You could have finished us off in the first half had Southgate fielded Vardy instead of Sterling.
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It just wouldn’t be football if it wasn’t ‘time to sack the manager’ one day after defeat…
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Unfortunately too few long term projects around in football. Maybe Tottenham or Liverpool.
I reckon for England keep the manager and let him work with this group of young players. They’ll be around for the next few international tournies and will only get better individually like experience and as a team becoming a more well drilled unit defensively and going forward.
I was looking forward to the Tottenham link between Kane and Dele Alli but the latter didn’t really pull his weight and just went around kicking dudes. Actually there’s a couple of Tottenham players in the side and they could provide the spine to England in years to come if they don’t get spirited away by other clubs.
At least England have players and performances to actually analyse. Here in Australia it’s like we are lucky to draw with a lucky penalty or set piece.
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Oh no, Southgate is an excellent manager. He read our setup perfectly in the first 30 minutes or so and his only mistake was waiting for Sterling to do anything for what, more than twenty games?
In games like these you need a full blooded striker with an attitude up front, and Sterling is definitely not one of those.
I think it is normal.
England did well on the cup, so there’s no reason for shame.
At start of the game, I even thought Croatia will lose, but Perišić managed to score for 1-1, and it seems that England players lacked stamina later on.
Also, you guys got an awesome goakeeper, props to him!
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BIG DICK PICK.
Yeah I’m just so used to drawing two games, losing one, scraping out of the group on goal difference if we’re lucky and then going out in the round of 16 on penalties.
It’s weird to have actually done quite well.
You did well, however you did have one of the easier pathways to the semi, and you did resort to more of a long ball style when the Cro’s started to press.
Another criticism is that some of your footballers lacked the simple passing skills and looked on the heavy side.
Saying all that, it was a good game and good luck in future tournaments.
And it’s not coming home.
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I’m for basically anyone playing against France.
So, please don’t just win, but humiliate them.
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Oh G-d theyll be insufferable for the next 4 years if win.
Not even a French team either… the squad is like one classic frog called Olivier and then 13 other from various French colonies -basically Senegal/west Arab/Cameroon super mix!
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I totally agree. England the better team in first half. You guys held your nerve and showed maturity in the second.
Yep Sterling a waste of space, presume Southgate kept him to not mess with a winning formula. Reminded me of watching Arsenal last 10 years: loads of fast-flashy runs …that go absolutely nowhere. For various reasons seen as a clown in UK.
Every single tournament I’ve seen England play in my lifetime we’ve gone in with huge expectations, expecting to do well just for turning up, only to bottle it time and time again and have the players absolutely lambasted in the media.
Not this time. All the headlines after the Croatia match were positive. The team defied all expectations (everyone would have been happy enough to just make it out of the groups this time!) and made it further than all but two England teams before them. I’ve never seen such a positive attitude to England’s football team before even in defeat.
We might not have won the trophy but I’m sorry to tell you that football has well and truly come home.
The French national team is as French as the USA national basketball team is American.
Of the starting XI against Belgium, only Umtiti was born outside France. Just three players from their entire squad were born outside France. You can be French and not white.
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The team that impressed me the most was the Japanese.
They played very well, were tough but honorable, and gracious in defeat.
Double points for quietly crying like a man (very un-Japanese to show such emotion) and triple points for apparently leaving the locker room and their hotels rooms far cleaner than they were when they came. I saw an interview on BBC about how the Russians were amazed at the condition of the locker room.
The fans apparently stayed around and cleaned the stadium.
Just a class act, all around.
Luka Modrić has a cameo after the second minute mark in this documentary from 1990:
Given the level of dickishness I heard from Croatian players and fans after the semis I can’t say I’m displeased to see them utterly crushed in the final.
Fair enough to see France lift the trophy though they’ve been the most consistent-looking team in the tournament. Definitely been the most entertaining World Cup of my lifetime.
Im just glad I didnt have to shit in my hands and clap
Viva la bleus!
Any sport that isn’t hide and seek and can be won by the French is fundamentally flawed. 
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Great tournament.
Proud of my fellow Croats. Feel we were a bit unlucky with the first free kick, and then the penalty call. I can accept the first free kick as “bad luck”, but I cant understand the penalty. I thought this is what the VAR was meant to be for… to prevent dubious penalties and game changing mistakes.
Anyway, we partied like we won.
Im kind of glad its all over… I can get some sleep and get back into training.
ZDS!!
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