Morning all.
Aaron Ramsdale let one sneak inside the post whilst on England duty last night. He looked, he thought he had it covered whilst probably expecting the shot to go on his other side. It didn’t and one goal was enough to leave he and his team beaten. The critics will be out against our keeper but my goodness, how poor was the defending leading up to the goal? How poor were England in general? Yes, I switched off long before the game ended, feeling rather sorry for fans who paid to go to Wembley.
The usual cliches were voiced after the game like it was more about the performance than the result, England will improve after further training session together and the team will be ready when the competition starts next week. England face Serbia, Denmark and then Slovenia in their group fixtures.
I still think this England squad is lacking one thing. A manager with a personality who allows the players to express their own personality on the pitch. Arsene Wenger in his prime would have this super talented group of players, playing with freedom and belief. Gareth Southgate looks the part, he says all the right things in the “right” way but in my opinion, he lacks a bit of get up and go. I look at him and think school teacher, headmaster, bank manager – not football manager.
Anyway, with news slow, thanks to Arsenal.com, here is a list of all Euros fixtures which Arsenal players are likely to be involved in.
Friday, June 14
Germany (Havertz) v Scotland (Tierney)
Munich | 8pm
Saturday, June 15
Spain (Raya) v Croatia
Berlin | 5pm
Italy (Jorginho) v Albania
Dortmund | 8pm
Sunday, June 16
Poland (Kiwior) v Netherlands
Hamburg | 2pm
Serbia v England (Ramsdale, Rice, Saka)
Gelsenkirchen | 8pm
Monday, June 17
Romania v Ukraine (Zinchenko)
Munich | 2pm
Belgium (Trossard) v Slovakia
Frankfurt | 5pm
Austria v France (Saliba)
Dusseldorf | 8pm
Wednesday, June 19
Germany (Havertz) v Hungary
Stuttgart | 5pm
Scotland (Tierney) v Switzerland
Cologne | 8pm
Thursday, June 20
Denmark v England (Ramsdale, Rice, Saka)
Frankfurt | 5pm
Spain (Raya) v Italy (Jorginho)
Gelsenkirchen | 8pm
Friday, June 21
Slovakia v Ukraine (Zinchenko)
Dusseldorf | 2pm
Poland (Kiwior) v Austria
Berlin | 5pm
Netherlands v France (Saliba)
Leipzig | 8pm
Saturday, June 22
Belgium (Trossard) v Romania
Cologne | 8pm
Sunday, June 23
Germany (Havertz) v Switzerland
Frankfurt | 8pm
Scotland (Tierney) v Hungary
Stuttgart | 8pm
Monday, June 24
Croatia v Italy (Jorginho)
Leipzig | 8pm
Spain (Raya) v Albania
Dusseldorf | 8pm
Tuesday, June 25
France (Saliba) v Poland (Kiwior)
Dortmund | 5pm
England (Ramsdale, Rice, Saka) v Slovenia
Cologne | 8pm
Wednesday, June 26
Ukraine (Zinchenko) v Belgium (Trossard)
Stuttgart | 5pm
I wonder how many of our players will be involved in the July fixtures. Selfishly, not many I hope.
Catch up in the comments.
Not sure that I can get the enthusiasm to watch England , Under Southgate they are so disjointed and have very little flair in their attacking play. I see a team of individuals that are just strung together without any real purpose.
Admittedly many players were omitted last night but no shots on target is a shocking condemnation for a match against Iceland at Wembley.
G’day Rico, I don’t blame Ramsdale for the Iceland goal. Where was our right back (Walker)? Where was the defensive midfielder (Mainoo)? How did Stones let the ball go through his legs? Why, if he was carrying an injury from the earlier tackle, was he even on the pitch?
A comment in one of the morning papers rang true for me, “England looked like a group of players who barely new the names of their team mates”.
At best this wasn’t an experimental eleven, as was the side that played Bosnia a few days ago. The big question is why was Southgate experimenting less than two weeks before the tournament starts? Does he have any idea what his best eleven is? Do the players selected know what their roles are within that team?
