Interesting to read the above, after having been at the game.
In a way, the above posters are right. History is written by the winners. And we won. So therefore, Southgate is a genius - or so some would have you believe. I'd shouted myself hoarse by half time yesterday, mainly directed at Sterling and Kane (I missed the former's run before half time, and Kane not reacting quickly enough). I felt we weren't creating enough or going forward with enough urgency. I sat for 87 minutes waiting for a sucker punch, which Muller nearly provided, expecting to walk away rueing Southgate not setting his side up to attack more, with more guile, more Grealish.
Yet reflecting afterwards and in the day since, I think he got it absolutely right. What you might not have seen on TV was that our back three were fantastic. Werner barely got a kick, and the one chance he did get, the angle had been cut superbly allowing Pickford to make a good save (although the ball was heading towards his legs). The free kick conceded early on was just jitters from players. Once we settled in, the German front line barely got a kick, barely got a chance (unless Raheem Sterling played them through). As soon as they got the ball forward, Rice or Phillips swarmed, smothered the play, and any high balls were dealt with brilliantly by Stones/Maguire/Walker. It was a fantastic exercise in pressing and stifling the opposition. If you think we're angry, imagine how German fans felt last night or feel today, we didn't allow them to get going. Defensively, Southgate got it absolutely spot on. (Jonathan Liew is good on this if you're interested - and I broadly agree with him -
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/30/flexible-england-win-battle-for-the-centre-ground-in-collective-triumph )
Sterling, to his credit, was losing the ball. Now at first glance, that appears to be a typo. However it was only because he was the only player in the England ranks with the ability and nous to be making the low percentage runs, against world class centre backs, that opened up the game. His pass-and-go for his goal was superb, he broke free to shoot and test Neuer early on and his run nearly set up Kane before half time. To succeed, you have to take a risk, and to take a risk means you open yourself up to losing out. Often it went against Sterling last night, but actually, I think he had a decent game and it's no surprise he got his goal.
Kane, however, reminds me of a Conference striker in his mid-30s, on his last pay day. Slow, lumbering, laboured. The only reason he scored was because Grealish hammered the ball across the box at him. Pundits on MOTD last night (Shearer particularly) said it could spark Kane to go on a run. Maybe. He has form of quiet starts to seasons and springing into life, but he resembled Iseyden Christie in his latter years last night. An occasional touch of class, but operating within a 10-yard-square in the middle of the pitch. Not sure the rejuvenation will happen.
Grealish is the big question mark. Could he be the first player to make team-of-the-tournament when only starting one game? I wouldn't bet against it. He's just brilliant. One of the biggest cheers last night was when he came on, and he links up brilliantly with Kane and others. But the question is, who do you drop? Saka? Unfair, and his direct running has, will and does lead to chances. Sterling's our top scorer and this isn't fantasy football, he won't be dropped. Do you sacrifice a sitting midfielder? Maybe. But I don't think so. It could be that England's most in form player can't play himself into the side, bizarre as that is.
We reduced Germany to the sort of performance we have grown accustomed to for England in tournaments for at least the last 25 years. Outfought, out thought and left thinking what if. They only had two clear chances, where if they'd scored, you wouldn't have complained too much. Werner, and Muller, the cause of so much hurt, screwed the ball past the post in front of me. As soon as he raced clear and hit it, I expected the net to bulge. Then for some reason, as it arrowed towards the corner, it kept on travelling, inexplicably, past the post...and wide ? No, it still doesn't make any sense more than 24 hours on. Football is theatre, it's pantomime, and that put the icing on the cake. They have some good players, they aren't a bad side, and I think we made them look average, rather than anything else.
Final point, atmosphere was fantastic. Felt like the ground was full. Awful, needless booing of the German anthem, but otherwise all in good spirits. I think people are treating the Ukraine game as a gimmy, which is an interesting one. Apart from that, I'm still processing it. Are we seeing, in front of our eyes, a fairytale being told - the redemption of Gareth Southgate? The two hurdles he never overcame as England manager was a semi final and a trophy. Both lie in front of us.