Not enough people are talking about this moment
Meme
Toney isn't getting enough flowers he was an instant impact in the last minute ans in Extra time. Had a intentional assist to Kane and a nice shot in ET.
His 30mins was better than Kane whole tournament.
His presence could transform the teams dynamic. Drop Foden and put Toney up top. He will hold the ball up and cause problems physically for defenders. That will give Kane time to find the right spaces.
Tactical masterclass. Where would we be without him.
Still in the quarters but playing better football.
Still in the quarters but playing better football.
Truly a leader among men and a tactical genius.
Toney?
Did Toney tell Jude to score on his own or was it Southgate relaying the tactics through Toney?
Exactly. It’s like when god spoke to that Moses fella through the burning bush, no one gave the bush credit for what Moses went on to do, it was said god did it. It’s the same thing here, but real 😂.
Southgate: God, give me a sign!
Gordon falls of his bicycle
Southgate: cheers mate I know exactly what to do now
You might be onto something here.
Southgate asks god for a sign. Gordon fell off his BICYCLE. Southgate waits till 1 minute left to send Toney on, cleary with instructions for Jude to score with a BICYCLE kick. Fuck me, God is managing England through Gareth Fucking Southgate.
lol. Enjoy his last tournament.
Truth is, it was all because of Toney. He brought what was lacking: proper centre forward play -- going at defenders, pressuring them, making space for those behind. Look at the exact moment Jude scores. Toney is there pushing up against the CB while Kane is just standing around, not making any space.
This is the actual problem for England. With Kane, we have three players in the same position on the pitch: Foden, Bellingham and Kane. All three drop deep and congest the area in front of the penalty area, with zero pressure on centre backs to create space to score.
Toney offers that proper No 9 role. Its why he was so effective because you had someone to terrorize the defense. Easily MotM for me.
Won the free kick for Kane's goal and assisted it. Turned the game around and easily MOTM for me too.
Came here to say this! Excellent take sir
In fairness it was an extremely well executed move by the whole team (agreeing that Tony was critical), Guehi draws in like 3 defenders... Toney and Jude push forward and pin their 1v1 opponent on the edge of the 6 yard box allowing Jude/Kane to drop back into the vacated space and score
Imagine if *every* attacking move was like this!?
Also, if you think back to the game against Serbia, that was the only game where Kane was actually behaving like a 9. He created a lot of space for Jude to be able to get that open header on goal. He was criticised for having so few touches, but his game was still more effective. I don’t know why he’s not done that since then.
Both Toney and Watkins are far better at that traditional striker stuff though, and both are criminally underused in this tournament. We should be using them to wear out our opponents and force as many defensive mistakes as possible. Instead we are making it as easy as possible for teams to defend against us
Good point. The instant he stopped hanging up top and creating that pressure on the Serbian defense, England became centrally congested and poor. I'd wager it's because Southgate is very reactive to British media (Saka at LB as per Wrighty). He dismisses criticism from people he personally doesn't like (Keane etc). Hence, he's instructed Kane to drop deeper to have more possession.
Brilliant point, well made
Kane isn’t ‘standing around!
Yes he hasn’t been great this tournament but it isn’t his job to cause chaos in the penalty area it is to benefit from the chaos. Which is what he has done week in week out for season after season.
Btw I agree that he needs a proper foil - like Toney. Just don’t think you can expect Kane to be the player to push centre backs. Would be wasting his talents.
Toney was genuinely so good when he came on, his hold up play was impressive and he was a nuisance to the centre backs too. I'd start him personally.
Playing a front 2 might be the way to go, with either Toney or Watkins to come off the bench. Will give Kane more license to do what he wants to do in dropping deeper and still stretch the defenders
Southgate won’t start him and that’s 1 reason he needs to be sacked. He’ll bring Toney on in the 83rd minute when we’re losing
This needs more recognition.
Toney should have smacked him one
He really looks like he wants to haha
This is amazing 😂
No, he was telling him to pass it backwards!
Player scores an unbelievable goal: Its the individual he's taken it in his own hands
Player cant pass five f**king yards: F**K SAKE SOUTHGATE
It’s our positioning and tactics that are being blamed of Southgate, not “bad passes”.
Sorry it’s equally players refusing to risk passes through the lines. Don’t get me wrong, it’s tactics too but players aren’t immune. Always looking for the safe route and little movement, lot of hiding
I get that and do think someone needs to take a bit more responsibility, but I always question why they are so risk adverse when they don't necessarily play like that at club level? I think the system has to seep into the mindset of the players personally; are they being told not to make risky passes forwards resulting in what we've seen the last 4 games. I think if you change the tactics that facilitates a more positive mindset which will result in more forward passing generally anyway.
