Why England Were Better Than They Looked Against Slovakia

Two late goals for England - including a brilliant overhead kick from Jude Bellingham - saved England's Euro 2024 against Slovakia. But while it was yet another performance that has seen Gareth Southgate's men deservedly come in for more criticism, there were a few moments in the game that pointed to things finally starting to turn for them.
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[@theamulas]

That fact that Southgate didn't bring Gordon in at left wing, against the 37-year-old Slovakian right-back who was on a yellow, is baffling.

[@jaybe2908]

The guy was knackered, he was struggling to make a pass without putting straight out, but even when Eze and Saka were out there for a while they never received the ball with space to run in, or any input from the manager to target him, but Southgate was frozen like a lollipop at that point

[@landondonovanify]

I doubt Gareth even realised that 😅

[@bird__xyz9520]

Apparently there was an injury with Gordon and he wasn't fully fit.

[@lucidvibes8133]

@@bird__xyz9520 it was a chin graze and he was still raring to play

[@IncredibleMet]

He talked out of line and Southgate has disciplined him. Notice how Bellingham, Rice and Kane have come out against English fans and their criticism yet Gordon was like that’s fine. They just want us to play well

[@davidtalisman]

A 16 minute video version of the, “This is fine,” meme

[@FourFourTwo]

Genuinely nearly used that as well

[@mrmikethomas]

@@FourFourTwoAren’t you helping Switzerland with this video ? Can you do one on Switzerland and how we can exploit their defense ? I think they need it & since they play with a back 3 , surely stretching their back 3 with pacey wingers like Gordon , Saka & Palmer is the best route to melt the Swiss cheese ?

[@YaThat.]

​@@mrmikethomas you are talking about a national football team and that too Switzerland, they probably know all of this and way more without this video

[@sharkymoon422]

Brilliant series on the euro’s ❤️🙏🏻

[@wh0ei]

@@mrmikethomasthese teams have armies of datascientist and analysts. There is no way they would learn anything (new) from this video.

[@adamcopland2388]

Best analysis channel on KZbin. More enjoyable than the games so far!

[@davidwatkins4286]

He doesn’t mention that both England goals came from the Tony Pulis Book of Old Style Sling it in Box to the Big Men football!

[@PazLeBon]

@@davidwatkins4286 hes watching a different game to the rest of us

[@jmaungmaung]

You either play Foden in the middle and drop Jude or play a proper winger with Jude in the middle and drop Foden.

[@steveallen3434]

I am Dropping Foden just for running offside for the disallowed goal

[@klausmaus1886]

This is a common misconception - what you actually do is play both, ignore criticism, focus on getting the ball to Pickford and Stones, and have England crash out to a worse team.

[@tobym1688]

or you swap Foden and Saka

[@wilsonfamily1762]

Foden is so overrated

[@dondamon4669]

Jude done absolutely nothing apart from the goal but without him we would of already won the game

[@Talk3rs]

Its weird that everybody is telling "Trippier and Foden cant work" and Southgate still insists on pairing of Trippier and Foden.

[@NicholasWarnertheFirst]

Its called loyalty.

[@wft15]

@@NicholasWarnertheFirst*stupid loyalty

[@ThatArsenalFan8]

@@wft15 😂

[@Talk3rs]

@@NicholasWarnertheFirst stupidity*

[@CMJames]

He said he’s not on social media. He’s oblivious

[@GuyJames]

Southgate's main mistakes (all related to each other): 1. being too optimistic about Shaw's fitness and not bringing a replacement 2. blocking out all criticism as 'noise' 3. persisting with Trippier as highest option on one flank (rather than TAA on the other flank instead) 4. Only daring to change things when they are going out of the competition imminently 5. Fetishising 'control' and thinking that means sitting back once you've scored 6. Believing that because they won the group and the first knockout game due to luck, limited opponents, and individual skill that 'this is fine'. I could go on but I think those are the main ones.

[@intenzityd3181]

He genuinely thinks he's coaching something like 1982 Italy. He doesn't understand that he doesn't have players who can play that way and he isn't competent enough tactically to coach that way. Pure hubris.

[@PazLeBon]

his mistakes are that he has never had any coaching ability ever

[@MaggieNolan-g1d]

If it is frustrating for us to watch, imagine the excruciating pain Andrea Pirlo must feel watching England? He may have slipped into a disillusioned depression

[@GuyJames]

yes, but I imagine watching Italy was even more painful for him

[@xrp589baby]

i dont care..all i care about is massive tatty bo jangles

[@ashleygoggs5679]

My biggest critisizm of southgate is literally what the fuck he was thinking taking an injured LB as the only option for our Left flank. Shaw is now 2 games past his supposed "fit for" timing. Our opposition know that the left is our weakest side and they are putting pressure on saka becuase they know the right is strongest. Southgate has given an open weakpoint for every team to see. This is probably one of the biggest reasons england has absolutely sucked. Nothing against trippier but cutting onto his right is costing us plays. If shaw was healthy i can bet we would have had 2 or 3 times the opportunities of scoring each game becuase our flanks would have been significantly balanced and our opposition would have had to balance their defence on all sides rather then focussing on the right which is costing saka.

