Euro 2020 Day 3 Game Thread (AKA Gareth Southgate dreams of a perfect nil nil)

[Mighty Joe Young]

The Three Lions make their tournament debut. Southgate has settled on a decidedly negative lineup. Sancho and Chilwell don’t even make the squad.

View: https://twitter.com/swearimnotpaul/status/1404046900270186496?s=20


Croatia counters with ..

View: https://twitter.com/swearimnotpaul/status/1404047057137115138?s=20

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

Guessing this is a 4-2-3-1 formation? Or is it a 3-5-2 with Phillips as a wingback? I’m confused.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Southgate is such a moron.

Sterling has been awful for months and he has Grealish, Sancho and others as alternatives.

Mings is a mistake waiting to happen.

But the most baffling call is Trippier, who isn’t even a LB at all. Shaw had an unbelievable season for United, literally one of the best LBs in the world. Chilwell is no slouch either.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

Southgate is such a moron.

Sterling has been awful for months and he has Grealish, Sancho and others as alternatives.

Mings is a mistake waiting to happen.

But the most baffling call is Trippier, who isn’t even a LB at all. Shaw had an unbelievable season for United, literally one of the best LBs in the world. Chilwell is no slouch either.

Yep .. weird picks all around. With McGuire out I was expecting a 3-5-2 with Shaw and James as the wingbacks. Including Sterling is asinine. He’s been terrible since the turn of the year.

Edit: and it’s a 4-2-3-1
Edit#2 : Also agree with The Mings comment. This is a huge gamble. But neither Coady nor White are suitable in a back 4
Edit#3: kind of passed over the Trippier comment. I thought he was a RB or RWB ? Southgate is putting a big bet on his set piece ability as he doesn’t offer much else.

 

[mikeford]

Here's hoping England crashes out in the group stage.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Finishing second in England’s group is probably better than finishing first, as the first place team meets the runner up from the France/Germany/Portugal group in the R16 while the runner up meets the runner up from a much softer group. So the best I can say for Southgate is maybe he is playing the long game.

 

[Kliq]

England is going to wreck them today.

 

[nayrbrey]

That shadow is fairly distracting to keep track of play, but then again my eyes are awful.

 

[67YAZ]

First, glad to see Pickford now has a haircut reflecting what a stupid prick he is.

The England lineup makes no sense. It’s the kind of thing you’d put out of your team was wracked with injuries or a COVID outbreak.

 

[Catcher Block]

Foden was ready to celebrate that one. Might have cost him a second chance on the rebound.

 

[McBride11]

What? Why blow the whistle? Ref is part of the field

 

[dirtynine]

What We Do in the Shadows

 

[Catcher Block]

What? Why blow the whistle? Ref is part of the field

They changed this a few years ago. If the ball hitting the ref creates an attacking chance or causes change in possession, it's blown dead for an uncontested drop ball.

 

[McBride11]

Sterling was off. Bogus corner

 

[McBride11]

They changed this a few years ago. If the ball hitting the ref creates an attacking chance or causes change in possession, it's blown dead for an uncontested drop ball.

I did not know that. Thank you.
Modric was right there, ref probably worsened the chance honestly

 

[Merkle's Boner]

Sterling has been solid this half. Walker not so much with at least three errant passes.

And Kane has been absent.

 

[67YAZ]

Sterling break through. Who had Kalvin Phillips down as England’s playmaker?

 

[Kliq]

Sterling break through. Who had Kalvin Phillips down as England’s playmaker?

Sterling and Phillips have easily been England's best players today.

 

[Merkle's Boner]

Lovely finish by Sterling.

 

[Catcher Block]

Oh how I have missed the roar of the crowd.

 

[Kliq]

It's coming home

It's coming home

IT'S COMING!!!

FOOTBALLS COMING HOME

 

[67YAZ]

Oh, Kane ribs first into the post.

 

[Kliq]

Kane should have scored and now he's hurt.

 

[Catcher Block]

What just happened with Kane is a play that I can't believe doesn't happen more often. Ouch.