I'm probably overthinking it though, and fundamentally you're still right anyway as it's not like Southgate can sub himself on and make the pass for them
It’s fair points and I’d love to know. I think players are also playing in different positions / styles to their club. Southgate can’t accommodate everyone’s favourite shape or style. We try to get players on the pitch rather than have a system and then pick the best players for it.
Rice is great for Arsenal for example, but he’s not a loan 6. He isn’t good at picking the ball up off the back line under pressure - but he’s good enough for us against better teams at winning it back.
It’s not all one or the other, and there’s fear creeping in as I said in another reply. I just can’t understand why it’s so different to 2022?
Yeah it's like when people say klopp and pep are good managers. Or any of the PL, or even RM managers.
It's just not the case. It's just that the players, randomly, when playing under them all perform significantly better, again, by random, than when they play under Southgate.
yeh we all know managers are only there for the sh*ts and/or giggles.
I said it’s both issues tbf!
It’s not like any previous England manager has ever got us playing like world beaters either? We’ve always had issues.
One thing Southgate was good at was taking away the fear or playing for England, my biggest criticism of him now and the reason it’s time to go is that has all crept back in. The players look scared compared to 2021/2022 which were some of the best performances I’ve seen from an England team at tournaments
We've previously gone out vs very storng sides and been unlucky vs them. We were unlucky vs Portugal both times, we were unlucky vs Brazil, and those teams are significantly better than the ones now.
We struggled in the easiest group and struggled vs Slovakia.
We play like we're underdogs. We did it vs Croatia in the Semi Final and Italy in the Final. Nothing has improved tactically.
If former teams/managers had the run to the finals this England team had, they'd have won more. This England team in this set up would get destroyed by the Brazil team we lost 2-1 to. They'd lose to the Portugal we lost to.
Like seriously, your reasoning is the following:
"Previous England teams were so bad, they got knocked out on penalties vs Portugal, and lost 2-1 to one of the best Brazil sides of all time, give Southgate some credit, he beat Colombia on penalties, and it took Croatia to beat him!"
Like genuinely. The flack our "Golden Generation" gets is insane, and if they were lucky enough like this squad is, they'd do significantly better. Did they underperform? Yes, but they were beaten by genuine world class teams.
Or are you sat there thinking "Wow, the attack of Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronalhinio has nothing on that Slovakian attack" and "Roberto Carlos wouldn't even make the Slovakia squad"?
well said
True. And it’s then Southgate’s job not to pick them 4 times in a row.
I mean we got in our mess last night, because of a bad pass from Trippier that let Slovakia in to score... But don't see anyone willing to talk about that?
Aside from everyone begging for Trippier to be dropped?
No one even wanted trippier to start from the get go and they’ve begged for him to be dropped. I think walker or Gomez would be better on the left
I hated Prem Trippier with spurs. I loved 2018 WC free kick goal trippier lol
Why walker on the left? What is there to suggest he’d be any different to trippier on the left?
It would allow TAA to play on the right and at minimum walkers speed is more of a weapon than what tripps has to offer. No defensive drop off.
Not to mention the back four losing their mark during the stage of play
2 cbs attacking one ball and neither getting it is criminal
Did Trippier give the ball away for the goal? I don't remember that at all
Sorry well called out... I was thinking of the Guehi yellow card.
It felt like letting a goal in I'll give you that
I do wonder if Guehi wasnt on a booking, whether he'd have brought him down just outside the box, or would have taken the risk to make a challenge... So definitely had bearing on the goal.
Well it is the shape he's got them in, and the people he's putting in that shape that are causing the passing issues
Southgate: Just get that fucking Foden off the pitch.
Toney: He's been on the pitch?!
'Yeh, he was the c*nt wasting every fkn cross and making pointless runs that came to nothing.'
We laugh, but when Toney came on I said to my friend "bicycle kick equaliser, top bin, Ivan Toney" It was a bicycle kick, just bottom bins and Bellingham
are you the guy that constantly chats sh*t about every possible outcome and eventually gets 'proven right'?
I was very impressed with Toney. Pity he will be on the bench again for the next game.
Did more to stretch the game and get us up the pitch than Kane has the whole tournament, at this point I would happily bench Kane for either Watkins or Toney
Agree. Unfortunately Southgate will never bench Kane.
That was a brilliant idea.
Toney had 50 grand on the draw I heard
Guessing (praying) nothing came from / is coming from the Bellingham 'lewd gesture' investigation by UEFA?
It's literally all I've thought about today.