[@PH1L1PM0RT0N]

Still need a left wing that is prepared to actually play on the left wing occasionally and not just when Jude Bellingham tries to cover the left a bit

[@phattmanmorgs]

I agree, it was madness not bring another left back. He's not going to play at least 5 players so why not have taken Mitchell to secure that side. It was a nuts decision.

[@dontbewoke]

"costing us PLAYS" "flank" and "sucked" ?? I bet you say DEEfence rather than defence too.

[@bradsmith236]

@@dontbewoke really getting to the important bits that everyone else missed eh? dont post like a wanker.

[@mitchsullo]

Sure mate but who is English left back with a left foot that would be as good as trippier ?

[@kristaylor6694]

I get so wrapped up in the games I miss alot of the details while I'm watching it and these videos really help understand what the hell just happened

[@laurence374]

If England are going to accept lacklustre performances from Bellingham and Kane for the sake of possible moments out of nothing, fair enough. But to facilitate that you've surely got to play players that are looking to help the team out and do a job when needed. Foden hasn't offered up any moments out of nothing or a job for the team. How does he keep getting his name on the team sheet?

[@1991ryanl]

Im sorry, but to single out foden in this way.. just because he's a chav from Manchester.. is just not fair. These tactic videos have summarised how bad the entire system is; and foden has been unable to perform in this awful system in the same way that almost all of the other 11 players have failed. Kane for example, has done no more than Foden in this tournament... yet Southgate and the rest of the country have no doubt that he should continue to play every minute of every game. Foden is absolute quality, and would have the chance to show it if he was playing for e.g. Spain or Germany (or as he has proven it at City). Next game.. please focus on Rice in the middle. and compare his movement (just his movement... not his ability) to Rodri for Spain. As soon as our defence have the ball, there is zero effort from our CM's to get in to any space, whereas Rodri is busting a gut to be available for 90 minutes of every game. its become so simple for teams to seperate England's defence from their attack, and I blame Rice. Mainoo is doing a good job, but he cant do it alone. Id consider Galagher to bet more useful than Rice- as he actually makes movement. There was actually a 10 minute period in once of the games, when foden hit the post... when arnold was subbed off for Gallagher.. and then Foden was suddenly in the game, feeding off of his movement and passes.... Then Southgate subbed foden. Southgate must hate chavs from manchester. bellingham is no better- but ill give it to him.. hes better at imposing his skill in to a shit system.. or the system just suits him better. (but thats marginal, because overall, its all shite). I was pissed off when bellingham equalised... my first thought was- now I have to watch England play again, and nothing will be any different.

[@gurrrn1102]

@@1991ryanlstop using ellipses all the time. No one is against playing foden because he’s a chav from Manchester. It’s because he’s asked to play a role where he offers nothing, and doesn’t try to attack the opposition or pass forward to teammates. His set pieces are shite and he should have been taken off them by the Denmark game.

[@user-ob7qg4jt6n]

Mainoo is the only one brave enough to go forward joker Southgate is not coaching them ffs

[@alphonsoacqua]

He's coaching them to play 10-at-the-back football.

[@musicwithguitars]

Only just discovered this channel - it's fantastic. Your analysis and demeanor is top notch. It's so frustrating our left side, Foden has to be benched now it can't be avoided. He offers nothing in an England shirt and Bellingham has done better to keep the 10. Would love to see Gordon on next game to actually give us a left hand side

[@commentarytalk1446]

Agree, imho comes across as the best footie channel right now: Mix of analysis and stats and focus issues with demeanor nailing it.

[@redbloodcell4047]

One clip optimises this really well. It's filmed from behind Slovakia's goal in the 95th minute. Foden walks in front of the camera on his way back to the bench, while in the background, Jude is scoring one of the best England goals I've ever seen. It's ironic that within 8 minutes of Foden leaving the pitch (which includes the break between regular time and extra time) England scored twice including via a pass from Foden's substitute Toney.

[@barryh.4220]

You need to wake up a bit ..... Foden did no worse than anyone else ..... Bellingham, until his injury time overhead kick, had been shite for almost three entire games, as had every other England player!

[@Anchises]

For the disallowed Foden goal, I think a left footed LB plays it first time while Foden is still onside. Trippier has to take a control touch and Phil drifts off.

[@gsampson97]

Robertson has that in to Foden before it's onside

[@IAmCrumpton]

I 💯 agree and was chatting to a friend about this, Foden should of done better but trippier took too long getting the cross in

[@Anchises]

@@IAmCrumpton Yep Foden times his run assuming Trippier will cross it first time.

[@bfcmik]

@@Anchises Yeah, because Foden didn't know Trippier's left foot is for standing on 99% of the time.

[@bonglesnodkins329]

Yeah, I found myself thinking that too - essentially Foden timed his run for a quicker ball from a true LB.

