming Netherlands side in extra time.

It wasn’t a very good match all around, as it took place in the sweltering heat of southern Portugal with both teams having fatigued players after a very long season. England did not start it’s best possible midfield, with manager Gareth Southgate understandably electing to rest all the Liverpool and Tottenham players who had played a few days earlier in grueling Champions League final. Both Southgate and Dutch manager Ronald Koeman had criticized UEFA for the timing of this match, having it be so close to a major club final.

For England, it was the 2018 World Cup semifinal match against Croatia all over again. They managed to get the first goal through a clear penalty dispatched by Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, but they couldn’t kill the game off and succumbed to defensive errors as the match wore on. History repeating itself, really. I think it’s safe to say that England, as it is currently set up, cannot defend a 1-0 lead against quality opposition. England were overrun in midfield for most of the game and the Dutch could have easily scored more had they not been largely terrible at finishing.

Southgate prefers this team to play it out from the back and build up possession starting with the goalkeeper. That’s a solid way to play, if you have the players to execute it. You have to have centre-backs who can dribble and pass effectively, and they also have to make the right decisions with those passes. That did not happen against the Dutch, especially as players got more fatigued and tired. John Stones, Kyle Walker, and midfielder Ross Barkley were all guilty of making calamitous defensive errors that led either directly or indirectly to goals for the Dutch.

I’d like to think that in different circumstances this would have been a different result, especially if the Liverpool and Tottenham players were on the pitch from the outset. England do have a very talented front three, but I think a back-up plan or two needs to be implemented by Southgate to be called upon when England are struggling to build possession in defense. There’s nothing wrong with hoofing the ball up the pitch into the box and hoping for a lucky bounce, at least every once in awhile! When you have players in attack like Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Raheem Sterling you need to get the ball to them in whatever way possible. Knocking it back and forth between the defense and midfield does not accomplish that.

The role of Harry Kane in England’s attack will be interesting to watch going forward. He seemed off the pace once again against the Dutch, much like he did in the CL final. There is no doubting his talents as a striker, but there is also no doubting that he has issues fitting in with England’s style of play. England seemed to slow down a lot once he came on, since he doesn’t have the pace of other forwards like Sancho, Rashford, or Sterling. He’s bigger than them and therefore stronger in the air, but if England are trying to build attacks through pace and passing, Kane seems to be an illogical fit. I like him as a “supersub” off the bench. A guy who can come on and wrestle with tired centre-backs and create chances in the box by knocking down long passes in the air for the smaller and more nimble attackers.

England next play Switzerland on Sunday, in the third place match for the Nations League. After that, they go on break until the next round of Euro 2020 qualifiers in September.

In Other News

Manchester United have announced the signing of 21 year-old Welsh winger Daniel James from Swansea City. I haven’t scouted this guy much yet, but many opinions I have read conclude that he has potential to be a world-class winger and given the fact that United desperately need help on the wings, I am pleased with this for the most part. He also has the guidance of former United winger Ryan Giggs coaching him when he plays for Wales, which is another bonus.

United still need a Director of Football, though. We can sign all the talent we want, but it means nothing if we have no direction or plan for what we want to achieve. United still need a right back, another centre-back, and probably a strong defensive midfielder this summer. Along with all of that, we need to cut a lot of dead weight.

United’s season review will be coming soon.

Women’s World Cup

Last but certainly not least, the Women’s World Cup got underway yesterday in France, with the hosts flattening South Korea 4-0 in the opening match.

I have decided that I don’t think I will cover the entirety of this tournament here at 4-4-2. This is for several reasons, and I don’t want people to think I’m somehow biased against women. For one, I believe that when it comes to sports analysis, integrity is everything. I do not wish to spout off opinions on this subject when I don’t follow it with regularity. For two, I don’t want to be seen as a charlatan who is just trying to make a name for himself and get clicks on a blog.

I do know enough to confidently state however that USA, France, Germany, Norway, Brazil, and England are the teams to watch this tournament. I might do some coverage of England and USA matches, given that most of my readers are American and British. They are also the only two teams I follow with any degree of consistency, so I feel comfortable doing analysis on that. USA are the reigning champions and boast several amazing players, while England look to build on the semifinal success of the last World Cup in 2015. For more quality analysis and coverage of the women’s game, I recommend the BBC or Deadspin.

