Most liked posts in thread: England v Italy

I’m sad about this negativity regarding an England win. We’ve got as much chance as the Italians. Superb record so far. No defeats, one goal conceded, and haven’t even had to use our very strong squad so much.
Seems everyone wants us to lose! Over here, I watched the game in a pub with the majority cheering for Denmark. It’s been like that all games. People wanting England to lose. Even had some bell end coming up to us singing the Italian national anthem after the game. Just give us our moment mate! No need to piss all over our bonfire. And he was Russian! People just worried that they’ve lost their argument about our cup failures if we win. Bitter people who like nothing more than England to lose. It’s an inferiority complex.

Enjoy the game. Collectively back our team, and if we win, great. It’s deserved! If we don’t, then fair play, the team have given us all a smile this last month. You can get back to your doom and gloom after Sunday!

 

Let’s be honest though, half of England and Tory winkers like Farage, Gove, Francois and the sex Yeti have spent the last few decades calling half of Europe a bunch of Gareth Hunts, it’s no wonder they don’t like us.

 

The booing once again of the Italian national anthem and now the racist abuse of the three lads who missed the penalties. Makes me sick in the stomach

 

Henderson was terrible when he came on. Rice was having a blinder - the only one with any determination to carry the ball forward. We lost any remaining midfield dynamism when he went off.
Rashford looks a pale shadow of his fully fit self and has done nothing recent to suggest he would have made a significant difference.
Mistakes were definitely made last night, and bringing on Hendo and Rashford were two of them.

 

Southgate has run the tournament his way, we looked solid throughout and rarely overrun.

In the final we were found out, maybe the early goal threw us and we came out second half with the intention of holding onto the 1-0, that tactic is fine if you win but should you conceded it is very hard to turn it back on.

Looking at the tournament as a whole, if someone had told me we would be runners up I would have taken it before a ball was kicked.

This Italian side has not lost in 34, has beaten Spain and Belgium on the way to the final and have played in about 7 tournament finals since we last played in one.

England will emerge stronger from this.

Southgate has a World Cup semi final, a Nations Cup 3rd place and a Euros runners up off the back of a decade of dross, including none qualifications of a tournament, barely scraping past the group stage in 3 tournaments and not making it out the group in another.

I certainly see the glass as half full rather than half empty.

 

Southgate cost us the final, 3 at the back (5 really) Meant we went in to the game with 8 defensive players and always on the back foot against an Italian side renowned for its passing, We had the better players but they had the better manager he must have thought all his dreams had come true when he saw Englands team sheet and formation, Even on penalties while italy used their most experienced players to take them while we chose to use youngsters against one of the best keepers in the world, It is an old saying but relevant here that it was lions led by a frightened defensive minded donkey,
Southgate says to blame him not the team, At least he got that right

 

Bjorn Kuipers to ref the game.
Hope he clamps down on the cheating and falling over in the box with no contact.

He’s got to keep an eye on the Italians as well.

 

Sadly, this kind of excellent logic is lost on most of the English people I encounter, hear about, and read about, never mind the non English. I think living abroad has opened my eyes to the perception of the 'arrogant English'.
In 'normal' circumstances the England team would be an admirable underdog, even without 'normal', in the past there's been a lot of love for England as a country but not so much for the team. Now it's possibly the other way round.
Personally, I know I feel that way. I'm full of admiration for Southgate, Sterling, Kane, and, especially, Rashford. However, the Brexit vote and the double-down aftermath has turned me against England as a country.
Ironically, I'm in Rome right now and, while I would normally enjoy the banter before Sunday's match, I can't help but feel somewhat ambivalent towards English success and what it might mean for the current atmosphere there.
On the one hand, the last thing I want to see is the stereotypical gammon lording it over everyone - finally with some actual recent evidence. On the other, these beautiful young men with their willingness to take the knee, wear an LGBT armband, and support young people in need make me proud again, after oh, so very long to be a human being who was born in the UK.
All of that said, my wife and I have decided to live in Rome for the next 12 months and we really need to make friends. So, it's City colours for the Roma fans and Forza Italia.

 

We'll never win anything with Southgate. Hes a very limited manager. He's had us playing with the handbrake on all tournament. To set us up that defensively in a final at our own national stadium got the result it deserved.

 

Superb post

 

Think the Danes were a bit far back in time, I do get your point. But I don’t know how any England fan can’t admit there’s a certain arrogance about us, it’s nothing to be bothered about just no point getting peed off with other countries when they have a go back. The fact our fans constantly sing it’s coming home then as a defense say listen to the full song, which English fan would take time out to listen to their nations theme songs when our fans can’t even respect a national anthem. If were playing in Munich and Germany booed our anthem, kept saying it’s coming home and singing about German bombers our fans would be up in arms so I’m not having it’s something inferiority complex, it’s how Britain and England are seen around the world. Then you have pundits Like Ferdinand saying it’s coming home on national TV and the Mirror printing the final Italy V England before our semi just to top it off

 

I get your point too. I often say to people who remark that the “English are meant to be so polite”, that we didn’t own 75% of the world just by saying please and thank you. We’re a warrior nation and unfortunately that DNA seems to be more prevalent in some English football fans than others. These are the sort of idiots who “travel away” without going to games, and if they do actually attend the match, they spend more time looking at the oppo end than the game. Sadly the minority spoil it for the majority. I’m all for national pride (and optimism) but draw the line at using it to goad others.

Still think we’ve got a chance on Sunday!

 

There's some weird moral battle going on here and I don't really understand. I will never get people who show disdain for their own country.

Yes we have idiots amongst us, yes the booing is tedious, but which country or even football club doesn't? The arrogance of our songs are overplayed though, there's supposed to be an arrogance and a goading element to football chants!! What are we trying to sanitise?

The players and manager have been amazing, they're the most likable group we've had in years and should be held up and celebrated. I'm not confident but I'm definitely hopeful and I wish the discussion didn't come along with such a navel gazing attitude, its just football.

 

I agree. But we'll need to score first. If Italy score first, they'll kill the game.

 

Sterling and Shaw have forged an excellent partnership. They're key to us winning. Rice and Phillips are key to giving us that platform.

 

The man has taken us from the world's biggest underperforming international joke - losing to Iceland FFS - to a world cup semi final and a Euros final, and you still don't rate him in the slightest.
Unbelievable Jeff.

 

One big thing we should learn from this is that we are obviously very solid defensively but we have some world class attackers, if Southgate had just found some balls and put grealish and sancho on, those old Italian defenders would have been flapping. It’s a case of hindsight of course but I think most of the country was screaming get grealish on!

Being a city fan I’m used to managers not doing what everyone else thinks is right!