[@jakhaughton1800]

England after going in front against Slovenia just defended. If you’re watching Netherlands vs Romania the total opposite applies. The Netherlands still pressed for another goal after going ahead. The best form of defence is attack. I doubt that’ll get through to Southgate.

[@BlyatimirPootin]

Watching that now and thinking the exact same thing

[@QuotidianStupidity]

The best form of defence is a solid defence.

[@Pokjhbvcf]

We drew 0-0 to Slovenia, what are you on about

[@Matt-ou7tu]

​@@dontbewokeNo, he meant Slovakia.

[@dtrjones]

@@Matt-ou7tu Jesus, thank you for getting the right answer, I thought I was watching an England pub quiz. FFS 😆

[@andrewkates1321]

I listen to lots of podcasts, radio shows and TV punditry and this is by far the best analysis out there. It puts those high profile ex players on the main channels to shame. Amazing work.

[@4ndyhall1]

The way Mainoo scans the pitch constantly reminds me of Scholes.

[@ianallardyce4222]

If Pickford was unavailable Southgate would probably say, "Let's play Kane there cos he did it at school and was ok".

[@nameanteater4772]

Nah it would be because he did go in goal in the europa league for Spurs when they were like 5/6 goals up with 3 minutes left, and he completely fumbled a free kick which went right at him into the goal.

[@PazLeBon]

hes prob hav e moreinfluenceon the game, maybe put jane AND bellendam in nets

[@timhickman7827]

Can someone send this video to Mr Southgate please? This isn't noise, it's what he needs to see.

[@PH1L1PM0RT0N]

He must have analysts showing him this stuff.

[@CMJames]

@@PH1L1PM0RT0NKZbin vids? 😂 I doubt that

[@timhickman7827]

@PH1L1PM0RT0N Yes it does seem inconceivable to believe that isn't the case. Guess the coaching team believe it needs more of a tweak than a rethink, only they're not tweaking all the problems at once.

[@alphonsoacqua]

I'm wondering if the FA even have Southgate's mobile number at the moment. Has nobody fucking told him what the obvious problems are?

[@PH1L1PM0RT0N]

@@CMJames there are many pundits and wannabe pundits online and on KZbin with all sorts of opinions, but surely the back room team are looking at this kind of data. The pass maps where everything is backwards say it all. Fans hate the moneyball approach but it does mean people look at this stuff in detail and make better decisions. From previous tournaments I thought Southgate was all over the analysis.

[@tomr200199]

I said before the tournament, Foden is the issue. Especially now Mainoo has shown his ability. You have to drop Foden. Everyone is screaming for Gordon.

[@jeffery8792]

I think you’ll find it’s the system….. what has Mainoo done? He’s not been that good.

[@HarryH256]

​@@jeffery8792He frees up Rice to play more naturally, and Rice has been one of the few England players to actually play well, including hitting the post against Slovakia.

[@bonglesnodkins329]

I do wonder if Foden would become vastly more effective if we had a proper LB, though. Still, in the absence of that LB, my instinct is to drop him and use him as an impact sub (presumably for Bellingham), or vice versa. Always thought the same should have been true of Gerrard and Lampard - play one and then replace him with the other 15 mins into the second half.

[@imamoronand9199]

@@bonglesnodkins329 with gerrard and lampard they should have just been played in a 3

[@EmptyGlass99]

Thank you for giving Mainoo the credit he deserves. I think he's already made himself so good and reliable for England that pundits barely mention him.

[@barakesmith-washington6946]

Imagine United left him in the U-21s this season and Southgate had to play Gallagher instead. Would be an insane drop off

[@malcolmnelmes9447]

I sincerely hope that Southgate sticks with Mainoo, he is so calm on the ball

[@barryh.4220]

Mainoo played more or less a full game and made absolutely NO difference to the shite that England had been delivering (or more to the point, NOT delivering!) until that last gasp injury time Bellingham goal changed the game.

[@alfiesmith6742]

Literally every pundit I’ve heard has spoken about Mainoo lol

[@pizzahunter808]

Wharton is a profile better suited for England atm. Notice the midfield was still poor despite mainoo starting. Mainoo offered no improvement

[@robertspector9700]

Sorry, but the hypothetical 'had he not taken those players off' is nonsense! If Southgate had organized the team properly from the start, or he had taken Bellingham and Kane off at half-time, could have seen an easy and confident England win without us having to tear our hair out.

[@SuperGilly71]

If ifs & ands were pots & pans…

[@Jd7172g]

Foden not passing to Kane or Jude once the entire game is mad 🤯

[@helloitsme_omer]

and him not recieving a single pass from them is just as mad, especially since Jude pushed him out to become the team's 10 and playmaker

[@Rob_Reed]

Once again, tactical masterclass from this guy.

[@newdayhomes8069]

Should Anthony Gordon replace Phil Foden?

[@idk-dz3fo]

Honestly, Trippier has basically been playing as a winger/ left mid. So how about putting Gordon there instead.

