We could play Barbados and Southgate would still play 2 defensive midfielders. The guy needs to grow a pair. He earns 5 times what the Spanish coach earns and for what? Being a nice guy that the players like?
Southgate reminds me of an incompetent boss I used to work with. Would I enjoy having a pint with him? Sure. Do I want him in charge of my team? Absolutely not.
Sincerely a very funny conversation....love Paul's optimism borderline delusional but sincere nonetheless.....Hartlepool supporter....Jeff is more grounded....it would be a sporting tragedy if such a character like Southgate wins this or any other competition....c'mon England.....
Merse was spot on with his comment @ 14:45 i.e sic "they're playing 442 lets go the same and match them, ,we've got better players" It was my thoughts exactly when the game kicked off.
@cheetah8667 everyone borrows from people. bottom line is, with the players England have, Kloppo would have finished the group with 9 points and a goal difference of 23-0. Not all defenders play defence-minded football. Southgate is a national disgrace
@cheetah8667 Klopp and Pep didn't just copy. They took over and made it to the best existing styles. Soon or later other managers will do the same to them 😂
Basically Spain play the same style of football with the same patterns of play from the youth ranks up to the national team. Similar with the German team. Plus they play the best player they have for a given position. They very rarely try to shoehorn in players just because they’re good (ie scoles on the left, foden on the left) as it unbalances the team and ruins the basic tactics these players have played for years. English international football has been a joke for years because the media and therefore the fans always focus on the individual rather than the strategy. It’s a team sport made up of individuals not individuals who make a team.
don't know why there's this obsession with "playing rice further up the pitch". He's so wooden when he gets the ball on the edge of the box he has absolutely no idea what to do with it and hasn't got the agility to turn with any kind of guile. He's englands best tackler. When an opponent takes a heavy touch or shows him too much of the ball, he takes the ball off their feet every time and has the vision and composure to move it forward quickly. He's the only option we've got as the deep midfielder. We have enough creativity further up the pitch so it's baffling that these pundits seem to think rice is steven gerrard going forward.
🔴 I agree with most of what you have said! But I think that playing Wharton at the base is perfect and probably better than playing Rice there because Rice is not a 6. He can't play it, he can't dictate. He doesn't pass the ball forward quickly enough, takes too many touches before releasing and doesn't break lines with forward passes. He passes side ways and backwards. I believe Wharton can do it and play that role better. Wharton's first through is forward and at international level that is key 🔴
It would be a big call by Southgate but I think he should leave Bellingham out for the next game, he looks tired and confused. and people should remember that in 1966 Alf Ramsey left out Jimmy Greaves after 3 games and everyone thought Greaves was the best striker in the country. Sometimes you have to leave out a great player for the sake of the team.
ENGERLUND have been lucky in previous draws in a lot of competitions world,European whatever which hides the fact that they have failed in every competition 😴 apart from 60 yrs ago past glory is not good enough 🤷🏻♂️
@@garyfletcher1910Qualifying for tournament's ain't worth a hill of beans if you make no impression when you get there, 55 years to wait for just a second tournament final appearance is pretty pathetic for a country with nearly 60 million people, and it's supposedly the national game of that country!😮
@@garyfletcher1910For goodness sake man, the Netherlands with only a fraction of the English population, has reached 3 world Cup finals, and a Euro final in 1988.....
Merse is correct people have sacrificed a lot to support this team and they should be giving back loads ,I’m sure everyone is glad England are top but they need to show a bit of fire
Rice does not really offer anything in an England attack. His role has to change for England, otherwise I would rather have Bellingham and Mainoo in the centre. 99% of his passes are either backwards or sideways.
All Southgate cares about is players wanting to play for England and them being happy, couldnt care less about winning things or pleasing the fans. How is that acceptable? Imagine a club manager being like that? Who do they think they are? The whole point of international football is to represent your country, otherwise dont bother putting on the shirt and go play on your yacht all summer.
