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England Women, Champions of Europe


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Who would have thought that a Spanish side would turn up as cannon fodder and politely roll over? Only a fool. They were more than prepared and had a really solid gameplan that showed England up in a poor light for much of the match. Having run away with the group games we suddenly had to face a genuine team with talent and determination. They knew that the midfield pair of Walsh and Stanway were key to going forwards and they were suffocated. We didn't have anything like as much possession time and consequently found attacking difficult. The supply was cut off radically. Result: the likes of White, Hemp and Mead were left spectating for too long; Kirby didn't fare much better. And that is how you stop England.

I was impressed (but not surprised) by Spain's approach - they were quick, neat and lively. Just like the men's team. In the end it was as much about effort and stamina as talent. They had all the means to go through, but they can be proud of their work tonight. They will build on this. In particular I will pick out Bonmati as the pick of a thoroughly effective midfield - she was a constant presence and controlled a lot of what happened.

With the England front line not having much of a sniff, some short-comings were highlighted. White is a great finisher with a (Lineker-esque) nose for goal but is not the target (wo)man that Russo can be. The latter is more the battering ram centre forward. Hemp was widely proclaimed as the wing wizzard but had hardly any input. Mead on the opposite flank seems a little out of position.

Meanwhile, the defence had a busy night. Rachel Daly (a striker for Houston) plays as left back - quite a step for Weigman to explain. However, even though her poor challenge for the Spanish goal was bad, she was not as unweildy as Greenwood when she replaced her. Millie Bright was dominant when called for; Williamson was a quiet but assured partner.

I fear there will be pages of newprint in Spain about the substitutions made by the coach. They did change the flow of the play. Weigman trumped him. But the pain is in Spain tonight; they deserved more but sometimes football goes like that.

So, one decent whack and England go through to the Semis. Tonight has been a real wake-up that hopefully will bring a greater focus to the camp. They might play the winner of the Germanic derby, Austria v Germany (Brentford). If the lessons are learned this Lioness side could just win it all yet.

As a sporting spectacle, it must be said that the standard of play and competitiveness is higher than ever before. The women's game at international level is impressing many previously indifferent fans. Can it be that the girls are putting the nation through the mill just like the men? Who would have thought?

Edited by Erithacus
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8 minutes ago, slartibartfast said:

Are there fanzones, are the pubs packed out, are there cars driving round with England flags.................does anyone care, really ?

I had a bowls match this evening and couldn’t wait to get home to watch the Lionesses. I was delighted it went to extra time.

The Spaniards were pretty good I thought but their substitutions was an error my their manager whereas England’s substitutions made a significant difference - that’s what turned the game.

Yeah, I do care about England doing well, not just In woman's football but any sport.

Edited by Robbored
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23 minutes ago, slartibartfast said:

Are there fanzones, are the pubs packed out, are there cars driving round with England flags.................does anyone care, really ?

I think the size of the crowds at the games would indicate a fast growing level of interest. Don't know the viewing figures but imagine they are pretty good. 

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1 hour ago, ChippenhamRed said:

Have a night off. Plenty of us are able to enjoy the women’s game without this bizarre need to drag it down all the time.

And, yes, when that winner hit the back of the net I really cared, and so did my son who was enjoying the game by my side.

Good for you, all I'm saying is the media (especially BBC) are trying to hype it up to a level that matches the men's game (i.e. EVERYONE is interested). What really does it for me is when they went on about the girl being second only to Rooney's record of scoring for England ! Apples & Oranges .

Edited by slartibartfast
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5 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

Good for you, all I'm saying is the media (especially BBC) are trying to hype it up to a level that matches the men's game (i.e. EVERYONE is interested). What really does it for me is when they went on about the girl being second only to Rooney's record of scoring for England ! Apples & Oranges .

That’s just the BBC complying with equality.

I do agree with your “apples and oranges” comment tho and it applies to cricket and rugby as well.

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6 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

Good for you, all I'm saying is the media (especially BBC) are trying to hype it up to a level that matches the men's game (i.e. EVERYONE is interested). What really does it for me is when they went on about the girl being second only to Rooney's record of scoring for England ! Apples & Oranges .

Would you rather they downplayed it and reminded everyone at home that womens football isn’t as popular?  Isn’t this an inferiority complex? 

Edited by Tinmans Love Child
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7 hours ago, Davefevs said:

⬇️⬇️⬇️

Said to my dad that it reminded me of Bobby Charlton’s goal v Portugal in WC66 S-F.

One of my favourite goals..  Bobby's own description "they're letting me run here, if they let me run another 5 yards, I'm going to hit it. They did, so I did" :)

 

https://youtu.be/KMogutv63NI

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7 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

Good for you, all I'm saying is the media (especially BBC) are trying to hype it up to a level that matches the men's game (i.e. EVERYONE is interested). What really does it for me is when they went on about the girl being second only to Rooney's record of scoring for England ! Apples & Oranges .

I bet you’re a right laugh.

