Game 6 – England 2 Holland 1 – Questions Answered

A lot of question marks have been placed against the England team throughout this tournament, big question marks have been placed against the Manager both pre tournament and during.  I’ve personally questioned if he is the right man to deliver a trophy and if he has the tactical knowledge to succeed when it really matters.  I stated in a previous article that I’d have sacked him after we narrowly beat Slovakia, had it not been for a Jude Bellingham wonder goal I’m sure he’d have been sacked or resigned the next day yet the reality is this squad and this Manager are taking us to our 2^nd final in 3 years.

In our history prior to Southgate we’d only ever been in 1 final and 2 semi finals. As a country regarded as an elite nation when it comes to football were we? Under Gareth Southgate has he not propelled us to levels that we only ever dreamed of for so many years.  I’ve been his biggest critic, even on the eve of another final I’m not 100% sure on him but the reality is in 4 tournaments he’s managed we have reached 2 x finals, 1 x semi final and 1 x quarter final.  Let’s not forget when he took over we’d just been knocked out by Iceland in the round of 16.

Of course people will have an opinion regarding how easy we have had it in terms of how the draws have played out in these tournaments.  In knockouts we have beaten Columbia, Sweden, Germany, Ukraine, Denmark, Senegal, Slovakia, Switzerland and Holland.  Is that really as easy as it looks or is the expectancy that high now that we expect to beat all those nations.  I’m not ignoring the defeats, against France, Italy and Croatia we were found wanting in all those games but let’s face it and I’ll repeat it again, Iceland knocked us out prior to his tenure.

He’s far from perfect, this team is far from perfect, he’d be the 1^st to admit that I’m sure but if he gets England over the line on Sunday v Spain will he have not put all the questions and doubt to bed or will we still be sceptical?

One thing I am certain of is that in the semi final I answered a personal question that I am always asked by people who follow Blues everywhere but don’t really follow England.  If a player who represents them lot down the road scores what will you do?

Before Sunday I had never been put in that position, if anything they had crumbled when the game was on the line or not played a significant part, on Sunday I answered my own question… I went ballistic.  In that moment it didn’t even come into my mind who he plays for week in week out, all I knew is that England had scored a goal in the 90^th minute to take us to Berlin.  In that moment, this was all that mattered.

As much as the Manager is answering questions as this tournament progresses I think the players are also.  With every game they are ticking certain boxes:

Mentality –

They’ve been booed off in the final 2 group games, they have fell behind in every single knockout game so far but not once has their belief crumbled. Even against Slovakia with 90 seconds remaining they still believed that they would find a way to save the game.  We’ve scored 2 goals in knockout football after 90 minutes, the mental strength to do that shouldn’t be understated.  Let’s not forgot we also scored 5 penalties out of 5 v Switzerland which is something we never do.

Fitness & Conditioning –

The football hasn’t been expansive, it’s been pretty boring but the fitness and conditioning is incredible.  These players have had long seasons, the Manager has trusted in his starting 11 and made substitutions sparingly.  The yards players like Foden, Kane, Bellingham & Rice have covered while all not being 100% fit is incredible.  John Stones has also played every minute of every game, quietly going about his business as the leader of the back 4 for the 1^st time.  We never stop, defensively our shape and how we setup the low block is better than any team in this tournament by a country mile.

Togetherness – 

Their is a siege mentality that has been created by the fans and media with our reactions to the performance.  Holland in the semi final is the 1^st time that the fans and players have been together all tournament.  They have created an us against the world attitude that you can see in their belief that whatever the situation they will find a way in the end.  

They only question they have left to answer is Bravery.  Are these players now brave enough to go and win this tournament?

They know what it’s like to get so close but not quite get over the line.  They have that experience of how to handle the situation but are they now brave enough to win something.  All tournament they have continued to prove us wrong, the way they shut us all up is to be brave now.  Fear of losing should never override the bravery it takes in winning.  Winning doesn’t come easy, it comes at a cost.  It’s about people putting that pressure on their shoulders, not playing safe and being the difference between winning an losing.

On Sunday I can’t wait to be part of the biggest English invasion into Berlin since 1945, none of those people who entered Germany for that 6 year period feared anything.  They knew they had a mission to complete, just like their comrades before them had completed it between 1914-1918.  There wasn’t a backward step taken by any of them.

Let’s hope that Gareth Southgate, his backroom staff and squad of 26 players can be as brave on German soil as those men were.  If they are then I have no doubt that finally football will come home.

Forward to Berlin.

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