Match Day - England V Germany - 29/06/21 - KO:17:00 - Last 16 - Euro 2020

I’ve seen a German site saying we booed the little girl crying. Did we? If we did it’s shameful. Please say we didn’t.
 
Now strong reports it’s the team I listed but Saka instead of Foden.
Which is a fair call, Saka was excellent in the last game. Struggling to call this game, just hoping we turn up and step up our game from the group stages.
I’m Southgate’s biggest critic. I’m still to be convinced long term but I’m coming round now to him after games like today.

I don’t know what game you were watching. We hammered them for large portions of that game. We only lost the first 10 mins of the first half and comfortably won the rest of the game.

Rice and Phillips made Muller and Kroos look anonymous, I can’t even fathom how that’s come to pass, those are two of the most elite, decorated players in the game.

My biggest criticism still for Southgate is him not starting Grealish. That lad is a world class talent and should be the first name on the team sheet. He starts that today and we win 3/4-0.

But today he got it spot on and the team had more fight, passion and determination than the Germans as well as winning the tactical game.
I think he was shown to be right starting Saka. He offered a decent outlet in the first half and had a few decent runs to push Germany back. Grealish has to start the next game, we need to be more attacking in the next match.
 
I was watching in an ‘unnamed club’ in Preston.
A lot were demanding the removal of Harry Kane….we go one nil up and he scores the second as a result of our first cross into the box of the game…Rock on Harry!
 
I was watching in an ‘unnamed club’ in Preston.
A lot were demanding the removal of Harry Kane….we go one nil up and he scores the second as a result of our first cross into the box of the game…Rock on Harry!
Ps…I’m full as a nut, it’s coming home⚽️
 
To be fair, Kane had a poor game. Hummels was bullying him for a while. Baffles me that some people still don't get what Sterling brings though!
It would only be fair to judge Kane if we had any quality coming into the box…he had had one quality cross and he scored…dip your bread H.
 
Just watching the game that decides our next opponents. Forsberg looks like he could be Robbie Savage’s Swedish love child.
 
It would only be fair to judge Kane if we had any quality coming into the box…he had had one quality cross and he scored…dip your bread H.
Grealish coming on changed everything and suddenly Kane was involved again. Without service he's obviously not a lot of use playing like he is as he's not going well enough to contribute much else like he does for spurs. Grealish occupied defenders and freed Kane up and he had a chance to properly get into the game and obviously had a great chance laid on for his goal.

He is an excellent (but not world class) player who badly needed a break or for something to change. Hopefully this was the day.
 
Grealish coming on changed everything and suddenly Kane was involved again. Without service he's obviously not a lot of use playing like he is as he's not going well enough to contribute much else like he does for spurs. Grealish occupied defenders and freed Kane up and he had a chance to properly get into the game and obviously had a great chance laid on for his goal.

He is an excellent (but not world class) player who badly needed a break or for something to change. Hopefully this was the day.
I disagree that Kane isn't world class. He's probably in the top 5 in the world in his position. Has won the golden boot in a World Cup. Multiple golden boots in the Premier League (golden boot and assist award last season) in a team that never even wins anything.

I'm sure people will point to 3 boring, cagey group stage games as a reason why he isn't 'world class' but his record and performances over a 5-6 year period suggest otherwise.

Until the second half today, our midfielders have spent the whole tournament passing backwards and sideways, our full backs have largely been stood in our own half and our most creative player, Grealish, has been mostly on the bench.

If we can get on the front foot and be more aggressive in our attacking actions like we were today in the final half an hour, Kane will get the goals like he always does.
 
For me its not anti Kane, usually he's our most potent and reliable striker. But right now for whatever reason he is way off the pace and lacking something. We need a presence up front and can't carry a player with such strong options in the squad as alternatives.

Kane has largely been laboured and ineffective and you (and most others) might be right to want to haul him out of the team.

But I think Southgate was absolutely right to gamble on “carrying” him, in the hope that he comes good. (I wrote this last week too, so it’s not hindsight!)

IMO Southgate has been adventurous sticking with him - risking early elimination by carrying him, in the belief that it increases our overall chances of winning the tournament. A firing Kane is IMO the difference between a cup-winning team and one that falls short somewhere along the line. It still might not come off but there’s got to be some hope now he’s bagged one.
 
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