GoN_

It seems like it is Gylfi Sigurðsson.

Edit: Everton suspended a player https://www.evertonfc.com/news/2193203/club-statement

9 hours ago, Jimmy said:

Might've agreed with you before the tournament, but not now. The team has evolved for the better since 2018, we didn't concede any goals from open play, I back Southgate to continue helping us evolve. We're a really solid team who shown a lot, now we have a solid base, I'm sure he'll try and push the team onto be more attacking. 

It's a process, right? You can't just turn up and be an attacking team - but right now we're a very decent team who could kick on and get even better. 

Also, to add onto that, we were the underdogs, we haven't achieved anything on the international stage for years and years - and now under Southgate, at this moment, we're transitioning from constant underdogs and underachievers into a team that reached and a semi final and then a final (and only lost on pens). It's all part of the process of how he's changing us.

I might get knocked for this but... England played a very weak Croatia side ( we played them in the last nations league and you could see they were nowhere nearly the same team from the last world cup), a half-decent Czech team and one of the worst teams in the tournament in Scotland. You then had a very good match against a German side that had one very good tactical win over Portugal but that had a coach many in the team hated with a tactic that didn't really fit the team except for a couple of players, a Ukraine side that was third in one of the weakest groups with 3 pts and -1 goal, and finally a Denmark side that were the clear overachivers in this.

In a way you had a pretty similar tournament to Portugal 5 years ago, in terms of the level of opponents (and you did better tbh). I don't think you can take that much out of this to a world cup in about 14 months, because the only real big team you got, you took a lead in the second minute and then did not get another shot on target for the next two hours.

Going back to the Portugal comparison, I see a lot of similarities there. We had some good tournaments in the last 2 decades, but had never won a single thing before 2016. Fernando Santos got us to win the Euros and the Nations League. You would think that his defensive minded tactics were what we actually needed and a way to success. Now you look at the results in both World Cup 2018 and these Euros, and we won 1-0 against Morocco, and 3-0 against Hungary, drew Spain, Iran and France, and lost against Uruguay (which got us out of WC18), Germany (we got crushed even if the result doesn't reflect that entirely) and Belgium (got us out of Euro2020). With the level of talent we have, does it really make sense to play two defensive midfielders most matches like we just did? Is a team that thinks about defense first have it in them to go after a result if needed?I feel like this is an easy answer if you look at both teams, really. 

We have arguably a better team now than 5 years ago, but we barely evolved. I'm afraid the same might happen to England if Southgate stays for long.

8 hours ago, MadJack said:

It really isn't only Greece and Portugal. France in particular are set up to be strong defensively first and foremost, with Deschamps relying on his offensive players to do "something" more than with any grand tactical ideas. Spain set up similarly, though they recognise their comparative lack of quality compared to other teams, and try to do some interesting things in midfield.

International football just isn't systems-based any more, compared to the great Spanish and German teams of the recent past. It's much more situational, and more defensive.

France has much more "firepower" than England though... and even that was clearly not enough this time.

And I feel like that your last sentence is entirely contradicted by the winners of this tournament. Italy while somewhat tactically flexible, are clearly a system based team. They have incredible tactical cohesion, with a clear game plan. The way they build from the back, or can keep possession by leaving very little space between who has the ball and the possible pass receivers is the result of much work from Mancini and, from many accounts, the whole Italian FA system that cultivates that same mentality/tactical approach in the youth national teams. And the thing is, on paper Italy while a good team did not have the same quality as France, England, Portugal or even Belgium had. But they were clearly the best team here from the first match.

1 minute ago, The Kraig said:

I've also just realised Italy have done the double. Euro2020 and Eurovision. Sit down Europe.

Just like Portugal in 2016.  

Edit: Nope, Salvador won Eurovision in 2017. I stand corrected.

2 minutes ago, FLiam said:

You can’t “not lose” your way to winning a tournament. Southgate has to change or England need to appoint someone else if they are to capitalise on the strength of this squad. Simple as that. 

Portugal did that 5 years ago, but that is leaving too much down to luck. It backfires more commonly than not. 

Quick analysis from someone neutral in this:

- First and most important... the best team of the tournament won. Italy was by far the most consistent and the team with the most interesting way of playing. Hats off to Mancini who I never rated very highly, but he took a side with very few big names, that missed the last big nations competition, and took them to this victory.

- England had a obviously good tournament. It was their first final in over 50 years, so you give that to them. Yet, Southgate reminds me way too much of Fernando Santos in the way he works his strategy. Both have an incredible talent pool, and both are way too defensive. I read some people talk about Italy shithousing they way to victory, but it was England that almost did exactly that after scoring a goal in the second minute and then playing 11 players behind the ball line for most of the next hour or so. Even after Italy drew, I felt Southgate did very little to win this until the last 15 minutes of extra time.

- Again, I'll have to talk badly of Southgate but saving two subs for penalties is such an awful move. You are pretty much not giving your team some much needed fresh faces (Sterling was dying in there) and it doesn't pay off many times. Moreover, who the hell thinks giving the 5th penalty to 19 year old Saka? Poor kid, he didn't deserve that much pressure on his shoulders.