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9 hours ago, Erithacus said:

Who would have thought that a Spanish side would turn up as cannon fodder and politely roll over? Only a fool. They were more than prepared and had a really solid gameplan that showed England up in a poor light for much of the match. Having run away with the group games we suddenly had to face a genuine team with talent and determination. They knew that the midfield pair of Walsh and Stanway were key to going forwards and they were suffocated. We didn't have anything like as much possession time and consequently found attacking difficult. The supply was cut off radically. Result: the likes of White, Hemp and Mead were left spectating for too long; Kirby didn't fare much better. And that is how you stop England.

I was impressed (but not surprised) by Spain's approach - they were quick, neat and lively. Just like the men's team. In the end it was as much about effort and stamina as talent. They had all the means to go through, but they can be proud of their work tonight. They will build on this. In particular I will pick out Bonmati as the pick of a thoroughly effective midfield - she was a constant presence and controlled a lot of what happened.

With the England front line not having much of a sniff, some short-comings were highlighted. White is a great finisher with a (Lineker-esque) nose for goal but is not the target (wo)man that Russo can be. The latter is more the battering ram centre forward. Hemp was widely proclaimed as the wing wizzard but had hardly any input. Mead on the opposite flank seems a little out of position.

Meanwhile, the defence had a busy night. Rachel Daly (a striker for Houston) plays as left back - quite a step for Weigman to explain. However, even though her poor challenge for the Spanish goal was bad, she was not as unweildy as Greenwood when she replaced her. Millie Bright was dominant when called for; Williamson was a quiet but assured partner.

She's been reading LJ's book "Team selections to baffle fans".

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It seems to me that the substitutions for both sides changed the game, Spain after having 70% of the game and being technically superior, made the wrong ones, and England after being outplayed, suddenly showed the skill and momentum, after changing things.  The Spain manager needs to have a long hard look at himself, after snatching defeat from the hands of victory? Well done England, that was a almighty display of guts to turn it around..............but personally i don'tt think they will win it.  But at least they showed that they deserve to be in Europe's top four women's teams

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9 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

Good for you, all I'm saying is the media (especially BBC) are trying to hype it up to a level that matches the men's game (i.e. EVERYONE is interested). What really does it for me is when they went on about the girl being second only to Rooney's record of scoring for England ! Apples & Oranges .

The BBC's hype is no different to something like Wimbledon, for which I would suggest public interest in is not much different, it's not often they get any decent sport to show these days!

You also need to remember that not EVERYONE is interested in the men's team. You are, and subsequently most of the people you know are, but not everybody.

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9 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

Good for you, all I'm saying is the media (especially BBC) are trying to hype it up to a level that matches the men's game (i.e. EVERYONE is interested). What really does it for me is when they went on about the girl being second only to Rooney's record of scoring for England ! Apples & Oranges .

It does make me laugh when even the most mundane of saves by women goalkeepers are described as if  a mixture of Alisson and Courtois at their finest.......women goalkeepers have most definitely improved markedly.........but still looks a weakness in women's football. IMHO.   But i am certain it will continue to improve.

Edited by maxjak
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10 hours ago, Erithacus said:

Who would have thought that a Spanish side would turn up as cannon fodder and politely roll over? Only a fool. They were more than prepared and had a really solid gameplan that showed England up in a poor light for much of the match. Having run away with the group games we suddenly had to face a genuine team with talent and determination. They knew that the midfield pair of Walsh and Stanway were key to going forwards and they were suffocated. We didn't have anything like as much possession time and consequently found attacking difficult. The supply was cut off radically. Result: the likes of White, Hemp and Mead were left spectating for too long; Kirby didn't fare much better. And that is how you stop England.

I was impressed (but not surprised) by Spain's approach - they were quick, neat and lively. Just like the men's team. In the end it was as much about effort and stamina as talent. They had all the means to go through, but they can be proud of their work tonight. They will build on this. In particular I will pick out Bonmati as the pick of a thoroughly effective midfield - she was a constant presence and controlled a lot of what happened.

With the England front line not having much of a sniff, some short-comings were highlighted. White is a great finisher with a (Lineker-esque) nose for goal but is not the target (wo)man that Russo can be. The latter is more the battering ram centre forward. Hemp was widely proclaimed as the wing wizzard but had hardly any input. Mead on the opposite flank seems a little out of position.

Meanwhile, the defence had a busy night. Rachel Daly (a striker for Houston) plays as left back - quite a step for Weigman to explain. However, even though her poor challenge for the Spanish goal was bad, she was not as unweildy as Greenwood when she replaced her. Millie Bright was dominant when called for; Williamson was a quiet but assured partner.

I fear there will be pages of newprint in Spain about the substitutions made by the coach. They did change the flow of the play. Weigman trumped him. But the pain is in Spain tonight; they deserved more but sometimes football goes like that.

So, one decent whack and England go through to the Semis. Tonight has been a real wake-up that hopefully will bring a greater focus to the camp. They might play the winner of the Germanic derby, Austria v Germany (Brentford). If the lessons are learned this Lioness side could just win it all yet.

As a sporting spectacle, it must be said that the standard of play and competitiveness is higher than ever before. The women's game at international level is impressing many previously indifferent fans. Can it be that the girls are putting the nation through the mill just like the men? Who would have thought?

