Day 12: Croatia v Scotland, England v Czechia

[Panda Paws]

That’s game management. You do what you need to do to win the game and don’t try and risk doing too much more because in such a short tournament the margins are fine and if the risk backfires the effects are magnified

Taking that example from yesterday. You’re 1-0 up, winning the group. Why cross the ball into the box (a pretty low percentage play) and risk giving it away and opening yourself up to the counter??

It’s really difficult to understand how this is hasn’t been understood by so many. Name one team which has swashbuckled their way to winning a tournament??

Spain 2010 - bored their way 1-0 to win it
Spain 2012 - see 2010 (until playing a knackered Italy in the final)
Germany 2014 - semi final aside won every knockout game by a one goal margin, including squeaking past Algeria in round two
Portugal 2016 - only won two games all tournament!
France 2018 - best attacking lineup on the planet. Scored three goals in the group stage. Turned it on when they had to against Argentina but otherwise cautious and collected throughout

Stop talking sense. We demand glorious failure.

[4D]

We are yet to see what happens when we concede a goal. We may be set up defensively but our midfield is a little bit airy.

[Bogus Dave]

We created plenty in the first half yesterday and in the first half of the Croatia game (Scotland being the anomaly which you can reasonably explain away given the nature of the Derby etc)

We had another gear to go to if needed, we just didn’t need it

[Jimmy Quinn]

You also have to remember we've only played poor teams

[Bogus Dave]

Everyone has also forgotten that our defence isn’t very good, and so you have to play a more composed/cautious style to compensate for that. No point trying to score three if you’ve conceded four

[Jimmy Quinn]

No point messi around at the back either when you have the chance to move forwards

[Jimmy Quinn]

No point messi around at the back either when you have the chance to move forwards and clear the ball.

[Panda Paws]

We are yet to see what happens when we concede a goal.

Exactly - we haven't conceded a goal. That's a good thing!

[donkey]

That’s game management. You do what you need to do to win the game and don’t try and risk doing too much more because in such a short tournament the margins are fine and if the risk backfires the effects are magnified

Taking that example from yesterday. You’re 1-0 up, winning the group. Why cross the ball into the box (a pretty low percentage play) and risk giving it away and opening yourself up to the counter??

It’s really difficult to understand how this is hasn’t been understood by so many. Name one team which has swashbuckled their way to winning a tournament??

Spain 2010 - bored their way 1-0 to win it
Spain 2012 - see 2010 (until playing a knackered Italy in the final)
Germany 2014 - semi final aside won every knockout game by a one goal margin, including squeaking past Algeria in round two
Portugal 2016 - only won two games all tournament!
France 2018 - best attacking lineup on the planet. Scored three goals in the group stage. Turned it on when they had to against Argentina but otherwise cautious and collected throughout

Good post, sir!

[Flashheart]

I get the 'negative' tactics.

Croatia was a 'negative' performance, but a good performance. Czech was a 'negative' performance, but a good performance.

The Scotland performance was negative and shite. Even if we scraped a goal it would still have been a shite performance.

But that doesn't matter anymore anyway. What matters is how we do against whoever we're up again next.

[Matchworn Shirts]

It’s really difficult to understand how this is hasn’t been understood by so many. Name one team which has swashbuckled their way to winning a tournament??

Going back in time, even the much lauded 'Total Football' of the 1970s' Dutch national team won fuck all

[Peter Venkman]

What matters is how we do against whoever we're up again next.

The bottom line.

[flammableBen]

GET IT FORWARD

[Jimmy Quinn]

GET IT FORWARD

 

[Berniman]

You also have to remember we've only played poor teams

We've only played one poor team.  Croatia were World Cup finalist 3 years ago, and I wouldn't call Czech poor.  Not in the same bracket as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal maybe, but not poor.