- Donnarumma was incredible through the whole tournament and deserves the best player of the tournament award. It's a shame he is going to PSG of all teams. Honourable mention to Chiellini an Bonucci, I love those two, such a good back two, and I'm happy that they were able to make history here.

- Final words for the tournament itself. This was a very fun Euro, but I hope we never get another tournament with this hosting format. All the travelling was a mess, and it gave too much of an advantage for a handful of teams, especially England.

What an incredibly soft penalty...

He goes studs up, at the knees' height. He kicked the ball but that was reckless nonetheless. From The FA's website:

Quote

 

SENDING-OFF OFFENCES

A player, substitute or substituted player who commits any of the following offences is sent off:

• denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by a handball offence (except a goalkeeper within their penalty area)
• denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent whose overall movement is towards the offender's goal by an offence punishable by a free kick (unless as outlined below)
• serious foul play
• biting or spitting at someone
• violent conduct
• using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or action(s)
• receiving a second caution in the same match
• entering the video operation room (VOR)

A player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area.

 

Quote

SERIOUS FOUL PLAY

A tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality must be sanctioned as serious foul play.

Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play.

Yesterday I posted here how Germany's win was a Löw masterclass... this pretty much sums it up.

Löw masterclass. The fact we even took the lead was pure luck, we were suffocated from minute 1 and could never avoid those crosses to the far post. Really doubt we get to the second round...

Is Chilwell injured? Why play Walker and Trippier, rather than one of them and Chilwell/Shaw?

I think I asked this before around here, but how does the UK pick their artist/song?

I ask this because here in Portugal, we have a song contest with a voting system somewhat similar to the Eurovision song contest (we have semi-finals, there's a jury and popular vote), and in the past few years (starting exactly in the year we won) there was an effort by our public channel that organizes the song contest to get somewhat popular acts to either perform or write the songs. And let me tell you, if we compare our national song contest from 10 years ago and the past 4 or so years, it is day and night in the kind of songs we see and the quality of the songs and performers.

Good.

1 minute ago, GoGo Yubari said:

aaaahahahaha that Portugal reaction

Really didn't expect it to be so low, especially given the jury's vote and the fact it was in english and all.

How does the UK choose their artists/song? It's always some very basic song, that fails hard due to always having a spot in the final.

France and Italy were my favorites. I would like to think Portugal gets a top 10, I think it is a really solid song.

Why the hell is Flo Rida of all people in San Marino's song?

Italy's song is a banger.

48 minutes ago, Colly said:

Portugal's music and lyrics are by Tatanka. I'm putting my mortgage on them.

It's the stage name of the lead singer.

5 hours ago, Kaney said:

Between how shit we've been and the usual expectation of VAR fuckery I still haven't been able to celebrate that last goal going in. Absolute shambles.

Gave them all 3 goals that were totally avoidable and make it hard for us as usual. Why the fuck is Willian still getting minutes over Pepe? Never mind Martinelli? Glad we went through but Jesus christ the brainfarts need to stop.

We are utter shite right now, but god that Arsenal team is also really bad. They could have killed it in the first match, but they are so inconsistent and lack intensity so much at parts of the game, that we almost got through out of nothing.

Good luck for the rest of the tournament, I really like some of your players like David Luiz and Auba.

Thank god I was strong enough not to preorder Cyberpunk. I really really wanted to play it, but given how I'm still on a PS4, it seems like I just avoided some grief... Being cheap was good for once. 😁

I know the old Miyamoto quote that "A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever”, but these days, when a game is delayed it seems like it's a matter of development being fucked up badly and it coming out as a mess or with huge day one patches. E.g. Marvel’s Avengers, Mass Effect Andromeda...

Have you watched the Netflix Series? I found that not only was it really good, it also helped me understand the Witcher lore much better, even if the stories are at completely different points and have some differences.

He can get a little too agressive at times, but the kid has been really good. Ferro has had a very good first season too at Benfica, and one can hope they keep it up, because we really need a young pair of CBs because we can't keep depending on a 36 year old Pepe and a soon to be 36 year old Fonte like we did here.

I know you all missed this after last year... so here are some pics of last night's party for Benfica's 37^th league title:

This one was somewhat special because by January 2^nd we were 7 points behind Porto and finally sacking Rui Vitoria, so nobody expected that we could turn it around and win it. Bruno Lage took the wheel as interim manager and won 18 matches, drew only once and never lost a league match. We equaled our previous goals scored record of 103, from the sixties, in the process. All and all, a really wild season.

I have all the arkham games on steam, but have around an hour in Asylum and an hour in City. I recently restarted Asylum and hope I can finally get into it, since I have a steam link and can play it on my telly.

39 minutes ago, Gabriel said:

It is not. I haven't had as much time to work on it of late, and I haven't heard from any of the other contributors, but I'm still working on it. Currently adding pictures for all of the included workers. Once that is done, I should be able to move on to releasing a new beta if people want it, and start work on our next company inclusion which I believe is looking like NOAH, as only TheWho has weighed in on that one.

Thanks for the update. I know these things move slowly, but since nobody posted here for a month and a half I was afraid it got lost in the shuffle. Happy to know it didn't.