European Championships Quarter-Final: England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs Switzerland 🇨🇭

[Steve Gilbert]

if Southgate goes at the end of these Euros, he'll have had 102 games in charge , whether his last is a final or 3rd place play off

Thankfully the 3rd place play off game has been scrapped!

 

[holdsteady]

England vs France in a third place play off game had all the hallmarks of an all time classic of dullness, shame they scrapped it.

 

[tonyw]

I just can’t get overly angry or upset if we end up not winning it as for years, even before Southgate, England just aren’t that good to watch and I’m not sure any manager in recent times has had the balls to really take the handbrake off and let the players have the freedom.

Oh, I agree. Most of the time in the past thirty years we've been dull, with just a couple of hints of excitement (vs. the Dutch under El Tel in 96, Munich and Euro 2004 under Sven).

Honestly, I think I get angrier because I love international football tournaments. I look forward to them every couple of years, and watch as much as work and family permits. But the games I care about the most are the ones that bring the whole thing down. The group stage in these Euros was absolutely great, apart from Group C which was paint-dryingly boring.

I'd probably be happier and less angry every second summer if England didn't qualify (very happy memories of both USA '94 and Euro 2008!)

 

[tonyw]

England vs France in a third place play off game had all the hallmarks of an all time classic of dullness, shame they scrapped it.

But surely never going to happen, because it's coming home, right?

 

[holdsteady]

But surely never going to happen, because it's coming home, right?

It’s coming home, but that doesn’t necessarily mean this tournament, but it’s definitely coming home.

 

[tonto]

What I have noticed is that hardly any shots from outside the box have actually been goals. Has anyone scored from a free kick from outside the area I can’t remember any though I haven’t watched all the matches.

 

[tonto]

Hopefully Spain will beat France at least they are scoring goals

 

[Ewes]

Oh it is. It really is

I’ve been very underwhelmed with the whole tournament so far. Not a lot of skill anywhere with the exception of Spain. If I’d have paid thousands to head to wet Germany to follow my country I’d feel short-changed.

I know players and clubs whine about playing so many games but I wonder if most teams have been affected by fatigue, particularly those with players playing in European club tournaments.

 

[chuckbert]

Slightly off topic, but I just realised that at the next World Cup in 2 years it will have been as long since Three Lions was released, as it had been since 1966 when Three Lions was released. Jeez. How old am I?

 

[tonyw]

Slightly off topic, but I just realised that at the next World Cup in 2 years it will have been as long since Three Lions was released, as it had been since 1966 when Three Lions was released. Jeez. How old am I?

Skinner, Baddiel and Ian Broudie are all in their sixties now as well.
If they get back together for a "Sixty years of hurt" version next time out, it will be a proper old man band........

 

[Sarge]

Thankfully the 3rd place play off game has been scrapped!

blimey! - thatll teach me to not pay attention

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Defending has been brilliant. I cannot recall another tournament where so many shots have been blocked.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Defending has been brilliant. I cannot recall another tournament where so many shots have been blocked.

But also so many shots blazed over the bar. Are they using a special kiddies ball??

 

[Marked Ox]

What I have noticed is that hardly any shots from outside the box have actually been goals. Has anyone scored from a free kick from outside the area I can’t remember any though I haven’t watched all the matches.

Hasn't Ronaldo taken most of them which would explain it?

 

[Marked Ox]

But also so many shots blazed over the bar. Are they using a special kiddies ball??

Got a job lot of those cheap beach footballs for the tournament.

 

[tonyw]

Defending has been brilliant. I cannot recall another tournament where so many shots have been blocked.

Modern football, innit. The top teams have now mastered the art of the low block, meaning that there really isn't much space to fit a shot through (or a cross.....I've lost count of the number of times that a player has burst into the box this tournament, and there's just no passing lanes available).

What I have noticed is that hardly any shots from outside the box have actually been goals. Has anyone scored from a free kick from outside the area I can’t remember any though I haven’t watched all the matches.

I'm pretty sure that there have not been any direct free kicks scored so far in the tournament.
But in the first week, there were a dozen goals scored from outside the box - which was the same number as the entirety of Qatar 2022! They were pinging them in from everywhere (best was either Guler for Turkey, or Romania's first against Ukraine), and there were a ton of articles about how unusual it was (the % of goals from long range has dropped massively in the Premier League over the past decade).