>>10260
Something I observed about Holland yesterday is that they had a few very choreographed moves that were brilliant and came out of nowhere. They'd be passing the ball around midfield, completely aimlessly, then at some point all their players would be in the perfect positions for one of their moves, and with three passes in two seconds, they were one-on-one with the goalie. It didn't result in a goal, but I predict it would against England.

>>10260

>Spain are the only team objectively playing well.

Right. They've been playing well, whereas we have for the most part only been doing well. There's a difference. We've managed to walk off the pitch without being sent home so far. That isn't necessarily the same as being a good team.

I wanted France to beat Spain, and they really, comprehensively didn't. At least this makes tomorrow's other semi-final a win-win: either England reach the final, yeah, whoo, or they'll play France in an outstanding third-place playoff match and I can just skip the final.

>>10263

I've got my money on Spain winning the title. They play a pretty tight game, with few weaknesses, if any. I haven't seen England play even half as good.

England have to win. It will complete my personal summer hattrick of: best mate married, Conservatism dead (forever) and, certainly, the England football team winning a major tournament. These things come in threes, you see. Plus, it would just be dead funny to actually win it after what has, at least given what we see on the pitch, been Southgate's worst tournament in charge. However, that's still miles better than what basically any other England coach has achieved during my brief fling with consciousness, if we're being fair.

>>10265

>England have to win. It will complete my personal summer hattrick

Seems a bit selfish.

I don't not understand why we were given a penalty. Oh well.

IT'S FUCKING COMING HOME LADS!

☑ England playing well.
☑ Southgate's substitutions paying off.

Football is definitely coming home.

>>10266
Maybe, but I'm owed this.

>>10268
>>10269
National renaissance confirmed.

Just for the sake of being contrarian, I still think Spain will win. England were actually playing well tonight, granted. But it takes more than one good game to beat a team like Spain, who have consistently shown prowess from day one of the group stage.

>>10267
I wouldn't have given it either, but from what I have been able to research, apparently it's a penalty if you foul an opposing striker in the box even if he doesn't have the ball, which Harry Kane definitely didn't after kicking it away.

>>10269
I hope I remembered to joke out loud that Gareth Southgate was holding England back under the Conservatives to then unlock them under Keir Starmer. As a theory, it's obviously gibberish, and yet you can't deny that that is precisely what has happened.

>>10272

Labour winning a sweeping majority and England in the Euro final. If you'd told anybody in 2019, they would have thought you were mad.

I mean, eventually a handover of power from one party to the other is almost inevitable on a long enough time scale. But we've truly gone down a fascinating parallel universe now. Where that time scale is actually long enough to give England a chance at a title.

>>10271
England are starting to peak at just the right time. Believe in the process.

>>10272
I'm sure I heard that Starmer has told journalists England haven't missed a single penalty since Labour came to power.

>Keir Starmer has backed calls for a bank holiday if England wins the Euro 2020 final on Sunday. The Labour leader, an Arsenal fan, season ticket holder and five-a-side player, has told The Mirror: “If we win on Sunday, the country should get the chance to celebrate it properly with an extra bank holiday, granted in the name of the England team. I’ve got a strong feeling, it’s coming home.” There are stories across the papers today about how government

https://labourlist.org/2021/07/labour-calls-for-bank-holiday-if-england-win-and-for-sulky-tory-not-to-watch-final/

Don't forget, there's a bank holiday at stake if we win.

>>10275
You living in a time warp lad?

>>10276
If Keir backed a bank holiday for Euro 2020 it means he has to back a bank holiday for Euro 2024. The precedent is set.

https://sports.ladbrokes.com/news/euro-2024-betting-odds/

>EURO 2024 Betting Odds: England no longer the favourites

>England are no longer the favourites to win Euro 2024 this weekend, according to the bookies.

>Heading into the quarter-finals, England were seen by the bookies as the front-runners to win the competition, but have now been overtaken by Spain, despite being Switzerland on penalties and the Netherlands in normal time to make it to the final.

>Spain are now the favourites, as noted, after beating Germany in extra-time to secure their spot in the semi-finals and then France to reach the final. As the in-form team so far at Euro 2024, the bookies feel they've got the best chance at going all the way and winning the final on Sunday evening.


We'll see. But they've got a point.

Apparently I've just been cockblocked by a 'famous' football player. I don't recognise him from PL but might have missed him.

About 5'9, mixed race lad, curly short hair, nothing special to look at. Any ideas? If it doesn't leap out at you then he's probably some fifth tier wanker. Either way, he got lairy at me.

>>10280
I know you were probably bladdered when you wrote this, but even assuming an encyclopedic knowledge of the English football pyramid I'd be sceptical of someone being able to figure out who gave you shit last night.

