Mr Safegate to ring the changes this evening?

Predicable. Not sure why the teams are announced an hour before KO, the whole world knew what he was going to do. Slovakia have had a week to prepare against us.
 
Mwelolo said:
Time and time again Southgate gets the easy draws.

We progress to big games, the team finds themselves in front and then they just sit back and we can all see what’s going to happen next but Southgate just seems paralysed and any changes come too late.

I really hope he can break the cycle but I don’t have a great deal of confidence in him.
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Yes, time and again Southgate gets easy draws, by time and again bossing the group stage in major competitions thereby enabling an easier path. Contrast that to England managers of years gone by who would regularly ensure we toil and struggle to get out of the group and if we did it would be by the skin of our teeth thereby ensuring a harder path through the competition.

Undeniably it hasn't been great entertainment under Southgate in this particular competition so far but he's still managed to qualify as group winners and you can't argue with that.
 
theredrooster said:
Yes, time and again Southgate gets easy draws, by time and again bossing the group stage in major competitions thereby enabling an easier path. Contrast that to England managers of years gone by who would regularly ensure we toil and struggle to get out of the group and if we did it would be by the skin of our teeth thereby ensuring a harder path through the competition.

Undeniably it hasn't been great entertainment under Southgate in this particular competition so far but he's still managed to qualify as group winners and you can't argue with that.
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Yes, we won the group which saw one victory and an utter paucity of goals.

Lukaku has had more goals disallowed than England have scored.

and I’m glad that we did win the group.
 
theredrooster said:
Yes, time and again Southgate gets easy draws, by time and again bossing the group stage in major competitions thereby enabling an easier path. Contrast that to England managers of years gone by who would regularly ensure we toil and struggle to get out of the group and if we did it would be by the skin of our teeth thereby ensuring a harder path through the competition.

Undeniably it hasn't been great entertainment under Southgate in this particular competition so far but he's still managed to qualify as group winners and you can't argue with that.
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Why I agree to an extent with your broader point, we still did 'toil and struggle' in the actual games in the group, and before the tournament to certain extent, against pretty lowly ranked teams.

Iceland 70th
Serbia 32nd
Denmark 21st
Slovenia 57th

Slovakia are 45th currently, the odd tight match and struggle you can accept in tournament football, to be poor and create very little with the players available in four or five consecutive matches, whilst being extremely cautious in selections, messing about with your starting midfield, not taking a left back etc. isn't a good look for me.

While we keep progressing he is still being 'proved right' somewhat, but we are capable of so much more.
 
Mwelolo said:
Time and time again Southgate gets the easy draws.

We progress to big games, the team finds themselves in front and then they just sit back and we can all see what’s going to happen next but Southgate just seems paralysed and any changes come too late.

I really hope he can break the cycle but I don’t have a great deal of confidence in him.
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List the big games this has happened in please.
 
Well, that was rubbish.

Anyone still happy with the starting lineup?

When will Southgate act?

Previous behaviour is not a good indicator here…..
 
Not playing as a team, time to rip it up and gamble, exactly as the pundits said, he can’t keep going like this, he’s not even falling on his sword because he will be going anyway.
 
Let's be honest it's awful, still nothing down the left, Tripper coming inside, Foden coming inside, Saka struggling..play condensed because we can't pull them wide enough to create the space in the middle...same old same old.
 
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