[@pbsuite]

100% , he hasn't worked , and most of englands problems can be traced to him

[@ThatArsenalFan8]

Yes

[@Lizzo13]

Hard yes.

[@Spit87]

Surely Gareth is aware of all these problems if we all are? So why is he not addressing them? Is it stubbornness?

[@Whoami691]

imagine driving a ferarri at 15mph..... on the motorway. Thats southgate.

[@linghamskatepark11]

He asks the dealership if he can get it in a diesel

[@Cancun771]

@@linghamskatepark11 With a trailer hitch.

[@unclegoon347]

‘Do you do this model with a 1.0 litre engine?

[@MrBarrynicholas]

...on the hard shoulder.

[@HarcMad]

Bit too dangerous for Southgate, I bet he avoids the motorway and gets the train.

[@TimothyMichaelJones]

This is simply the best insightful and enjoyable analysis channel on KZbin and beyond. You put the professional pundits on BBC and ITV channels to shame. Brilliant!

[@tylerflynn4078]

Cole Palmer and Gordon need minutes.

[@tylerflynn4078]

heard for the billionth time I'm sure

[@GuyJames]

opposition coaches are not idiots - they can see that if you block the middle and leave Trippier totally free, they have to keep playing it to him, and he will just keep stopping (allowing the opposition defence to get set), passing it backwards (releasing the momentum of the attack), and the whole cycle starts again. Much like a fly repeatedly banging against a windowpane until it dies. The one time Trippier actually put in a cross with his right foot, I thought 'oh yeah, that's something he could have been doing', as if it had seemed inconceivable until then. It could be a strength for England that the oppo leave him free with time to cross it. But I think he's only done it ONCE in the whole tournament.

[@FootballInverted]

Amazing how England team clicked all together for about 5 minutes in 390 minutes played until now in the Euros.

[@GuyJames]

yes but for GS that's a feature, not a bug. the problem is it won't work against better teams because they will be too far ahead for heroics to save us

[@TkrzTT]

@@GuyJames Exactly

[@Liftinglinguist]

I watched that game, and I can only assume the title is some sort of strategy to gain traffic. It was woeful.

[@FourFourTwo]

Yeah might need to change that... sounded way less delusional in my head.

[@markool88]

@@FourFourTwo Yh pls do. That title could affect your credibility

[@vincnetjones3037]

@@markool88 Why England Were Better Than They Looked Against Slovakia... looks absolutely fine. 🙂

[@tariqjoseph3562]

@@vincnetjones3037absolutely fine if it were true 🤦‍♂️

[@Catsley]

​@@markool88 chill

[@laittv5816]

This was the most disgusting win I've ever seen in my life.

[@bobwilson2357]

Yeah, but the 5 minute swing from despondency to elation was blooming orgasmic.

[@demejiuk5660]

I’m confused. Real Madrid have won 15 UCLs and their fans don’t care how they win…even parking the bus vs City. England have won zero European Championships but the whole country is up in arms about the style of play…. How does that make any sense? Maybe JUST WIN. A couple of titles and THEN get all entitled about the style of play??? England have rarely if ever played good football, and we’ve played bad football and football and been knocked out early. Now this guy starts to get England to Finals and Semis and now we think are Spain or Brazil? It’s a funny country and I dont think anything shows that as much as the narrative around the national team.

[@demejiuk5660]

And I’m gonna just say this here. The person that replaces Southgate 99% sure will do WORSE than him. Whoever comes in…won’t be successful and WON’T suddenly make players play as good as they so for their club sides. Ask me how I know…

[@leeturton9254]

Winning ugly is good though... surely a sign that there's a good team inside that turgid mess.. trust me I've seen England play ugly and lose to poor teams many many times

[@NicholasWarnertheFirst]

​@@demejiuk5660You are absolutely correct.

[@SirOliGrizzell]

Hi Adam, great work! Can we please get a video for the 30 minutes of extra time? Hoping you could translate for me what Gareth was trying to do with his choices of substitutions and change of system near the end? Also interested to know what you thought to Ivan Toney’s brief partnership with Kane up top too. Cheers!

[@jacklane3679]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="717">11:57</a> - Jesus this was killing me the whole game I was screaming "GIVE MAINOO THE BALL" and of all people is Stones not playing that simple forward pass so often. This kid just has it in him to turn the whole team around if they trust him with that. I see why Man U fans were so excited when he broke through and he's just getting better.

[@dontbewoke]

He's not that good he's just so young that he's not paralysed by the fear the rest of them have. EDIT ; He's a good player clearly but lets let the kid play! Let him breathe , let the team breathe rather than hammering them at every opportunity and we might just beat the Swiss.....

[@nananou1687]

Lmao the delusion ​@@dontbewoke

[@MauriceSaxonville]

@@dontbewoke admittedly, some hype is building around him atm since he's a solving a fair few of England's problems right now. However (I've been calling for him to start from the beginning of the tournament, not UTD fan either), I do think he has the quality that can be sustained at a high tempo. He can easily rise to it and that's really not asking much anyway at this point lol just playing forwards

[@daddyof3gaming522]

​@@dontbewoke not that good? Knocked the Scouse out in the quarter final FA cup, then binned City out to win the thing. He's the truth mate, honestly.