Southgate has only ever won a league cup 30yrs ago, he’s not a winner and as for patterns of play in the final 3rd you can see Saka and Foden in deep discussion before kick off, thats lack of direction , lack of confidence all of which is at Southgate’s door.
The off-the-ball movement is strangling England. Gordon's more than a winger, he runs from outsside to in and beyond the last defender. Palmer and Gordon have to play. Bellingham loses every physical duel, he's getting bullied in midfield.
No Paul you don't "have" to have your best players on the pitch...You have to have the 11 that play as a team under a system.....sometimes that means NOT having the "best" players on the pitch.🤷♂️
These guys literally didn't mention Mainoo apart from the fact he came on. Didn't mention if they thought he played well or not. Just shows the issues we have in English football. We don't recognise a different type of footballer. Mainoo getting on the ball and recovering the ball ensured England had their most dominant half of football. Let alone those couple of third man runs that created opportunities.
"You gotta have your best players on the pitch.." not when they're unfit and playing badly, Kane. Bellingham plays in a great midfield - the England midfield isn't balanced - he & Foden looked visibly frustrated against Slovenia. They haven't forgotten how to play.
9:16 mins hilarious 😂 😂😂 I agree, it looks bad that England topped the group with 5 points whereas Ukraine with 4points didn't even make it to the knock-out stage.
My English friends, with Southgate you will not win against France, Portugal, Germanu, Spain etc. England, unfortunatly, has zero chance. Next time you need to get a proper couch.
Good assessment from Merse. Not always a fan of Merson’s punditry. Sometimes I feel he gets the blinkers on for teams he likes and doesn’t But bang on here!
I must agree with Jeff here about 11 minutes in. It's baffles me as to why a substitution should be allowed in the 89th minute or beyond that. It's unacceptable. Make all your substitutions by at least the 75th or 80th minute, for goodness sake. Southgate has a lack of common sense frankly 😴
Its an insult to the player if you ask me and maybe only acceptable if you are winning a game and want to slow things down but even then the time gets added on. Its like he gets extra commission for late substitutions. At a point now where I just want him gone as he is continually putting the wrong fuel in the engine.
Garth Southgate has got to go. He is more worried about loosing then winning. He was a defender his folofisey is defensive our best players our attacking players. He only has a plan A. When he leaves no top team will be interested.
Merson keeps it real and that's why I like him. Kind of similar to Keane where he says things how it is and doesn't sugar coat much. People hate him for literally being an Arsenal player and fan 🤦🏻♂️
I like most of the pundits to be fair. I think they all enjoy still being able to be part of the game. The only one I don’t really want to listen to is Carragher. Not sure why. He just isn’t my cup of tea.
Love Merse but not sure agree with the wavelength statement lol Lesser teams don't have such good players so that means they don't have the wavelength issue?? 😅 I think if anything it's that those teams are more focused on the national game cos they have less intense and lucrative club careers Plus.. Southgate Absolutely spot on about the fans perspective And they don't expect us to win, they just want to see decent performance and play to our potential. Then they will support the team, simple
Go back too 4 4 2 play like england play with wingbacks overlapping runs and crossing the ball into the box these teams can't handle two centre forwards they're not used to it because no one plays 442 no more most teams now play one up front
Can't wait for that to come back and it definitely will. There's no way every team can keep playing with this keep the ball and don't lose attitude as people will stop watching
@@ronnyron4681 I don't no he hasn't played there for years and there's no top teams until the semi finals and final so I would play him would be more balanced on the left as long as England attack more less pressure on a defence
Great comments and some solutions for the England team Merse is very optimistic about Englands chances i hope he is right but i cant see it happening . Great pod cast tho .
We ve been playing pedestrian football a long time before this tournament. Not sure what your seeing what the rest of us arent. No way will we win it, not a chance, France, Spain, Germany.....no way England.
