[Football] England v Italy UEFA Euros qualifier 7.45

[Reddleman]

An impressive win and but for Grealish missing a sitter it would have been a lot more comfortable.

However, the only reason the game became so tense after half time is Harry Macguire handed them a goal. It was appalling defending. Then Southgate looked like a rabbit in the headlights for 30 minutes as Manchini changed it and took control, it was a complete rerun of the Euros. In fairness the introduction of James and Gallagher changed the game back in our favour but it still felt same old same old.

 

[ManOfSussex]

We can't only start playing from the second half. We also can't start a game with people like Berardi on the pitch. When we started pressing and playing with confidence we had a lot of control and England were squashed back, and we absolutely need that control and that big amount of crosses and chances given that we have a severe scarcity of decent forwards (#9). Don't know why we started so slow, we really gifted England a whole half.

I turn 45 this year and I think this the worst Italian national side I've ever seen in my lifetime. Where would you rank them/think about them?

 

[1066familyman]

What was the score ?

What was the score, away, against the European champions who haven't been beaten in Euro qualifiers in 40 odd games you mean?

Nah, fvck that.... The Palace dullard is clueless!

 

[Mackenzie]

Can you imagine Brighton with such poor composure on the ball in the second half? We were incapable of playing out from the back, so Pickford would just repeatedly hoof it back to the Italians. Italy weren't good enough to capitalise, and a few bits of individual skill from our lot saw us home, but as a team we're incapable of keep-ball under pressure.

Our lads wouldn’t be any use in this team, they’d try and play rather than kick it back to the opposition. I can see why Southgate doesn‘t pick them.

 

[Eeyore]

I don’t bother posting on England threads on here but read some pathetic comments earlier - didn’t know we had so many Scottish, German and Italian posters.

How can anyone not like Kane:
England Captain
Give his all for his country
Is clearly a genuine decent guy and not arrogant
Married his childhood sweetheart and never see him misbehaving at all
Class act and delighted for him

Sounded fantastic out there tonight - tough second half but they were much better. Win the first game away at the Euro champions with a poor ref who was biased to boot - absolutely great result - first half we were brilliant

Who was he biased for ? I thought for a long period England were getting the rub of the green.

Ref was fine overall. Sending off was a clearly second bookable offence. I actually thought he'd got away with it at one stage.

 

[Swansman]

We were getting yellow cards within 20 seconds of being awarded a throw-in or free-kick. That's BS.

Naw poor England doesn't get to take half a minute to throw the ball

 

[Bodian]

The ref is a bit of a pillock really…i’m all for stamping out time wasting but this guy seems on a one man mission

He had a choice re the first booking …his reffing of ‘time wasting’ seems inconsistent from anything I’ve seen before

Shaw's first booking and Walkers, both for alleged time wasting were pretty ridiculous.

We were getting yellow cards within 20 seconds of being awarded a throw-in or free-kick. That's BS.

I'm with you on this. I can't stand time-wasting, but the ones he chose to book were rather bizarre. Booked Walker for picking up a drier ball, I didn't even notice Shaw dallying. Yet, when Kane crawls back on the pitch after being winded purely to delay the corner - he does nothing. So inconsistent that it must just make players completely lost as to what they can and can't do. Why wasn't Pickford booked for moving the ball at a free-kick, if Walker was booked for that throw-in?

Still - I quite enjoyed the game.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

It's woeful. We have some top guys injured (Chiesa among them) and others somehow left home (like Fagioli) in favor of average guys. No idea why Berardi is still starting. Hope to see Gnonto on the pitch tonight. Curious about our mystery Argentinian Retegui.

Well, we won but that was far from woeful from Italy.

 

[Paxton Dazo]

Sounded fantastic out there tonight

Yep.
Respect to each and everyone of them.
These are the types of away trips (you’ll probably see this with Brighton next season) where people suddenly start running out of annual leave and can’t go.

 

[Sheebo]

Who was he biased for ? I thought for a long period England were getting the rub of the green.

