AspRover

All these creative players and no movement for them to pick out. Also really struggling to work out how Sancho is so far behind Saka in the pecking order. Did he run over southgates dog or something?

Travis has played right back before? Surely he would be a better choice than Buckley, though I guess that would leave us pretty weak in terms of someone putting the boot in centrally...

Diaz joint top goalscorer in the league (with three other blokes, but still)

I think that the top goalscorers in the championship have seven, BBD on six now is joint second with Solanke of Bournemouth and Mitrovic of Fulham.

Standard looking lineup, Gallagher back in with Dolan and BBD, be interesting to see if he's central or wide. None of the loanees in the 11.

Possibly, but honestly it shouldn't have come down to it. With 90 mins played the Italian centre halves (wonderful players though they are) had a combined age north of 70 and we had a bench full of fast, energetic, attacking players that could have come on and run at them for half an hour. We could (should) have tried to win that game. Southgate wanted the penalties (as proved by the eventual subs purely for the shootout), Southgate got the penalties, we lost. For all the credit he was rightly due to get a team to a final he should have faced a lot more questions about the decisions he made in that final, and if the Poland game shows anything it is that he hasn't learnt from the experience. I stand by what I said in my previous, if we don't learn to attack a bit more when warranted we might reach semi finals, we might reach finals but we wont win them. I think if anything the fact that this squad has so much promise and so much depth is what makes this particularly frustrating for me. Southgate is managing as though he has a very limited pool that he needs to hammer into a consistent 11 around one or two key players, it's unnecessary and stifles one of our main strengths. Goes without saying that I'd love to be proven wrong on all of this, roll on the world cup.

That's fair, I had just watched the highlights and was struck by the contrast in the moment. I hadn't really been playing very close attention to their last few games.

Controlling the game is all well and good, but it's very safe. Pass it sideways, make a triangle and pass it between the three of you a dozen or so times, drop deep to get a touch and pass it back to the guy who passed it to you... If you watch the highlights of, for example, Italy slaughtering Lithuania (very different calibre of opposition I know) and look at how much movement there is - forward runners, players willing to run with the ball, forward passes. England very rarely do it, even against weaker teams. Without belittling Poland, this England team have players that they could only dream of (Lewandowski aside) and yet with however much possession we never really created a clear chance. Kane's strike was wonderful, but it came out of nothing. If he hadn't scored with a moment of individual brilliance then there is a very real chance we lose that game to a stoppage time goal, domination or no. England need to learn to attack a bit more, or else this will become another 'golden generation' who can mix it with the best in the world but will never win a tournament.

Tired team, no subs, conceding a late goal. Very predictable.

In what TM will see as a vindication for his tactical flexibility noted 6'4" winger Gallagher, played in an unorthodox centre forward position, gets a goal and looks a threat.

Poveda reminds me a bit of Rochina, except that we used to be Leeds

Not if there are performance related add ons he isn't. Fill yer boots lad, buy us a centre back! (Disclaimer: I have no clue whether or not there are any performance related add ons. Further disclaimer: if there are then we probably wouldn't see them anyway!)

Theres a 24 year old with 4 Chile caps that I've never heard of, bring him in and really capitalise on the new South American market to flog a few shirts.

so... is the plan with this formation simply 'can we make Dolan a like for like Armstrong replacement so we don't have to tactically compensate for losing our best player'?

I guess if we play with a very narrow front three, use BD and Gally to rough up the defenders and win headers and Dolan's pace to sit on the shoulder of the last defender and run on to flick ons and win second balls? That's clutching at straws and even then would leave Nyambe and Pickering very exposed. Baptism of fire for the new lad I guess.

Yeah that 3 is very much an addition to an off the shelf GK kit. I'm a bit concerned if the club has got the placement wrong on home shirts in the past, we must have the easiest kit to get it right with - there's a bloody centre line for petes sake!

Does anyone know what Macron's pricing is like?

For what its worth (ie. absolutely naff all) Tom Doyle captained my Rovers side to back to back champions leagues in FM20

subbed off - a decent but not world beating showing, good assist, still clearly not quite on the same wavelength as the rest of the team - I'd say a six or seven out of ten which doesn't sound great until you remember the level he is playing at, at which point this all seems like a bizarre fever dream.

He keeps dropping off into space when Chile need him to push forwards and get the Uruguay back line on the back foot or offer a target - he needs to be a bit more positive, but yeah he doesn't look completely out of place does he?

nice assist - maybe if he sets up a few the other strikers will start passing to him!

The ceramics company seems to still exist in some capacity - mostly bathroom fittings. I wonder if we'll get a limited edition Ben Brereton Diaz toilet out of this to be what is probably the most baffling and difficult to adequately explain piece of footballing memorabilia of all time.

I mean I specifically said in the post you quoted that I don't think he has justified the 7m, and the 5m was hypothetical about what another team might think he was worth now as a 22 year old full international. I feel like you've quoted my post, told me I'm dreaming and then agreed with everything I said?

Honestly my read on Ben is that it was stupid to spend that much money on him, particularly when we did with so many other areas that needed strengthening, he hasn't looked like he was going to justify the fee for most of the time he has been here and we are extremely lucky that he's had this opportunity and that it may well both help him kick on and increase his value long term should we ever sell him. I also think, putting the transfer fee to one side, that he has shown consistent improvement, that improvement seems to be gathering pace and that he is now showing most of the attributes of a competent championship striker who will continue to improve. I like him and genuinely think he has a good chance of reaching double figures in goals next season if he plays regularly, and competent championship strikers who get into double figures are worth a few million these days, young guys with international caps more so. What's he worth now in todays market? £5m? If he has a decent season and we sort his contract out then more? lots of ifs I know, but still. There seem to be a lot of people who are either 'he isn't worth what we paid so he's rubbish' or 'I think he's decent so lets write off the fee' - I don't think that being optimistic about him as a player going forward and angry about the money spent on him looking back are at all mutually exclusive.

Ran for a bit, lost control of the ball, ran into the back of the defender, fell over. That's more like the Ben we know and tolerate