Paul merson always overhypes english players and the prem , he was saying england are the clear favourites and that no french player would get in the england side before the tournament started , he calls man united the biggest club in the world over madrid and barca which is just not true , the prem and english players are not as good as u make them out to be
@@jamieoreilly3987 lol u want to suk off merson or something? Why do u care what im saying about another man ? Looks like ur the one crying trying to defend merson in the comments
@@dondamon4669 barca are bigger in every way to united , more tophys won , more ucl trophys won , more legendary players and ballon dor winners , bigger stadium, more fans and soical media followers, every player dreams of playing for barca and madrid
Has Merson been put on something? Is he on crack, or Magic mushrooms 🍄 or some other substances or other? The Spanish, French, German, serial winners must be chuckling at this English idiot, and his hilarious babblings!😅😂😂
He said ‘he hasn’t had to defend’. Completely different to what you said. If Walker was playing in a first eleven where he ‘doesn’t have to defend’, then of course, if defending isn’t necessary, we would put Trent in immediately. But that’s never going to be the case with England. As soon as we play challenging opponents who will deliberately target Trent and that right hand side, we will be in trouble. Walker is all we need at right back.
Take kane out and put ollie in up front, kane looks knackered n just don't have the legs or pace to break the oppositions defence, ollie has pace to burn n would stretch teams that'll give other players a chance to get about
About once a game we run beyond defenders following a dissecting pass and we often nearly score. We just don’t do it often enough. It seems that above all else the tactic is to keep possession. No one wants to risk a pass that might not come off and damage their personal Stats, so the most popular pass are short sideways and backwards passes.
England's performance against Slovenia was significatly better than the previous two, especially the Denmark performance, and now they go into the knockout phase on the back of their best 45 minutes of the group. I know that doesn't suit the 'it's a disaster' hyseteria, but such is life.
2 goals in 3 games in the easiest group with effectively league 1 level opposition. Stats show were one of the worst performing in the tournament and everyone sees we’re playing the most boring football. But what riles me is the denial from the camp that were underperforming.
Mick Quinn up front with Beardsley left wing Sharpe right wing les Seeley midfield frank bruno and aj left back big daddy centre left hulk hogan right centre Warwick Davis right back stu Francis in goal rod hull
If Rishi Sunak was asked he would probably say 'they don't have a plan' Maybe the premiership isn't as good as people say it is and pundits and media build players up like Foden and Bellingham as world class, or simply they play for the best club sides in Europe?
KOBBIE MAINOO ALWAYS BEEN SPECIAL SAW HIM IN LOCKDOWN WHEN HE WAS 15 AND THE WORLD NEVER KNEW WHO HE WAS BUT ALWAYS KNEW HE WOULD BE A BIG PLAYER IN FURURE ITS JUST COME VERY QUICK PROUD OF HIM ENGLAND LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH A MIDFIELD MYSTRO!!!💫
I’m a great believer in hard work and recognising when your just not good enough, and that is why I say this particular statement engerlund are just as good as the person a makes them out to be 1 tournament 60 yrs ago is nothing to dwell on yes it was a great achievement but, live in the moment, players are put under so much pressure to live up to 1 9 6 6 and on and on it goes there’s know way anybody can perform under these pressures 😢🙏🏻👍
I've seen a lot of talk about England having a very favourable draw, but that often works against them. As Merson says, as soon as England play a top level team, they lose.
Our players are simply not enjoying playing football at the moment. Pressure? Tactics? Lack of confidence? Players 'out of position?' All of the above?
Did Paul Merson just say that Switzerland and Austria are doing so well in the tournament because they're not the best players? His point was that Man City-type players become so beautifully choreographed under Guardiola that no national teammate is on his wavelength. But then how were Spain so brilliant 15 years ago with a mix of Barca, Madrid and other Spanish players? There are thousands of examples of why he's off the mark here. Oh, Paul. He couldn't have meant it.