I would like to say one thing though, and that is to commend Norwegian striker and current Ballon d’Or holder Ada Hegerberg for her protests against this tournament. She’s literally the best player in the world and she’s decided to not play in this tournament to make a statement against gender inequality in football. She is tired of the Norwegian team being treated as second-rate to the men’s team, despite the Norwegian women’s team being vastly superior (in terms of achievements) to the men’s team. She is not respected in her home country, and she’s decided she’s not putting up with that anymore. In response, many in the media and within the sport itself have painted her as selfish or a drama queen. Even more maddening, some in the media have recognized her issues as legitimate, but then they turn around and criticize her method of protesting. It’s honestly all hot garbage and she’s completely right to be taking such a strong stand in a very attention-grabbing way. Things won’t change for the women’s sport unless it’s biggest stars take a stand, and that’s what she is doing.

I doubt anyone would be saying these negative things about Lionel Messi if he chose to protest inequality by not playing for Argentina.

Revised Thoughts on the Nations League and United Draw with Chelsea 2-2 Away

Perhaps I was wrong about the Nations League. I have originally said these matches are just glorified friendlies and a blatant attempt at cash-grab by UEFA, and while it is true UEFA is indeed trying to make more money, I was too quick to judge the attitude the players would take towards these matches.

For example, the England vs. Spain match. England were coming off a frustrating draw in Croatia in a match that was played in an empty stadium, after some Croatian fans displayed a swastika in the team’s previous game. UEFA’s punishment on Croatia was to play their next match in an empty stadium, and that was a bizarre spectacle to behold indeed. It’s weird being able to hear the players and managers shouting at each other at a televised professional match.

But anyway, Spain. This game (played in Sevilla) had another 0-0 draw painted all over it, but the intensity the players on both sides came with indicated to me that this was much more than a friendly for them. England scored 3 first half goals through excellent play by Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane, and Jordan Pickford. England’s 3-5-2 and building from the back is truly beginning to come into shape now. Pickford’s distribution with the ball was particularly excellent. Credit to England manager Gareth Southgate who seems to have implemented a plan of action for the national side. Spain, as usual, had much more possession. In years past, more possession generally means a greater chance of victory. But the way the sport is trending right now on the international level, possession may not be as important as it used to be. If you can score quickly and defend well, the other team can have as much possession as they want. It was the first time in Spain’s entire history that they were down 3-0 at halftime on Spanish soil. I was completely blown away by that.

Spain did get two goals in the second half, but England held on to win. Both sides were diving into tackles and committing to everything 100% once the lead was only one goal. The dirty bastard Sergio Ramos and England’s Eric Dier were particularly feisty with one another. An overall thrilling game that leads me to believe the Nations League won’t be as terrible as I originally thought. I’ll do a break down of how the tournament works in another post. Well done England, though. Big signature victory.

As for United, it was always going to be a tough match against a well-coached team like Chelsea away at Stamford Bridge in west London. If you told me it would be 2-2 at the end, I probably would have taken it. United had a 2-1 lead though thanks to two well-taken goals from Anthony Martial, only for United to be unlucky and concede an equalizer in the 96th minute. United fans cannot complain about too much extra time, as we have certainly benefited from that in the past, but the unlucky manner in which we conceded leaves a foul taste in my mouth. The ball bounced off the post from a Chelsea header and hit several players as United failed to clear the ball. After a scramble it was put in by Ross Barkley and the match was over shortly after that.

Interestingly, Jose Mourinho got into a physical confrontation with the Chelsea coaching staff after one coach came over and celebrated in the equalizer right in Mou’s face. He was also treated to chants of “Jose Mourinho fuck off” by the more asshole-ish sections of the Chelsea supporters. They showed today they are a club with no class, in my opinion. Mourinho won 3 titles with Chelsea and a few other trophies, yet they’re chanting about how much they hate him now? Chelsea are the ones who need to fuck off, frankly.

