the last second.
Southgate’s luck continued as England overcame an equally dull side, Holland, in the semi final of the Euros and so will face Spain, the only decent team they will play in the whole tournament.
Just imagine it if Southgate actually started with an XI that contained a player who was willing to play a pass into the box to an England player in a position to score, instead of a bunch of players who are permanently looking for personal glory.
But that old insanity quote about doing the same thing over and over again.
Well, yes he was at it, nobody expected him to change a dull format and he didn’t just replaced the player that replaced the suspended player. Yup, he’s doing that inverted wingback thing again. Amazingly, per 90 minutes Trippier has played more forward balls than either of the players playing on their natural side, Walker and Shaw, who came on for trippier at half-time.
The Dutch had had a go at how boring and crap England had been but this really an attempt to shout “look over there” because they’d been equally as tedious. Gakpo and his one trick keeping them in the tournament.
Amazingly it wasn’t the Liverpool player cutting inside and firing past a befuddled Walker that brought the opening goal. No it was “Xavi”. You gotta have some brass neck to put that name on the back of your shirt and play as crap as he has. Still he hadn’t played England yet, brushing Rice so easily off the ball, he then banged the ball by Walker, who was doing that… look I’m pretending to block the shot while actually getting out of the way because I don’t want the hurty ball to hurt me. Pickford wasn’t exactly at his best either.
England then had all the ball and did their usual routine. Foden cuts in from the left, runs along the edge of the box looking for a chance to shoot, never thinking about playing someone else in. While Bellingham was eating a player, to create space, before deciding he either had to beat that same player again the other way, or do a Scott Parker pirouette. Play a pass into the box, nah.
Saka cuts in from the right runs along the edge of the box looking to take a shot, never to play anyone in. One of his many attempts that didn’t make it past the first defender – weren’t scared to block a shot – fell to Kane, bouncing he took a high shot and his follow through caught the Dutch defender whose high foot was trying to block the shot.
A sore one for sure, but for some reason VAR told the ref to have a second look and you know what that leads to and it did. The ref pointing to the spot. Can’t say Harry looked confident but he put away the spot kick, which was hitting the netting before the Dutch keeper hit the floor.
Soft, very soft, so soft it wasn’t a penalty. Southgate is so lucky. So far Foden, Bellingham and Saka haven’t registered an assist between them.
Get the wingbacks forward. C’mon man. It’s Walker, he does that run fast for a few yards, stop, roll the ball with the sole of his foot, passes it back. The only time he really got forward and put a cross in that found a white shirt, the dolt was offside.
The Dutch were equally inept but could have been well ahead, Dumfries had a couple of free headers from corners, that he should have done a lot better with. Van Dijk could have scored from an excellent free kick, curled into England’s box.
Foden had one shot that came off the post, while a run, that looked offside, was stopped on the line.
Finally, after again watching it not work for the vast majority of the game, Southgate made changes. Palmer and Watkins coming on for Foden and Kane. Another 10 minute outing for Palmer, in which he did more than the others did in far longer. and so it was Plamer played a cracking through ball into the box and Watkins, the Villa man took one touch to get it out of his feet and smacked it in the far post from an angle he had no right to score from. A cracking goal. The clocked had just ticked over to 90.
People now saying Watkins should start, but when did Kane ever receive a ball like that from anyone that’s started the games for England?
Again, the draw worked out so well for Southgate, like last time, again England haven’t played any team of any merit, this Dutch side is one of the worst side in orange we’ve ever seen. I mean, there’s been some Dutch teams lacking in quality players but this lot are England dull with it.
Can Southgate fluke it against this Spain, who have looked by far the best team in the tournament. An actual team, not just star players from big clubs. Well, if they drop off like they did against France – another tediously dull side – in their semi, there’s always that chance because nobody in world football is a lucky as Southgate.