Because the Spanish players were used to playing in similar systems since they were kids, keeping ball being key. La Liga and youth football in Spain is/was long way from PL. A well drilled side where best players for a position are picked NOT we've got our star players and we need to find a way to pmay them. Picking Foden as LW, Bellingham at 10, Trippier instead of Chilwell or a LB reeks of it. Sides like Swiss or Austria that doesn't have players with huge reputations that have to be picked (like England or Portugal) have a different ethos. They want players that can play in their managers system. Look at Klopp with LFC 2018/19. Pick a relegated Hull City LB and relegated CM cos they'll do the job manager wants. Same with Endo in 2023, the 31yr old DM. Players that fit the system rather than finding a way to pick the most skillful players. I don't think it's an outrageous take.
also praised austria endlessly for getting at teams and running around closing them down then says a minute later ''where does legs and running around get you lol
At last ,Southgate has put Mainoo on for a whole half. Why aren’t they talking about that bravery from Southgate. Mainoo is a better midfielder at his age than the rest.Rice is passing sideways .
The more I think about it ,that rings true. Southgate didn't want to bring Gordon on earlier for if he made a mark thar would gove hom a headache, which in reality is mental, imagining not wanting you to improve ypur team, just to not be proven wrong, that would be sackable surely because thats the footy equivalent to negligence. Wet as lettuce is gareth
do u really think that?there isnt a person on earth that wants england to do well more than southgate hes dedicated his life to it for 8 years,yes he has limitations but dont attack his character
The players are playing rubbish because they do not have effective direction....Denmark looked brilliant because they were clearly well coached...our talent is playing shit as we are not well coached .. without direction it's a bunch of individuals looking useless
I'm sorry but what is Merse talking about... Bowen doesn't win games? What games of West Ham's has he seen that Bowen has scored the winner including the UECL final!!?? His judgement of Bowen is absolutely mind boggling.
Get your facts right Mers. We had Italy in our Euro qualifying group and beat them home and away. Romania qualified for knock outs with 4 points here .
Merson spot on about everything! These players and Gareth basically wanting to stop free speech!! Players and teams are getting so boring now i think football will start losing popularity and tv will stop paying the money, vibe is that people are starting to dislike the premiership and England. Pep has destroyed football by making it all about tactics, systems and all players the same and not allowed to be individual and everyone copied! Every team plays the same!!
'The best teams have been the lesser teams, the reason is they are not great top top players' Yeah, that is the issue, England's players are too good...
Yes they are too good alright........too good at being failures.....which means that maybe they're not too good at all....but folks are made to believe they are by the hype merchant delulu's who write in the shyster English press!😅
I'm gonna ask a rather left field question....Is it possible that our so called "Top class" players were told by their clubs...go play for your country but don't get injured? Coz Something doesn't feel right. I've never seen a bunch of players with the talent, skill and week on week excitement like the current England team have just sit back like they have? Anthony Gordon came on the other night for 4 minutes and went for it, something just isn't right.
Merson is right but the players haven't played well regardless of the tactics. No ones has played well as an individual. Stones at the back is so negative back pass as normal and that is the mind set of the team.
Gotta admire English optimism in mean just saying England can win the tournament with a straight face after watching em play 3 whole games!! Cheers mate
They can win it, as can France who have also been terrible. Merson is definitely optimistic saying he thinks we will, but saying we can't is a nonsense.
As media pundits, your all the same. All living in the past and remembering what it was like in the days. The little teams slip in. Why didn't you see the Iceland result. ?? Keep thinking of Pele and teams of the past. Your in for a shock on Sunday.
Like he said he doesn't know how good the Spanish league is I can tell you now it's a piss poor league worst its been in 15 years makes jude bellingham look amazing while in reality he's just an over hyped bang average player like Dele Alli was. We all know how the English media made out Dele Alli was this world beater he never was doing the same with bellingham
I know he is the biggest problem and can see other players don't like him, no one likes someone trying to make it all about themselves,and slapping there faces, he seems like he would be unbearable to be around
@HKVDay yea so did the Real Madrid 3rd choice goalkeeper doesn't make him world class does it 😂 he went missing in the champions league that's a fact... he's overhyped just a bang average player in a great team in a poor league
@@HKVDayThey got absolutely battered by city. Played like a league one team set up in the fa cup everyone behind the ball and played for penalties they are not a good side Madrid.