Its a bit different. Daly doesnt play as a centre forward, she plays as a false nine. She also plays wing back.

If you look at the goal England lost the ball playing out. They are not effecient playing through the first third. Players dont drop in to create options and numerical superiority. Bronze is very good on the ball but was struggling all night as what was in front of her was playing in concrete sox. Northern Ireland had some success stopping England, and another level Spain had a lot of success playing with an overload in the centre out of possession v players that were static. Spains goal came from Mead failing to come short and Spain knicking the ball. That was coming all night, its not great defending but it was a collective error, Daly was left isoloated 1v1 after England lost the ball and players didnt get back in shape. Bronze was isolated on numerous occassions by team mates not getting goal side. or tucking in..

Mead and Hemp turned over alot of possession all night, far too much. They were not that keen on defending the possession they lost.

Bright was superb, and needed to be. You dont play that badly and win twice. I doubt they will be that poor again. 

Edited by Cowshed
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10 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

Are there fanzones, are the pubs packed out, are there cars driving round with England flags.................does anyone care, really ?

Come on, old fella!  That first goal was like Whitehead swinging it over in to the mixer, Cheese getting up above the centre back - and getting a little elbow in the cb's mush to boot - and nodding it down to Tom timing his run perfect who knocks it in the old onion bag (or: Gavin, Turner, Taylor). Proper old school football. Only difference - beyond the reproductive parts - between then and now was the whiging about the elbow in the mush, but we can't have it all

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17 minutes ago, maxjak said:

It does make me laugh when even the most mundane of saves by women goalkeepers are described as if  a mixture of Alisson and Courtois at their finest.......women goalkeepers have most definitely improved markedly.........but still looks a weakness in women's football. IMHO.   But i am certain it will continue to improve.

Goal sizes are designed for male player dimensions. Females tend to be shorter and have less explosivity when it comes to jumping. That means that female keepers generally need to play closer to their line in order to avoid being caught out by a lobbed shot.

This can make them look less dominant than their male equivalent and also means that there are shots that a man would reach, that a woman will not.

Also:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/07/19/womens-euros-2022-goalkeeping-goals-sexism/

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11 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

Are there fanzones, are the pubs packed out, are there cars driving round with England flags.................does anyone care, really ?

Sorry to make you look even worse, but all the Boxpark venues were packed out as usual last night and ADDITIONAL fanzones are being sorted for Tuesdays semi final, including a 5,000 fan zone in Trafalgar Square

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10 hours ago, Erithacus said:

Who would have thought that a Spanish side would turn up as cannon fodder and politely roll over? Only a fool. They were more than prepared and had a really solid gameplan that showed England up in a poor light for much of the match. Having run away with the group games we suddenly had to face a genuine team with talent and determination. They knew that the midfield pair of Walsh and Stanway were key to going forwards and they were suffocated. We didn't have anything like as much possession time and consequently found attacking difficult. The supply was cut off radically. Result: the likes of White, Hemp and Mead were left spectating for too long; Kirby didn't fare much better. And that is how you stop England.

I was impressed (but not surprised) by Spain's approach - they were quick, neat and lively. Just like the men's team. In the end it was as much about effort and stamina as talent. They had all the means to go through, but they can be proud of their work tonight. They will build on this. In particular I will pick out Bonmati as the pick of a thoroughly effective midfield - she was a constant presence and controlled a lot of what happened.

With the England front line not having much of a sniff, some short-comings were highlighted. White is a great finisher with a (Lineker-esque) nose for goal but is not the target (wo)man that Russo can be. The latter is more the battering ram centre forward. Hemp was widely proclaimed as the wing wizzard but had hardly any input. Mead on the opposite flank seems a little out of position.

Meanwhile, the defence had a busy night. Rachel Daly (a striker for Houston) plays as left back - quite a step for Weigman to explain. However, even though her poor challenge for the Spanish goal was bad, she was not as unweildy as Greenwood when she replaced her. Millie Bright was dominant when called for; Williamson was a quiet but assured partner.

I fear there will be pages of newprint in Spain about the substitutions made by the coach. They did change the flow of the play. Weigman trumped him. But the pain is in Spain tonight; they deserved more but sometimes football goes like that.

So, one decent whack and England go through to the Semis. Tonight has been a real wake-up that hopefully will bring a greater focus to the camp. They might play the winner of the Germanic derby, Austria v Germany (Brentford). If the lessons are learned this Lioness side could just win it all yet.

As a sporting spectacle, it must be said that the standard of play and competitiveness is higher than ever before. The women's game at international level is impressing many previously indifferent fans. Can it be that the girls are putting the nation through the mill just like the men? Who would have thought?

The Daly positioning is really interesting considering she is a forward in club football. But Serena Weigman is not the first Lionesses coach to play her at left back. I have to agree that Bonmati was the pick of an excellent Spanish midfield but I was impressed by their full backs too, Batlle on the right and, especially, Carmosa on the left. They only started to fall off once England pushed more forward and Keira Walsh found more time on the ball. I hope it was only cramp at the end because she's vital to the Lionesses style of play. 

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