Ipad1977
Well-known member
People have a right to beef if the performance is not up to the standards that they expect. It was underwhelming and hardly befitting of the talent that we have, especially in attack.
I'm more pragmatic in the sense that I don't expect England to have a comfortable ride just because it's the group stage, nor do I expect us to perform like potential finalists every single game. We're going to have the odd bore-fest or even stinker. It was more infuriating given the fact that this was the game of the group when most, including myself, were able to watch it without the obstacle of work getting in the way. It certainly needs addressing and learning from too.
However, Gareth DOES tend to look at a tournament on the "bigger picture" side. This approach thus far in the big tournaments have brought a large degree of success; a semi final appearance followed by losing out on winning the tournament itself on penalties. Granted we have a section of fans who will say that another manager could do better given the array of talent we have available and it's certainly not impossible, but the reason we have such a wealth of talent especially in attack owes a lot to Southgate himself; HE is the one who created the framework for the focus on youth potential, brought half of this team through the ranks, created a bond with and between them, coached and developed them in international football and kept them playing with the mentality that they are part of a whole. These factors are a huge reason why we now have such a platform.
It is not inconceivable that he sent them out with a "above all do NOT lose" mentality. Infuriating for the supporters, certainly. However it retains energy reserves through a long tournament, while doing "enough" to increase the likelihood of progression to the knockout rounds. I'm also in two minds about his subs or more importantly the timing of them. The initial lineup was no surprise; tinkering with with a side that has just scored 6 goals needlessly would be foolish when you don't need to. He's also aware that hooking a player earlier than usual can damage the feeling that he has confidence in them and not doing so means they are reassured that they will be trusted by him. He also keeps those not involved, eg Phil Foden, completely fresh for the games ahead.
What he's doing is entirely for the long haul and the squad bond of togetherness that has been instrumental in their comparative success so far, so he's not going to deviate from that despite a disappointing run in the 3rd rate international nations.
Whether it's an approach that will produce dividends in this world Cup, time will tell, though what it did in the previous tournaments at least will indicate that it does. However GS isn't going to change that emphasis, whether it infuriates fans in the short-term or not. There's hardly anyone who gripes upon the Scotland game in Euro 20(21) any more, indeed there wasn't a week after that match, only the Scots tending to bring it up afterwards.
Now onto Wales. Looking at GS' approach in our final group game last time out, whilst I don't anticipate an all-guns blazing sparkling performance like we had against Iran, using his seemed 3 step formula in group stages of "Establish lead - make safe - build momentum when you have luxury to do so" would point to him wanting a game that"'s more open with an England win likely; the kind of accomplished one that builds confidence going into the second round. A lot of course will depend upon what Wales bring to the party; they'll certainly be up for this one and fighting for their lives with bottle, whether this will result in them providing a stiffer test or leaving more holes for us to tear into them and take advantage is of course as yet unknown.
I'm more pragmatic in the sense that I don't expect England to have a comfortable ride just because it's the group stage, nor do I expect us to perform like potential finalists every single game. We're going to have the odd bore-fest or even stinker. It was more infuriating given the fact that this was the game of the group when most, including myself, were able to watch it without the obstacle of work getting in the way. It certainly needs addressing and learning from too.
However, Gareth DOES tend to look at a tournament on the "bigger picture" side. This approach thus far in the big tournaments have brought a large degree of success; a semi final appearance followed by losing out on winning the tournament itself on penalties. Granted we have a section of fans who will say that another manager could do better given the array of talent we have available and it's certainly not impossible, but the reason we have such a wealth of talent especially in attack owes a lot to Southgate himself; HE is the one who created the framework for the focus on youth potential, brought half of this team through the ranks, created a bond with and between them, coached and developed them in international football and kept them playing with the mentality that they are part of a whole. These factors are a huge reason why we now have such a platform.
It is not inconceivable that he sent them out with a "above all do NOT lose" mentality. Infuriating for the supporters, certainly. However it retains energy reserves through a long tournament, while doing "enough" to increase the likelihood of progression to the knockout rounds. I'm also in two minds about his subs or more importantly the timing of them. The initial lineup was no surprise; tinkering with with a side that has just scored 6 goals needlessly would be foolish when you don't need to. He's also aware that hooking a player earlier than usual can damage the feeling that he has confidence in them and not doing so means they are reassured that they will be trusted by him. He also keeps those not involved, eg Phil Foden, completely fresh for the games ahead.
What he's doing is entirely for the long haul and the squad bond of togetherness that has been instrumental in their comparative success so far, so he's not going to deviate from that despite a disappointing run in the 3rd rate international nations.
Whether it's an approach that will produce dividends in this world Cup, time will tell, though what it did in the previous tournaments at least will indicate that it does. However GS isn't going to change that emphasis, whether it infuriates fans in the short-term or not. There's hardly anyone who gripes upon the Scotland game in Euro 20(21) any more, indeed there wasn't a week after that match, only the Scots tending to bring it up afterwards.
Now onto Wales. Looking at GS' approach in our final group game last time out, whilst I don't anticipate an all-guns blazing sparkling performance like we had against Iran, using his seemed 3 step formula in group stages of "Establish lead - make safe - build momentum when you have luxury to do so" would point to him wanting a game that"'s more open with an England win likely; the kind of accomplished one that builds confidence going into the second round. A lot of course will depend upon what Wales bring to the party; they'll certainly be up for this one and fighting for their lives with bottle, whether this will result in them providing a stiffer test or leaving more holes for us to tear into them and take advantage is of course as yet unknown.