 

[Senator Donut]

It seems like it was way more than three years ago that Croatia played in a World Cup final. Their core players appear to have aged a decade since them.

 

[Kliq]

It seems like it was way more than three years ago that Croatia played in a World Cup final. Their core players seems to have aged a decade since them.

In the WC Croatia's midfield really dominated the game. The pressing today and the development of players like Rice, Foden, Phillips and Mount has turned the tables a bit, plus Croatia getting older.

 

[67YAZ]

Why are all the Croatians playing on the right wing?

Edit: this is not another political comment.

 

[Senator Donut]

In the WC Croatia's midfield really dominated the game. The pressing today and the development of players like Rice, Foden, Phillips and Mount has turned the tables a bit, plus Croatia getting older.

Yeah, the strength of the 2018 side was Modrić-Rakitić double pivot. It was kind of stunning that a relative small nation provided the central midfield workhorse for the two best clubs in Europe.

 

[Kliq]

Yeah, the strength of the 2018 side was Modrić-Rakitić double pivot. It was kind of stunning that a relative small nation provided the central midfield workhorse for the two best clubs in Europe.

Pound for pound, Croatia has a case for being the most athletic country in the world.

 

[Kliq]

Not as many goals/scoring chances as you would want, but other than that a solid performance for England, especially from the midfield who controlled the game against a midfield that kicked their ass in 2018.

 

[Kliq]

Always get a laugh when they show the British supporters and they look like they are straight out of central casting.

 

[Joe D Reid]

Always get a laugh when they show the British supporters and they look like they are straight out of central casting.

Lotta guys still fighting off their quarantine extra stone.

 

[Section30]

All of the coverage is about England. Wouldn't it be great if they had a feature about North Macedonia's first Euro appearance. About Austria and their strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Stanley Steamer]

Just want to give a late shout out to the Yorkshire Pirlo. Great assist and deserved MotM.

 

[shawnrbu]

Beautiful play from Austria.

 

[coremiller]

More Austrian defensive errors there than during the Brusilov Offensive.

 

[Catcher Block]

Ha, the North Macedonian player selling the contact and getting back up when he realized he had 10 yards of space.

 

[Section30]

Macedonia is using small, quick triangle passing to cause real trouble for the larger, slower Austrian defense.

 

[McBride11]

What are these Austrian kits? Pastel blue shorts and black tops? Where are these colors from

 

[shawnrbu]

Austria are a fun team.

Nice to see Arnautovic come off the bench and get on the scoresheet. I thought he fell off the face of the earth after he left West Ham.

Anyone remember Austria’s last win in a major tournament?

 

[Joe D Reid]

Based on that goal celebration, I suspect Arnautovic's Serbian ancestry has come up once or twice in casual conversation during this game.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Possibly the worst Holland lineup I've ever seen. Their talent in attack in particular is just awful.

Van Basten, Bergkamp, Kluivert, Van Nistelrooy, Van Persie....Wout Weghorst.

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

Anyone remember Austria’s last win in a major tournament?

It was against the USA. (Italia '90.)

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

Very bright start to Ukraine vs. Netherlands - liking it so far.

 

[Ale Xander]

We have to use "not interested" a lot more when complaining about refereeing in US sports.

 

[the1andonly3003]

this Moreno guy sounds likeable , not the pbp though, I'll alternate between Five Live/TalkSport audio

edit: Matt Holland is co-commentator on TalkSport, he is solid

 

[Ale Xander]

PBP guy sounds like he has a show on 660 the Fan

 

[Ale Xander]

Jesus nice strike

 

[67YAZ]

Aesthetically please uniform matchup here.

Possibly the worst Holland lineup I've ever seen. Their talent in attack in particular is just awful.

Van Basten, Bergkamp, Kluivert, Van Nistelrooy, Van Persie....Wout Weghorst.

keep an eye open for Donyell Malen. My PSV supporting friend raves and raves about the kid. He could be a super-sub at this tournament…but of course de Boer…

 

[Ale Xander]

Juicy rebound, crap