If you have ‘better team’ against ‘weaker team’, and the weaker one sets up two banks of four or more, the way to get them to change is to score an early goal.
Germany did it against Slovakia. Belgium blitzed Hungary at the start and did it.
But England didn’t do it against Russia or Slovakia.
Once you are 1-0 up, the opposition have to come out to try and equalise, leaving more space at the back for the counter.
So England need Plan A for scoring in the fist half an hour. Then they need Plan B for how to take advantage of that early goal.
Most people believe England have Plan B as their best attribute – scoring on the counter against teams pressing forward.
Now if they could just have Plan A for scoring against a packed defence, they might do a 3-0 or 4-0 like Belgium and Germany….
The Republic of Ireland shattered my prediction of a shock 1-0 win on the BBC’s Euro Predictor by scoring far, far too early.
I was hoping for a cagey 0-0 to half-time and a goal in around 75 minutes.
As it was, Deschamps had cause to deliver a Gallic bollocking which apparently went down well…
C’est la vie……..but 410 points on the Predictor so far is at least competitive.
Myles says:
I hate England match days, Rhys.
Today is 12 hours of waiting to be disappointed.
If Iceland win, ANR will only carry the scoreline.
We ain’t very good and the public knows that now.
Absence of car flags is telling as it was in 2014. On a 35-minute walk on Sunday morning I only saw ONE red & white England flag flying outside a house.
But before 2pm I’ll post my views on Roy Hodgson’s new-look team.