The Euro 2024 Thread

[Trips]

With a progressive manager you win 2 of the last 4 tournaments. With the players we've had at our disposal, it's not good enough.

Southgate is way too 'safe' - you win tournaments, you don't 'safe' them. He hasn't tried to win one, he's tried not to lose

 

[AndyWolves]

I think the way we played for the whole tournament pretty much negated the way our better players need to play. We were so safety first that we neutered ourselves.

The frustrating thing is, we proved we could up the tempo and play on the front foot (and look decent doing so) but would then retreat and surrender the initiative.

 

[ROVERT47]

With a progressive manager you win 2 of the last 4 tournaments. With the players we've had at our disposal, it's not good enough.

Southgate is way too 'safe' - you win tournaments, you don't 'safe' them. He hasn't tried to win one, he's tried not to lose

Exactly, he’ll get plenty of platitudes over the next few days and does deserve an element of credit but with the quality of players at his disposal he should have done so much better.

 

[Tredman]

Finishing second is just first loser.

 

[Dire Wolf]

Finishing second is just first loser.

Holy cliche Batman...

 

[Tredman]

Holy cliche Batman...

Yep for sure. We do too much glorying in failure in this country though.

 

[jd1981]

Don’t know what felt worst this or 3 years ago.
Just a bit angry that we got ourselves back into it and looked to have seized the initiative then reverted to sitting back giving Spain all the encouragement to push on.
Yep 2 finals a semi & QF but still nothing tangible to show for it.
Things are so much better than in 2016 when we’re nothing short of a comedy sketch.
People now just laugh at us for being the nearly men.

 

[ROVERT47]

Not that arsed to be honest, the loss to Watford in the Semi final was far more painful.

 

[jd1981]

Yep for sure. We do too much glorying in failure in this country though.

Yeah im not having the “didn’t they do well” attitude. They didn’t tonight, Kane, Bellingham, Rice, Mainoo and Foden in Particular had this game bypassing them the midfield especially early second half looked lost.

 

[Derby Wolf]

Not that arsed to be honest, the loss to Watford in the Semi final was far more painful.

When was that then?

 

[ROVERT47]

When was that then?

Smart arse.

 

[Jack Regan]

With the players we have we shouldn't be getting as outplayed as we were, especially after they lost Rodri. Man for man they're no better than us, just the whole Bellingham, Saka, Foden and Kane front four (the latter being clearly unfit) never remotely looked cohesive during the whole tournament.

 

[Squeak]

Not that arsed to be honest, the loss to Watford in the Semi final was far more painful.

Oh hell yes... every Wolves semi final has been painful... way more painful than England losing two finals and a World Cup semi. I will never get over that Leeds one.

 

[jd1981]

Our tournament XG is 0.6243 apparently Croatia was higher

 

[b3h]

Well in 2 years at least the Kane question will be less of an issue, probably definitely actually past it by then.

 

[KiwiWolf61]

Oh hell yes... every Wolves semi final has been painful... way more painful than England losing two finals and a World Cup semi. I will never get over that Leeds one.

And I thought Richards had equalised (cheering it at the game) as the ball hit the inside post but came out.

 

[ROVERT47]

With the players we have we shouldn't be getting as outplayed as we were, especially after they lost Rodri. Man for man they're no better than us, just the whole Bellingham, Saka, Foden and Kane front four (the latter being clearly unfit) never remotely looked cohesive during the whole tournament.

Yeah, Crystal Tips for fuck sake, he’s shit in the Premier League.

Look up Crystal Tips and Alistair for those of a certain age.

 

[AndyWolves]

By all accounts Southgate is a nice bloke and he is what was needed at the time. But now it's the time for him to go and we need a real dynamic forward thinking manager now.

Maybe that's the best way of thinking about it. Southgate walked to let the next man run.

 

[PuntsWolf]

That starting Spain team and, man for man, I’m taking Williams only. Probably Morata too as Gaz had to play some old knacker up front.

Edit - Rodri too probably

Hmmm I don’t know.

Our back 4 are better “defenders” than them, but they are infinitely better on the ball. Kyle Walker is one of, if not the best 1v1 defender in the world. But his use of the ball in rancid and Carvajal is streets ahead here and that is more useful to Spain. Same with this random version of Cucurella. He was actually good this tournament and 100% start ahead of Trippier and half fit Shaw.

Rodri obviously and Fabian Ruiz was miles clear of anyone else.

Foden was invisible tonight and has been poor all tournament bar against Netherlands. Kane was a waste of space. Saka and either winger is a toss up.

Are they overhyped or was Southgate not getting enough out of them? Definitely some of the latter but we still don’t have a central midfield capable of dictating a game against the best, our defenders don’t seem as good or as comfortable on the ball and then after that is doesn’t really matter what you’ve got up the top end if you can’t get out your own half. More so when the players up there are used to playing the entire game in the opposition half.

 

[jd1981]

It’s a regrettable thing we’ll have to look back on that in 2 finals we’ve probably played things safe and not done ourselves justice.