[@jacklane3679]

@@dontbewoke I'm sorry, but that's so reductive 😂 He's incredibly level headed and confident in his ability. That's not a bad thing. It feels like you're either conceding that it's a trait he has, but only has because he's young, or you're saying he doesn't actually have the ability. His ability on and off the ball is why people rate him. For me, he was our best player against Slovakia. His age really has nothing to do with it.

[@leethomas2582]

The best sides rarely just hope for moments of magic. Southgate’s squad selection undid England before a ball was kicked.

[@rohanpreetsingh4862]

We should definitely play gordon, it would allow trippier or shaw to be more defensive minded or if by miracle England decide to be attacking it would be deadly on the wings

[@TheWolfXCIX]

Gordon LW, Trent at RB, and either Walker/Trippier/Gomez at left back who drops in to make a back 3. No idea how someone on £5m a year can't figure out the most basic tactics...

[@richardloach610]

Guehi not to blame for the goal, he landed awkwardly and was in pain and unable to recover in that moment

[@jimburchett]

look like he took a shoulder to the face n was stunned for a sec

[@jonathannash3617]

To b fair to Allardyce he said a couple pf days before the match that if Kane isn't firing we should bringon Toney and send him long balls to knock down for the others to score. He got it spot on.

[@bunkiebunk]

Bro, Gareth should watch this

[@Lizzo13]

I still don't understand why Foden is STILL starting when he is ineffective and has caused 2 goals in 2 games to get disallowed for offside. Gordon is an actual left winger, so I don't get why he isn't starting. I also don't understand why Walker seems to be allergic to passing to Saka. Southgate better make some changes on Saturday.

[@drewfoster6138]

Fodens one of my favourite players of all time but I have to agree with you. We need a lw on to find the space. Either push foden into the 10 role or use him as a sub because this isn't working

[@TheStf99]

Can't keep playing with 2 no 10s. We need a speed merchant on that left side. Phil had a phenomenal season but Jude had a better one and he's bailing this team out when they can actually play with a decent shape. Bench Foden. Simple as. Gordon on

[@lukechapman6549]

If the problems are so obvious, why oh why can the management and staff not see it enough to change it in 4 games??

[@DrunkenGlums]

Surprised to see see any discussion about Palmer, I think his introduction changed the game massively, he would always drive forwards

[@QuaZamp]

That’s what you noticed watching Spain. Huge dangers on both wings. Neither flank for England seems to be working. The partnership of fullback and winger hasn’t ‘clicked’ and it’s getting a bit late in tournament to think these relationships will just slot into gear. Hopefully we are missing something (classic England dilusion 😅) but it could also end in a whimper (I would say car crash but that might be interesting to watch).

[@lordyrich]

I sat behind Southgate in this game. The amount of absue he was getting from fans was crazy

[@gs8494]

If we were playing well and he was getting abuse that would be crazy, the fact is we look terrible and it would be crazy if he wasn't getting any abuse.

[@bonglesnodkins329]

@@gs8494 We look terrible *in attack*. But we're conceding a goal every 195 mins, which ain't nothing.

[@gs8494]

@@bonglesnodkins329 That's about the only positive but clean sheets wont win us the tournament especially as we haven't played anyone of real quality, don't get me wrong there's no mugs left in football at the tournament level and for the most part the teams that lack real quality are usually well organised and that can hard to play against but given the fact Southgate's tactically naive at best and when hard questions have been asked of him he has had no answers of worth we are fucked and aren't getting un-fucked anytime soon. He's making some excellent players look bang average, that's a skill in itself.

[@barakesmith-washington6946]

normal

[@T.E.S.S.]

@@bonglesnodkins329 every 195 minutes *so far*

[@liamfirkin2145]

The go to for football analysis 👏 Do you think Stones can be more brave with the ball and pass through the lines into the players higher up the pitch in the same way Maguire would play into Kane to break the press. I feel it’s something we’re missing

[@joachimschmidt7662]

It is interesting that nobody is talking about this. Maguire missing is obviously not the whole problem - Foden not being benched, and finishing games at 8 is the problem - but he does straighten the play up. And would probably use Mainoo, Kane, Foden, Palmer better. I wonder if Dunk is a better choice, to get the team ticking, by rolling it into Mainoo, and Rice/Bellingham steam off his shoulder

[@scotthawkes74]

Great video. I wish if we are going to push a full back up high and go to a back three, it was TAA on the right being that fullback rather than Trippier on the left.

[@Cheems_on_Toast]

I think because foden wants to drift inside the high full back needs to be the left back, unless gordon played...

[@thatontariofarmer]

​@@Cheems_on_Toast Gordon should play. Start bellingham in the 10 and bring foden on at 65-70. Palmer RW. And utilize either Watkins or toney for more than the last 5 minutes.

