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I’ve always supported England in such competitions and I regard the nonsense I often see here to the contrary as churlish and jealous.
HOWEVER on this occasion they are CHEATS, plain and simple and they do not deserve to get through.
Grealish’s sole contribution-per usual- was diving all over the place trying to get a penalty and once he came on they were ALL doing it.
It wasn’t a penalty .
Didn’t notice this at the time, only realised when someone in a work’s WhatsApp group chat mentioned it. Strangely, there’s about a half dozen English football fans in that chat, and for what it’s worth none of them thought it was a penalty with a few thinking it was a dive and should have been overturned by VAR and the other half thinking it was a dive but didn’t think the ref/VAR had enough to overturn his original decision - and one that thought that it shouldn’t have gotten that far with two balls on the pitch! Haha.
I was quite surprised by their reaction, they seemed far more damning of Sterling than I.
Robert Pires was my favourite player in the great Arsenal team of the early noughties, but I can remember agreeing with the terrible stick he received from media pundits and the papers about fifteen years ago when he won a penalty by dangling his foot close to an opponents and then falling as soon as he received the slightest contact from a defender.
The word at the time was that he had cheated by using a move brought over here by the "foreigners", but it seems that that in dressing rooms up and down the country the following week, there were players thinking "I'll have some of that" and it became more and more frequent until we have today's situation whereby it's widely accepted as being part of the game.
As the laws are interpreted today, last night's penalty was probably rightly given, but I feel it's another instance where the way the games laws are interpreted makes for poorer, and more unfair, football. The hypocrisy which sees "divers" still widely condemned in the media at a time when players fall to the ground because "they felt contact" (these actions are often accompanied by a scream or yelp of pain of a type I barely heard in years playing the game and watching parks football) is marked and is matched by the double standards about "feeling contact" and the free for all's which occur every time a corner or free kick is swing into a penalty area.
Football has, to all intents and purposes, become a non contact sport when the ball is in the penalty area, except of course in those dead ball situations I mentioned earlier - when you add on the shambles of the current offside interpretation, it only strengthens my feeling that there's nothing wrong with the laws as they stand, it's the way they are enforced that is the issue of concern.
In saying all that, much as I don't like admitting it, I think the better team won last night.
I honestly dont know how anyone watching that last night thought Denmark were the better side.
Southgate is getting praised for his tactics and even the subbing of Grealish but they were terrified and couldnt deal with Sterling and if that had gone to pens his negative tactics would have been questioned. They had enough quality in the squad to take that Denmark side apart.
Italy they are going to have to step up a level.
Cheats
No better than the Brazilians, italians and Spanish the English fans always accuse of play acting
VAR was equallly useless for the Danish second goal against Wales and Wilson's red card so I've got little sympathy for the Danes at the moment.
It makes for a better final but there wasnt much on show last night to scare Italy. Pickford looked dodgy at times under very little pressure.
Italy at their best play a high intensity pressing game, but they looked out on their feet in extra time on Tuesday - their two least impressive matches have been at Wembley. I think England have to favourites, but if Italy are at their best, I’d say they’d have too much for them.
England were by far the better side I reckon but if I was an English fan I’d have loved to see them go for the jugular in extra time, indeed in normal time.I know it was a semi final and all the caution such a fixture brings but a bit of adventure could have seen them calm English nerves with a two or three goal cushion. Italy will be a hell of a step up in class for them to contend with.
This England team with its current crop of players will win a major tournament, but I don't think this is the one. Italy I expect will be too wily for a fairly inexperienced group of players on the international stage. I expect England to go back to their 3/5 at the back system, Italy will win the midfield battle and pass them to death. It will not be a good watch.
Sterling was checked at the end by the second guy coming across but already on his way down. Extremely soft.
I don't blame him though, when a ref and now var back that up then of course he is going down as would many many players including our own.
I don't get why they can't at least have the ref look at it, particularly when it means so much.
England deserved it though and I suppose you make your own luck when you are constantly getting players like sterling on the ball around the box.
Only one winner from 65 mins onwards.
Italy have played a tournament in 3 locations which is the same Wales experienced in 4 games.
Based on last FIFA World Rankings before the tournament, Italy have now beaten the nations ranked 29th, 23rd, 17th, 13th 6th, and 1st. Their next game is against side ranked 4th.
England have played in 2 locations as de facto hosts of the competition - with the added advantage of watching opponents travel distances before arriving in London.
Based on last FIFA World Rankings before the tournament, England have now beaten the nations ranked 44th, 40th, 24th, 14th, 12th, and 10th. Their next game is against side ranked 7th.
Both played 3 out of 3 group games at home.
Regarding England, I think they probably have a better floor of talent than anyone else and their celling of talent is right up their with best in the world - they going to end this tournament at least ranked top 2 in the world, my estimate only, and they'll deserve it - so I could definitely make a footballing argument that they should be in the final, but it does irk me a bit that the organisation of this tournament has handed them such a good advantage along the way.
This Welsh fan wants to point out that we played 29th, 13th, 10th and 7th best according to official FIFA Rankings, the reward or not of being a top seed, but don't expect too many sympathetic ears
For me, Italy are the best team in the competition with Spinazolla in their side and are probably the best team even with him missing with a confidence rating in that latter statement of 60-65%.