Denmark, Serbia and Slovenia don’t at first glance, appear too daunting but last night we were beaten by a side ranked 72 in the World so nothing can be taken for granted.
It will be interesting to see how our makeshift defence copes when we face Slovenia and their prize striker Benjamin Sesko.
Was, not wasn’t.
Hi Cicero, Potter.
Trust me, I didn’t watch much. It was too painful.
All this footballs coming home malarkey is a joke, the only likely coming home is the players and early. Hopefully then the FA will do the decent thing.
Ah yes, I might watch the England v Slovenia but only to see what all the fuss is about Sesko..
England poor again,my 12 year old grandson went with the school so I tuned in,I couldn’t watch for long. He had a great time anyway,wow that was hard going. You have to think they will get better as the tournament goes on,with the players available. As others have said they will do well to get out of the group on recent form.
My pick for the euros is Germany (I notice Kai Havertz scored last night)
I just hope Arsenal players come through unscathed.
Good afternoon Rico and all
So England lost 0-1 to Iceland again. The goal was scored around the 12th minute. Where was Maguire when England needed him?? Then Saka appeared in the 65th minute and at the end of the match the first player mentioned by the pundits was YEP you guessed right…..Our own Star boy Saka.
Afternoon Rico and all.
Maybe these players are playing like crap because they are all tied and need a dam good rest and time with there family.
Afternoon Rico and comrades…
Thanks for the fixture list Rico.
I may not watch any England games this tournament, a first for me. As long as that loser and his useless coaching staff are running things England will achieve zero.
Still, our own Ben White is having a lovely holiday…
Amazing how many people are now saying that White has done the right thing and they don’t blame him.
Afternoon Guys.
Maguire isn’t fit Devil.
Kev, there’s always the cricket. 😂
That’s interesting re White. I’m sure he’ll play for England once Southgate and his staff are gone.
Germany or France for me Limey, glad your grandson had a great time, someone had to. 😝
Kev I’m so happy for Ben White. He is a man apart.
I have been saying since we started pursuing Rice, halfway through the previous season, that Southgate would be wise to take advantage of an Arsenal spine.. from Ramsdale, through Ben White (after apologising to get him to return), then Declan , through Saka… to utilise their familiarity as an edge to use more Arsenal style play..
If he added them to some Manchester City players who play a similar style, he could have a majority of the 11 who can press and combine better than any national team out there.
John Stones, Walker, Foden all come from the similar system.
Most people use the word disjointed as a description of what the team is now using Pickford and Mcguire … no wonder there’s no fluidity.
The next England manager should take advantage of the City and Arsenal players. Pep and Arteta have done all the hard work in training them to this high level.
I was only joking about Maguire Rico. With him or without him the script remains the same.
The earlier our players return from the Euros the better. Cant wait to see England, Germany, France out of the Euros while Brazil go home asap
Yeah, his girlfriend took some pics of her and Ben on holiday and put them on TikTok I think. Good for him…
Yes Nigel, using a core of players from Man City and Arsenal seems too obvious for Southgate, but makes sense.
Yes Rico, England are chasing 202 but have lost two wickets. It’s going to be a tight finish.
Brazil? When did Brazil become part of Europe?
Good start Kev but then a collapse… ☹️
I did wonder Devil.
The less players who play for England the better imo…
I turned over when Jacks got out Rico, the run rate was climbing and our batting, bowling and fielding hasn’t been up to scratch. Too many of our cricketers believe their own headlines without doing it on the field first. We must beat Oman and Namibia and should just about creep through but it’s not been that impressive. We need to take a leaf out of the way Australia field and defend a score.
Bad bowling at the start Kev, too many deliveries were easy for their openers to batter for six on the short boundary. Once they changed tact, mixed it up a bit, the wickets came. That opening Aussie spell did the damage..
Good Morning Rico and all
I found the following about Ben White……..
Arsenal right full-back Ben White expressed his indifference towards playing football for both his club and national team. He stated that if any coach disrespects him, he wouldn’t beg for a call-up or a starting spot to play football.