[@bonglesnodkins329]

@@thatontariofarmer Agree with all of that.

[@rishikkantam4127]

@@thatontariofarmerI think Foden should be in the 10 and Bellingham should be in the 8. The reason Bellingham’s been poor this tournament is because he’s not a natural 10 and plays more like a false 9 for Madrid. He was much better at Dortmund as a proper box to box midfielder

[@T.E.S.S.]

@@Cheems_on_Toast who cares want Foden wants. man needs to do what he's told.

[@jonnykealy3551]

Why is nobody talking about the fact that Gallagher constantly looks like he’s about to get sent off?

[@kieranwalker7402]

These videos have become the highlight of my Euros. Such great analysis.

[@1972dsrai]

England were seconds from going out and very lucky to be in the Qtr final. They have to be a lot better against a well organised Swiss team that is also a threat going forwards. England has the players to win, but simply haven’t played with the confidence and conviction everyone is expecting them to.

[@Ghfjgjggj123shdhfnfmdk]

If Southgate is thick enough to start Foden again next game then he deserves to be sacked. Anyone else on that left side, please Southgate. Bellingham, Kane and Saka are suffering because all this man does is get in people's way, dribble, shoot from distance and be offside

[@lukenuttall5794]

One of the best if not the best tactics channels on youtube. Quality as always mate. Also thanks for slightly getting me over that game it was rotten and beautiful at the same time men shouldnt have to deal with all those emotions in 120 minutes its criminal 😂

[@tonydicicco5215]

Excellent analysis- very informative and interesting. I look forward to the next one.

[@andrewwhewell6422]

Sorry for the mess, but I had a massive cathartic release when you pointed out the limitations of Trippier in this system. The gamble to not take a fit, natural left back hasn't paid off so far. Everyone will have an opinion about how to fix it, but it seems to be the biggest issue with the system holding the team back... That and the lack of confident build up play

[@broonzy2006]

Genuinely learning so much Adam! Let’s goooooooo boys

[@ArunFletcher-xt7fn]

Excellent analysis again - you're on a roll mate 👌

[@Lawesp]

Great analysis. Braking down our problems into bite size chunks. I hope Gareth heeds your advice 👍

[@alaskanmalamute101]

Foden has been shocking this euros and Southgate continues to not drop him or move him into his favoured position it's so frustrating 🤬

[@ilikelampshades6]

With how much portugal struggled with slovenia and how much France, Holland, Belgium, italy struggled, im starting to think there just arent any easy games this time around. The smaller teams have really closed the gap and are doing well. Only Germany and Spain have looked strong. Maybe england should be happier with our horrendous tactics and results so far

[@习近平就一粉蛆头子]

likewise

[@tawiahtorgbor3119]

Mate this is Amazing content. Very good analysis.

[@athreyathandeswaran7510]

Kick Trippier out. He helps neither offensively nor defensively.

[@PH1L1PM0RT0N]

And replace him with which left back??? Many options back home but in the squad?

[@wft15]

@@PH1L1PM0RT0Nthe news says shaw is fit again, if it’s true were that desperate, I’d say play him.

[@PH1L1PM0RT0N]

@@wft15 sorry state of affairs that the left wing is down to one individual who hasn’t played in months and all other English left backs overlooked before the tournament

[@T.E.S.S.]

@@PH1L1PM0RT0N Joe Gomez. He's nobody's first choice in an ideal situation, but he started at left back 15 times for Liverpool last season. He's more capable than Trippier.

[@Matkins85]

I was saying the same thing! PASS IT TO MAINOO! He’s a magician.

[@commentarytalk1446]

Principles are simple: 1. Talent can make something out of nothing but it can only go so far - that explains the great escape from the jaws of defeat strategy of Southgate. It's not sustainable. 2. Each player has a total value both individual eg 1 and for the Team. If players in a system are not contributing enough in enough different ways then you have to change formation and tactics and players to maximize all players contributing maximally. With respect to 2: - Drop Foden to bench for impact sub if needed - Drop Trippier and change formation eg 3 at the back - Drop Saka to bench With 3 at the back Rice and Mainoo both prove exceptional as CM/DM pair so keep the defence strong and progress the ball. Defence with Stones in Center needs more cover as he makes mistakes in defence but is good at passing. From this freeing up: Go 3-2-4-1 or in effect: 3-2-1-2-2 with Bellingham the 1 deeper and central as overload runner/b2b. Wide next Gordon and Palmer (or Saka) and then Watkins and Kane/Toney up front. Watkins pace for long ball and Kane/Toney hold up and striking ability. Should be enough balance and enough to maximize each players value to the team formation both defence/attack and transitions and individual talent.

[@alansandybulmer4877]

Love your analyses. Objective and level headed. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing.

[@glennwatts4657]

Love your analysis Adam - wonderfully insightful and the fact that you are willing to put opinions out there in such a balanced way really sets you apart. Keep up the good work!

[@bobbastian760]

Defo the best football content anywhere....