I think Mourinho has once again saved his job for another week as well. United’s tactics weren’t all that bad, and we played very well in the second half apart from the 96th minute. Playing Juan Mata as the No. 10 in behind the strikers was particularly successful. He’s wasted on the right wing and provides the crucial link between the midfield and the forwards. No more midfielders playing as defenders either, so that’s at least one basic improvement. I am concerned about our defending though, particularly from set pieces. Normally defense is the very foundation of Mourinho’s tactics, but not this season. You can blame the ownership, blame Mourinho, or blame the players; but for whatever reason the defense has not been good this season. However, our attacking players are as good as or better than anyone else in the league, so we need to be attacking from the outset. Put the opposition to the sword early on and then put more men back to defend. I don’t care if we win matches 5-4 or 4-3, to be honest. Fast-paced, entertaining football is a hallmark of Manchester United and the club must continue down that path. If you don’t attack, you don’t score. If you don’t score, you don’t win.

The passion and fire of the staff and players today showed me that Mourinho is not quite done at United. He clearly still wants to be here, and he clearly wants to do his best to help us win. Again though, he is still on some very thin ice. One more negative result and he could still find himself out of a job. No matter what he does, the negative headlines from the press will continue.

Next up: Juventus come to Old Trafford for a Champions League visit. Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Old Trafford!

UEFA Nations League Wrap-Up and Man United Hold Off Watford

England lost to Spain 2-1 and then beat Switzerland 1-0. These matches really aren’t all that important, but they were indeed the first matches for England since the relative success of the World Cup so they warrant at least a passing mention. I didn’t get to watch either one live due to being somewhat off-the-grid this past week or so, but from what I have seen of highlights and replays it seems England are still largely on the right track in terms of development, despite the loss to Spain. Got some young players coming into the team who look promising as well.

Here’s really what’s going on with this “UEFA Nations League” thing. Pay no attention to the name. It’s a league in name only. This is just a vain effort by UEFA (European soccer’s governing body) to make the international friendly matches more competitive and interesting. They’re usually not very entertaining and lacking in star power since many of the biggest names often sit them out. If the games are better, more people will watch, and then they can charge more for ads. It’s all a ploy to make money, just like everything in this sport is. I won’t always do write-ups on these matches for this reason and others; perhaps only the ones that are particularly intriguing for one reason or another.

As for Manchester United, the players returned from playing for their countries to face a difficult match away to Watford. Surprisingly, Watford were only one of three teams to win all 4 of their opening matches, along with Chelsea and Liverpool. People expected those two other teams to be very good, but not as much with Watford. However, they are well-drilled defensively and they have some very talented attacking players like Troy Deeney and Roberto Pereyra. They are short-handed in midfield, but up until today that hadn’t been very much of a problem for them.

It was all United in the first half though. Utter control and dominance in possession, shots, and two good goals from Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling. Lukaku had a tap-in, but Smalling’s excellent chested-control and volley finish was absolutely stunning. I was thoroughly pleased with the first half for the most part.  Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic were running everything in the midfield splendidly. The only thing I wish had happened was a 3rd goal. United created a ton of chances, and probably should have been more clinical.

Then the second half came. Watford made some tactical adjustments which allowed them to get more passes to their attacking players in good positions, and they were rewarded with a goal of their own in the 65th minute. Of course, it wouldn’t be a United match without them making it difficult for themselves. Watford pushed forward for the equalizer, which often left holes in their back line. Anthony Martial was subbed on to try and exploit those gaps, but despite finding himself in good positions multiple times, he couldn’t find the right pass to unleash Lukaku or Alexis Sanchez. Once again, multiple good chances were left begging. I began to fear that United might choke and throw away a two-goal lead.

However, thanks to an excellent save from David De Gea, United kept all three points and won 2-1. Matic was wrongfully sent off for a 2nd yellow card (which wasn’t a yellow in my opinion) in the 94th minute, but it was too late in the game to make a difference. He made contact with the Watford player for sure, but in my opinion the conduct wasn’t serious enough to merit a 2nd yellow. With that blemish United finally sputtered over the finish line, but at the end of the day 3 points is 3 points. A good match overall, but United must be better about scoring goals and killing off games early. Credit to Watford for making adjustments and not rolling over. Man of the Match could be several people but for me it’s Romelu Lukaku. United move at least temporarily into 8th place in the Premier League on 9 points.

Next match: away in Bern, Switzerland for the Champions League opener against BSC Young Boys on Wednesday 9/19