>>10281
I was going to suggest Kyle Walker, but he's in Germany right now.

>>10280
>About 5'9, mixed race lad, curly short hair, nothing special to look at. Any ideas?

That narrows it down a bit, did he have a daft haircut too? I hope you told him to fuck off.

>>10280
Also, where do you live? That would help to narrow it down a lot, because I doubt any Brentford players would go out in Bristol or Middlesbrough.

Two more hours, and England will either make Euro history or have their arses handed to them.

I've still got my money on Spain.

>>10285
I'm starting to believe, which I didn't before the semi-finals. It's the hope that kills you.

Fuck me, Spain are good. If England win this it'll be such a jammy victory.

30 minutes in, and the game is clearly lacking pace a bit.

>>10287
>>10288
>the game is clearly lacking pace a bit

This is what worries me because England are the worse team on technique.

>>10287
Spain have had more of the ball but haven't done a great deal with it. England don't seem shaky in defence for once.

1 - 0 to England. We're going to shithouse it.

Rodri neutralised.

Well, that's us fucked.

>>10292
How many times have England come from behind this tournament?

Thanks for nothing, Agent 47.

England's gameplay is still listless and unrefined. At least compared to Spain, who are proving their technical prowess yet again.

England losing this would not be on a fluke for Spain.

Well done England. Arguably a spectacular goal.

Following England is nothing if not a rollercoaster ride.

Called it. Spain wins.

>>10299


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w3_PZh0IR4

Was Walker responsible for every goal England conceded during the Euros?

Hopefully Southgate won't stay on for the World Cup.

Jokes aside, it's no disgrace to come in 2nd to a fantastic team.

So by the sounds of things, it didn't come home.

I'm not terribly bothered by last night's final. It's disappointing, but only barely. Now, that's admittedly because I don't care that much about football, but also because, like, I suspect, a lot of other people, I'd accepted the certain death of this England side during their languid, inglorious, belly-crawl to the semi-final. Compound that with Spain being head and shoulders above every other team at the competition, and it's not remotely as galling as watching a 12 year old Saka miss his penalty in the previous European final. I'd tell you how I felt about England's Qatar World Cup performance, but I can barely remember a thing about that tournament.

>>10304
I think most people would have been happy with England getting knocked out of the tournament earlier if it meant we were playing entertaining football. Apart from the first half against the Dutch it was uninspiring dross from a team capable of playing much better.

Kane was clearly out of sorts all the way through and he wasn't the only one. Taking no left-back other than Luke Shaw meant we offered no real threat down that flank because Trippier would always take an extra touch so he could be on his preferred foot. Foden is a system player and this wasn't the right system for him, Palmer brought so much more to the team but barely got on the pitch. Trent in midfield might have worked if he was able to ping balls to runners, but everyone in front of him wanted the ball to their feet and Southgate decided to sub him off when he did actually bring runners on. Walker should have been dropped, but Southgate was far too rigid. Grealish should have been there instead of someone like Bowen as he could have been an outlet when the pressure was on. England only ever attempted to play football when they'd gone behind.

I really enjoyed the match last night. I don’t agree that entertaining football is better than winning; what I really want is something fresh and new to happen, and what would be more unexpected than England winning a tournament? I would have been happy with England doing a Greece 2004 or a Denmark 1992. And when the chips were down and we reached the later stages, we did start playing well.

I also had quite a bizarre experience watching the match in a pub where everyone else there knew less than I do about football. I don’t know Konsa’s first name, nor who he plays for, but the people around me were really all hipsters who seemed to be watching their first ever match. Pass to Jude Bellingham when he’s on the halfway line and being marked by four Spanish defenders? Oh, how they cheered the great chance England had in that situation, every time it happened. But I guess we didn’t have that many clear-cut opportunities to score.

Besides, it’s all my fault we lost. I did the thing you must never do: I believed.

Spain were playing consistently good football throughout the entire tournament. There wasn't a single lacklustre game for them. And then you had England with a much more patchy performance from the beginning of group stage all the way through most of the finals. They really only came into their own the last two or three matches. There was hope that that positive trend would continue, but as we've seen, consistency is a better predictor for success than a trajectory from mediocre to quite decent.

>>10307
Portugal won 2016 while being dogshit the entire tournament.

>>10308

I'm not saying it can't be done. Just that your odds are better if you keep playing well.

>>10308
Yeah, but they did get Wales in the semi. Belgium would have hammered them had they not hit that particular banana peel.

Southgate has resigned. And I thought the other posters on this site were acting really gay. You bloody pussy, Gareth.