Ref was fine overall. Sending off was a clearly second bookable offence. I actually thought he'd got away with it at one stage.

Thought he was biased against us from the off. A lot of late tackles unpunished then seemed to dish cards out like confetti for us. The time wasting ones were all very harsh / bizarre for me. Anyway, apologies to you but I don’t discuss England on here as it genuinely baffles me how negative some posters are so cba to reply to anyone - oh and @Triggaaar I too just got the ‘laughing like’ from the Swede (on an England thread) who has meant to have blocked me on my request - what a bell.

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

Phillips was ok. The other one............

Phillips was shite
78% pass accuracy.
2 dribbles attempted, 0 successful.
6 ground duels, 1 successful.
2 aerial duels, 1 successful.
Possession lost on 10 occasions.

 

[Questions]

I’m getting negative waves Moriaty

 

[Easy 10]

My god, the comments on here. England have just won in Italy for the first time in colour. Italy NEVER get beat at in home in qualifiers.

But apparently, Kane is a c*nt and we're shit. Right-o.

I reckon most posters on here were DESPERATE for us to lose so they could give England a proper good slagging. Oh well, never mind.

 

[Bodian]

My god, the comments on here. England have just won in Italy for the first time in colour. Italy NEVER get beat at in home in qualifiers.

But apparently, Kane is a c*nt and we're shit. Right-o.

I reckon most posters on here were DESPERATE for us to lose so they could give England a proper good slagging.

or away....

 

[The Fits]

Southgate has done well. I don't think you can argue with that. And on paper that's a great result (although I've not seen many worse Italian teams that). But the idea that we wouldn't be better not playing a desperately out of form (and not particularly good) Maguire and an overrated Phillips who has played 50 odd minutes of football for Man City or whatever it is, is both ludicrous and a huge insult to the likes of Dunk, White and JWP.

 

[tigertim68]

Should of been 3 up at half time , Grealish missed a sitter , would of made it 3-0 game over
instead had to endure that second half performance,

 

[Eeyore]

My god, the comments on here. England have just won in Italy for the first time in colour. Italy NEVER get beat at in home in qualifiers.

But apparently, Kane is a c*nt and we're shit. Right-o.

I reckon most posters on here were DESPERATE for us to lose so they could give England a proper good slagging. Oh well, never mind.

I'm not. I've been accused of being a Southgate fanboy.

I analyse matches from a neutral perspective. Pleased England won, but tonight felt more like a friendly match. England very average and Italy utterly bewildering in the first half.

A win is a win. And this is, what should be, the toughest task out the way. That said, England have no other route than the top two, so this group is still an interesting one.

It was like a typical 1-0 away win at Port Vale in the 90s. Get on the train and think 'that was rubbish, but who cares ? we won'. And then crack open a tinny.

 

[Reddleman]

Well, we won but that was far from woeful from Italy.

I beg to differ, apart from the goal I don’t think Pickford had a single save to make. Italy were awful, against ten men they didn’t have a shot on goal.

 

[Sepulveda]

I turn 45 this year and I think this the worst Italian national side I've ever seen in my lifetime. Where would you rank them/think about them?

The only reason I haven't said that they're the worst Italian side we've ever fielded (even though I was tempted) is because it's become a bit of a trope in Italy in the last 10 years to say "This is the worst Italian side in history" each time we see the line-up for a new match, and so there's really no point in saying it anymore haha. I'm sure the next one will also be the worst Italian side in history.

 

[papachris]

Thought he was biased against us from the off. A lot of late tackles unpunished then seemed to dish cards out like confetti for us. The time wasting ones were all very harsh / bizarre for me. Anyway, apologies to you but I don’t discuss England on here as it genuinely baffles me how negative some posters are so cba to reply to anyone - oh and @Triggaaar I too just got the ‘laughing like’ from the Swede (on an England thread) who has meant to have blocked me on my request - what a bell.

I actually think Rice's yellow card was particularly harsh, I think the ref was annoyed either Maguire time wasting just before but gave a card to Rice when he didn't really delay