World Cup. England's chances.

[alexbach]

Comiserations to my English friends and big up Nikolja and Maja
Team that only scores from set pieces and penalties were always going to be found out

[hoofer2]

Tactically poor from Southgate. It was obvious that the game was slipping away from us at least 15 minutes before Croatia equalised. Particularly as they pushed up to stop us playing out of the back and virtually every long goal kick gave possession away.

I was shouting at the TV for a change - formation, personnel, just something to give us a chance of regaining control.

Southgate does nothing and they equalise. How can someone who has played and managed at a high level not see that the game was slipping away, even when we were still leading? Or is he just too cautious and scared of being proactive?

I think that England were very wedded to a Plan A of playing 3 at the back with two wing-backs and that both Southgate and Holland were very reluctant to change it. We didn’t really have the personnel to do so either although I would have put on Loftus-Cheek for Alli to give us more presence in midfield and to push Madrid and Rakitic back. We lacked the presence of a playmaker, someone like Lailana, Oxlade-Chamberlain or the Wilshere of 5 years ago, maybe even Shelvey (although I’m not totally convinced by him).

Subs in most matches were brought on too late to make a difference. Very suprised Sterling was taken off as Ali clearly struggling. Danny Rose definitely needed to come on mid way through second half as would have taken ball forward more.
Im surprised Wellbeck experience playing wide was not called upon more. Maybe could have been brought on for Alli.

All ifs and buts. A switch to 4 4 2 would have given something for Croatia to deal with. As had the players on pitch to play that formation.

All in all a young squad over achieved and now have tournament experience. I agreed with Roy Keane's assessment brutal but true. We need to improve in final 3rd if we are to progress. We gave finally cottoned onto the fact the team is greater than the individual parts - why Wales and Northern Ireland have over performed based on population

[mcleod23]

Some enjoyment and buzz into watching England again which I suppose is what we all wanted. A few bits from the tournament for me:

- Lack the midfield class of a Modric/Pogba (could Phil Foden under the stewardship of Pep be that player in time to keep things moving in the middle?).
- Lack of striking options - apart from Kane, no one comes near up top.
- Depth - how many on the bench really could come on and make a difference?

There are million other bits we could all discuss, but for me those are the key areas.

[ricardobee]

I think most would have taken a semi-final appearance before all of this kicked off but a great disappointment that we didn't make the final, especially after the first half last night. As others have said we certainly miss a play-maker, a Glen Hoddle. Somebody to play alongside Kane, Sterling might be fast but there is no end product. And yes there's not to much to come off the subs bench. But well done to Southgate and the team for bringing back some respectability to English football after the crap that Hodgson produced, I don't think that Iceland game will ever be forgotten.
I only hope that certain members of this English team don't end up sitting on the subs bench while some foreign players, earning a fortune, are preferred. If this does happen, semi-finals might just become a dream again

[becbee]

For years I have found watching England to be a tedious bore. Pre tournament I was so disinterested that I booked to go away on holiday during it.
However this World Cup has been so different. A breath of fresh air. We have had players on the pitch who have played like a team, they and their manager have shown unity and showed us that they cared, so in return have made us supporters care. They have made us change our plans so as to be in front of a TV set. They have made non football fans care.
It's a shame we couldn't do it last night but as others have said, none of us expected to get this far anyway. Let's all be proud of our team, proud to be English and look forward to next month when the important stuff starts!

[buzzinbee]

From someone who didn't give an FA about the national side since the 90s, I really enjoyed our Russia, football journey.

Good to see a young English manager doing well and allowed to implement his tactics, compared to the usual boring prehistoric dinosaurs.

Yes, we overachieved and yes, back to the reality of underachieving football!

Looking forward to Wembley 2020, wonder if any of the other home national sides will even qualify can watch it on their tellys like this competition!