[@TheIronRobin]

Jarrod Bowen should play left back in the absence of Shaw. Left footed, works hard, used to defending after years playing for Moyes, can take a corner, and can put in a good cross as well.

[@T.E.S.S.]

"used to defending after years playing for Moyes" - that's not how that works

[@miguelbaptistacartaxo]

@@T.E.S.S.I used to be a striker when I was 10 tbf, think I’d have a good shot😊

[@TheIronRobin]

@@T.E.S.S. you clearly didn’t watch West Ham play. Bowen had to cover Coufal all the time and Moyes routinely had us defend deep. Only thing he’s not used to is holding an offside line but that’s not been a feature of Trippier’s role either, as this video demonstrates; with Foden drifting inside Trippier has been up the field providing width. Try something more insightful and less obtuse next time plz.

[@andrewruddiforth5823]

Great videos these, I subscribed ages ago after seeing just 1 video, I can see a lot of research & work goes into these, Love them, Awesome! Thank you Adam.

[@pitwayable]

England never had any teamwork, too much rivalry playing each other in the EPL 😂. Classic Gerrard Lampard 😂😂😂

[@XYZ-tx9id]

Slovakia definitely deserved quarter finals. No real Intent from any english player, except that bellingham goal. It's a disgrace

[@eyyubb]

I slightly disagree with Rice not being able to beat the press and playing the passes in between the lines. Although I agree he has lots of work to do on the latter, I think the real reason he is struggling this tournament (and not at Arsenal or West Ham prior to that) is Southgate’s inability to use this squad effectively. It seems like he tries to apply positional play without fully grasping the ideology and fundamentals. This results in the players’s weaknesses being exposed (Trippier and Foden being a prime example) rather than playing in on their strenghts. When you look at the way Rice plays at club level he always has some sort of support from another pivot and he always froms the box midfield. An example of this is at Arsenal where the box is formed by Rice, the DM (Jorginho or Partey), Odegaard and Havertz dropping deep. And the rotations these players create confuses the opposition on top of a numerical inferiority. Rice thrives in this sort of environment where he can push up a bit more and be dangerous whether that’s with diagonal switches (which we saw a lot of at West Ham), ball carrying, relieving press or passes in between the lines. I realize it’s not probable at international level to create dynamics like Pep and Arteta do but I hate the fact that there’s no idea between the staff and the players. The simplest example which annoyed me so much during the Denmark game was how Foden was asked to occupy the wide space on the left and Trippier was just conservatively underlapping and occupying the left half space. Everyone knows that Foden thrives in a free roll or in the half spaces and receiving the ball out wide is a notable weakness of his because that role is mostly fulfilled by Doku or Grealish at City. Against Slovakia, I loved seeing Foden in more central areas occupying the half space, while Trippier provided width. That’s also how England scored the disallowed goal. Surely on of the highest paid international-football managers should be able to understand such a simple concept… It just feels like Southgate just picks all the individual best players and tells them to figure it out on the pitch. And that’s very annoying to watch

[@QuaZamp]

Great comment. I’ve really struggled to understand Rice in this tournament. I know it must be to do with the system but I don’t see him as a £100m player in his England performances. He seems undroppable (as does everyone under Southgate) but I just see someone struggling to contribute. Your comment has been helpful.

[@JC94115]

Top analysis as always. Cheers!

[@y0u5uf]

I can't wait to come here after each game to figure out what I missed while watching the game. Love the analysis.. Keep up the good work!

[@zekeedwards7904]

EVERY other team in the tournament has had slick one touch passing and running into space, Southgates tactics it seems is to wade through treacle with triangular passing in the England half for 90% of the games 😢

[@Dave-rv2qq]

And all but 7 are out, being slick doesn't win games, looks good but I'd rather have the result.

[@royalblue5758]

Thanks for that analysis. Very useful.

[@crazyaboutfooty]

Great analysis as always 👍

[@StimParavane]

Name one word to describe England's performance - I'll start with woeful.

[@MauriceJacob21]

Depressing

[@anish87]

Serge Tankian

[@QuaZamp]

Un-supercalifragelisticexpialidousious

[@11East]

Excruciating

[@Kev-england32]

Shit

[@cycy648]

Honestly i still feel like with the swad depth of the team, if we move the ball any faster chances will come as teams would not be able to cope. Giving teams time to adjust is what makes it difficult to get past.

[@gs8494]

Any sort of speed of pass would be welcome, you could measure our passing tempo with a fucking calendar at the moment.

[@kmaclaren4603]

Fairest anaylsis without just saying "England were shit and boring" really well broken down 👏🏽

[@davidthomas1832]

Insightful and entertainingly presented 👍

[@StimParavane]

It turns out Southgate's strategy is just a waste of time. They might as well just go route one and kick a long ball in Kane's direction. He'll probably get the ball more often.