Instead, if any (coach) who sees his capabilities he would always do his best to help (his teammates) achieve what’s expected.
In a candid conversation, Ben revealed that if he weren’t a footballer, he would likely be working with his dad, who was a gardener.
This revelation provides insight into Ben’s upbringing, where there was never any pressure on him because he would have been content with a career in gardening.
Ben’s passion for football goes beyond personal satisfaction; it’s about making a positive impact on those around him.
He plays not just for people who trust him, knowing that their happiness depends on his performance. He plays not just for individuals but for the fans and the people who love football, always seeking to bring joy to those who support him. His selfless approach to the game is a testament to his dedication and love for the beautiful game.
Ben White: “I’d probably be working with my dad if I wasn’t a footballer. He used to be a gardener. I think that’s why there was never any pressure on me growing up, because I would have been very happy with that.”
Some people might call that lack of professionalism or lack of ambition. I call it self care and preservation and good mental health
Southgate has many options, but the question remains, “Was he ever going to play Ben White, or he just needed him as cover for his preferred players.
Ben white is a man with his standards, and doesn’t consider himself an option in life.
Southgate’s loss – Arsenal gain.
I see that Serbia won 3-0 in Sweden so they are in good form going into next Sunday.
I didn’t see see the start of the Aussie innings Rico but 70 odd runs in 6 overs don’t strike me as England having much, if any control. So much for our much trumpeted attack, an attack that Scotland had been milking before it rained…
Interesting to read Ian Wright regarding the England performance and who he thinks is being set up to take the blame among the players – and it’s not golden boy Cole Palmer.
England improved apparently when Saka came on but the media all love Palmer so he’s going to escape criticism, but Bakayo? Well we all know how that story ends don’t we, not least because he plays for Arsenal.
Morning Devil. I think I’ve seen that before. Personally, I don’t understand all the fuss behind him rejecting England. It’s his life, his choice.
Limey, doesn’t bode well for England…
Kev, 70 off 6 wasn’t bad considering they were 25 off 2. Lol
Jacks, one of our spinners, bowled one over early on and went for 22 runs, need I say he took no wickets and no further part in the bowling. He almost half made up for it by hitting ten runs of ten balls before being caught by Stoinis. Frankly, I could not care less, it’s not proper cricket is it?
I love it. 😂
I’m a traditionist, Rico. 😉
I know Cicero… 😂
Good morning Rico and all
It seems that Havertz is going to be Germany’s focal number 9. I really hope he does well and scores a good number of goals, has a good amount of assists and is a good all round focal point. I think that Germany and Italy will be the surprise package of the Euros.
Martinelli and Haverts have scored for their respective countries. And both played well again.
So going onto next year will our attack remain Martinelli, Havertz and Saka, with Trossard, Nketiah, Nelson and Jesus as backups?? Arteta might go out and buy a well established CF but where does that leave KH??? If Sesko arrives Kai will not want to play 2nd fiddle and I dont see Sesko coming to play 2nd fiddle. I think that eventually Nketiah, Nelson and Jesus will be sold and two other forwards will be bought unless Arteta promotes someone like Biereth from within. I think that Arteta will use Biereth during pre season to check on Biereeth before making a decision. Jesus and Nketiah are similar imo so I guess one (or may be both) will be sold and another forward bought as an alternative.
It all depends on whether or not Arteta trusts the players enough to rotate.
The rotation question and usage of the squad remains one of the
major questions against Arteta
A cursory look at the appearance figures which admittedly do not clarify between starts and substitutions show that in the 38 league matches 10 players had over 30 games with a further 6 exceeding 22 ,.
Obviously injury and suspensions have their effect but it does seem that Arteta knows his first team and only a handful get called on when required. The rest only getting on in dire emergency.
Elneny and Soares are off , we know that , but ESR , Nelson , Partey, Vieira and Ramsdale all had less than 15 ,mostly as subs and must be up for replacement in his mind.
Morning Devil, Potter.
New post up.
I’m waiting until 30th August. See who we have or don’t have then.
Good news is that Porto are reported to want Vieira back…