[hoofer2]

For years I have found watching England to be a tedious bore. Pre tournament I was so disinterested that I booked to go away on holiday during it.
However this World Cup has been so different. A breath of fresh air. We have had players on the pitch who have played like a team, they and their manager have shown unity and showed us that they cared, so in return have made us supporters care. They have made us change our plans so as to be in front of a TV set. They have made non football fans care.
It's a shame we couldn't do it last night but as others have said, none of us expected to get this far anyway. Let's all be proud of our team, proud to be English and look forward to next month when the important stuff starts!

Gareth Southgate has drawn from his own experience as an England player and tournament football. And this first hand experience has benefited his approach to the national game and the fact that
he can now put that penalty miss is behind him.

What is very refreshing that prior to becoming the England manager, he also saw success at U21 level, and similar success is being experienced at other levels.

What will kill / hamper progress of England team is whether Premier League teams are prepared to play England players in their first XI, with a preference instead to sign average overseas players.

We are lacking strikers in particular and I hope players who are not getting game time have the fortitude to look elsewhere to gain match time especially in Europe.

If Ademola Lookman is not getting a chance in another woeful Everton team, push for a move to Bundesliga - extend your horizons. Don't settle for remaining a squad player on an inflated salary for
3 years waiting for the breakthrough that never comes.

[NoMagRyan]

Looking ahead, my main concern is that England doesn't seem to have a creative midfielder. Maybe Ox can fill that role in the years to come?

[mcleod23]

Ox Chamberlin is worse than Lingard and Alli. Need a technical player in there, not another pacy, stepover merchant.

If Lallana could play centrally, he could do that.

[NoMagRyan]

Ox Chamberlin is worse than Lingard and Alli. Need a technical player in there, not another pacy, stepover merchant.

If Lallana could play centrally, he could do that.

Just thinking out loud really, thought he played well towards the end of the season.

Anyway we'll see what happens at the Euros. Who could have predicted this England line-up after the Iceland game?

[Mickbee]

Comiserations to my English friends and big up Nikolja and Maja
Team that only scores from set pieces and penalties were always going to be found out

Doesn't matter how you score, our problems were always going to be at the other end, the two goals conceded last night sadly highlighted this. Both would have been prevented by proper defenders who can concentrate for longer than 5 minutes. Greece won the 2004 Euros on the back of defence and scoring from set pieces.
I would suggest that the same could have been said of our defence last season.

[Psycho]

I can't bring myself today to think what if we'd made subs earlier, pushed out to make it more difficult for Croatia. Perisic was unbelievable for them.

To know we were just over twenty minutes from making our first ever World Cup final on foreign soil. Its absolutely gut-wrenching.

I just hope we bring home bronze medals for beating Belgium, mentally we must be shot to pieces though.

So proud of our young Lions.

[ninestein]

If we can somehow muster a win against Belgium (in what will probably be another reserve match for both sides), we can at least say we've done slightly better than Italia 90, and therefore it would rank as our second best ever World Cup finish. Also, having this game so quickly afterwards might just give some of the players a chance to run off their frustrations of last night, as opposed to waiting a couple of months until the next international. The healing process can start earlier.

[Psycho]

I don't get people that say they'll prefer to watch a Wimbledon tennis final than a meaningless third place match. They're usually high scoring, care free matches that illuminate what the semi-finalists have achieved.

I still remember Peter Shilton's last ever match in Italia '90 and making a huge mistake for Italy's first goal, before David Platt levelled through Tony Dorigo's beautiful cross and then Italy being awarded a very dodgy penalty. Being very young, I was heartbroken for a second time in three days! Let's win those bronze medals this time and give the players something to treasure forever.

Edit: Sir Gareth Southgate was born and bred in Crawley. If he or his lookalike revisits everyone will turn out when he's back in England!

[Norfolk & Chance]

I will watch but if if it's another back pass and sideways pass fest then I might not watch for long.
In the last minute of added time in extra time we were faffing about passing around the back three when just hoofing it up might have been more productive.
A massive missed opportunity and if it takes another 28 years to get to a semi, I doubt I'll be here to witness it.
That's partly why I'm so gutted, these chances don't come along too often.