[@samuelmoore657]

God that’s scarily true

[@bencampbell9106]

I thought Kobbie was practically ignored by the rest of the team. They only passed to him reluctantly. He was the only trying to progress the ball, be positive, but.i put that down to Southgate risk adverse football, no risk no reward. At this point, we are relying on individual moments. That's the plan that or a mistake. We do not impose ourselves on the opposition or manipulate them to create chances. Nearly Zero clear cut chances from our open play, the opposition keepers have a cigar on!

[@pjmdigital]

Excellent video Adam. Nice.

[@johnhehir508]

We wanted to see England set the game a light , 🕯️ but all we get is safety 🦺 matches match

[@beatonthedonis]

England looked like a team that was two minutes from being knocked out of a tournament they're a favourite for by a team that's ranked 45 in the world.

[@neilsunley5925]

Southgate is not a tactician, the players know that so feel like lost sheep, when at club level they are spoon fed tactics daily by the top managers in the business.

[@Eldriitch]

Especially since quite a few other teams at this tournament are showing that they can make up for a lack of big-name talent with good systems and teamwork.

[@andrewcharlton6080]

Because it isn’t physically possible to be worse than they looked?

[@0_DR]

Really nice analysis. I was screaming at the tv too ref the Mainoo point.

[@badabing8884]

All I saw was the same sideways, backwards passing, failing to get the ball through midfield and lack of movement off the ball to create space and overloads. It was dull and they got bloody lucky. Won’t feel sorry for England if they get knocked out on Saturday.

[@StimParavane]

It turns out Southgate's strategy is just a waste of time. They might as well just go route one and kick a long ball in Kane's direction. He'll probably get the ball more often.

[@jaybe2908]

Stones is supposed to be this great ball playing defender but he is the worst at always taking the safe option. Some of these players are not even looking for a positive pass, many times there is a man free but they go for a riskier back pass instead, its infuriating, and Trippier just needs putting out of his misery and ours.

[@vincentbarwell5943]

The main problem that i see with england is that kane foden and belljngham all roam the pitch you cannot have 3 roaming players

[@adamstansfield9437]

I think the trippier stuff is correct! But I think no one talks about how long it takes us to get the ball to him, and how little space there is to pass into by the time he gets the ball.

[@Boemher890]

Why do England force the play down the left? In 1st game they played down the right with success, then there was lots of criticism from Press then England, to make a point, overload the left to show 'balance'.

[@ashleygoggs5679]

the answer is simple. left is our weakest side, the opposition is putting saka out of play becuase they know its the strongest side this is in turn forcing england to play to the left.

[@Sophienfreya]

Walker hardly supports Saka too. Very little over lapping runs to help him

[@fatsparr0w525]

The amount of copium on that title is wild

[@Whoami691]

Ruh Roh! Found the foreigner that doesn't understand English self deprication humour! :D Wow, you lot are everywhere aren't you! Watch this- IT'S COMING HOME! Now do you think i meant that? Or was i mocking myself? cmon, speak up kúnt! :)

[@fatsparr0w525]

@@Whoami691 you just seem angry about a random comment on the internet my guy chill lol

[@TIMxisxHERE]

@@Whoami691 Damn, what kind of mental issues do you have?

[@XYZ-tx9id]

@@Whoami691 British people are known for their bad humor.

[@Whoami691]

@@fatsparr0w525 Oh if it was one comment id have no issue. 90% of all comments regarding england are more bs spewed by cretins like that kuumbubble. All of them project their bull like they work in cinema.

[@LiberatedStockTrader]

Top class analysis, thanks mate

[@weeds56]

Love ya work

[@stevendchu]

Southgate is fundamentally, a limited manager tactically. He had great success based of a simple system: -3ATB with at least one DM to provide defensive solidity -threat from set pieces -wingbacks who can cross -Kane dropping deep to play runners in behind to compensate for a lack of creative mids -as well as two gift wrapped easy knockout paths in 18 and 21. The losses of Maguire (set piece threat) Shaw (natural width on left) Sterling and Rashford (run in behind) have shown his shortcomings this year and how Gareth really doesn't have a plan B

[@jaybe2908]

Rashford would have caused more threat than what we are showing now, at least he can run and score goals, but why would you take Gordon and then not play him? over players who have experience.

[@kityhawk2000]

I wonder why Shaw was even called up if he's too injured to play. It doesn't matter how good a player is if they are injured they are dead weight in the squad so you might as well pick someone else

[@Anchises]

Trent and Gordon should have been on at half time. Southgate is a criminal.

[@timianalytics7150]

I knew the left side would be their problem even before the start of Euros, I've never coached a team in my life. How I knew that and Southgate didn't see it is beyond me. Southgate is indeed a lucky man😂

[@tonymay999]

Gareth Southgate here, thanks for the tips. Me and Steve Holland will look into the imbalance on the left and ask the players to trust Mainoo a bit more ahead of the Switzerland game. Just kidding, Trips & Foden start and Gallagher is coming back in to shore up the midfield.

[@MINI_JasperJunior]

Just watch us go and win the bloody thing playing like this. 😬 it's the only outcome that makes watching England worth it.

[@jamesduffy7549]

In the 93rd minute I said we either go home tonight or win the whole thing