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4 months ago
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On Tuesday night, Phil Foden once again started for England, nominally on the left-hand side, Anthony Gordon named on the bench for a third group match in a row.
With a minute of normal time remaining, the Newcastle United player of the season finally got on the pitch in these Euros and made an instant impression, instigating England’s best move and chance of the match.
Though to be fair, there wasn’t exactly much competition.
It was Phil Foden who made way for Anthony Gordon, the Man City player doing a little better than the opening two group matches. Though still way below his club form and straying away from the left-hand side for most of the match, leaving England with minimal threat on that side.
Now on Wednesday afternoon, an FA spokesperson has revealed: ‘Phil Foden has temporarily left the England camp and returned to the UK for a pressing family matter.’
Hopefully, whatever the reason for his forced absence from the England squad, everything turns out ok with this matter.
However, from a purely football perspective, very difficult to now see how Phil Foden can possibly be considered as a starter on Sunday for the 5pm kick-off last 16 match for England.
He will have missed a certain amount of group training as a minimum, plus whatever the family matter is, quite clearly you can’t imagine it is anything trivial. So very difficult to think that mentally he could be in a good enough place to be considered as a starter.
For Gareth Southgate, it could have made the decision up for him. Overwhelmingly the fans and media have been called for Anthony Gordon to start on the right. So Foden’s situation opens the way up for that to happen, if not guarantee it.
If Phil Foden isn’t available for selection and Gareth Southgate selects somebody other than Anthony Gordon on the left, then you would just wonder, how Southgate could do anything more bizarre. Although, we should be used to it by now with him.
Newcastle United players on international duty:
Saturday 15 June
Switzerland 3 Hungary 1 (Euros Group match)
The Newcastle United defender with a very good personal performance, playing the full 90 minutes as the Swiss deservedly beat Hungary.
Sunday 16 June
England 1 Serbia 0 (Euros Group match)
England got the job done, eventually.
Anthony Gordon an unused substitute but Kieran Trippier playing the full 90 minutes and doing ok at left-back. His job was to stretch things in attack up England’s left-hand side, with the likes of Foden not willing/able to stay out wide and instead continually drifting inside. With the plan clearly for all of England’s main attacking to be through the middle and especially out wide on the right.
That is where the excellent winning goal came from, a great ball from Walker putting Saka in behind and his deflected cross perfectly then flighted for Bellingham’s pinpoint run into the box and the header giving Serbia’s keeper no chance.
At the other end was Trippier’s main task though and with the rest of the defence he did well, especially after the break when England suddenly went all defensive and invited Serbia to go for the equaliser. The Three Lions offered zero threat in the second half apart from sub Bowen’s cross where the keeper made a great save but in reality, Kane should have given him zero chance with the header.
Pickford only had one shot on target to save all game and whilst the commentator and pundits raved about it, in reality, it was from outside the box and straight at him, the England keeper tipping the ball over the bar.
The highlight of Trippier’s performance was when Serbia got into the box on the left and an equaliser beckoned for Serbia with Mitrovic waiting for the ball to be squared for a tap-in. However, the Newcastle defender covering his central defenders had got across and was too strong for Mitro who was sent sprawling and claiming for a forlorn penalty.
Monday 17 June
Slovakia 1 Belgium 0 (Euros Group match)
Martin Dubravka and his Slovakia teammates pulled off a massive shock, third-ranked in the world Belgium beaten by a team ranked 48th.
Schranz scored after only seven minutes and the Newcastle keeper and his international teammates more than matching Belgium. What a victory.
Wednesday 19 June
Switzerland 1 Scotland 1 (Euros Group match)
Fabian Schar and Switzerland with a nightmare start after 13 minutes, the Newcastle defender deflecting a McTominay shot past his keeper, a shot which would almost for sure have been saved without Schar’s intervention.
The NUFC defender recovering to have another decent game. Helping Switzerland stand up to a very physical but limited Scotland team, Shaqiri with a brilliant 26th minute long range curled into the top corner effort to equalise. The Swiss should have went on to win but wasted a fair few chances and Scotland got lucky with two goals denied by VAR fine margins.
Thursday 20 June 2024
England 1 Denmark 1 (Euros Group match)
Yet another Gareth Southgate masterclass of cluelessness and negativity.
The team playing so deep and defensive, clearly the plan to try and stop Denmark scoring and not a plan of how England would score.
On 18 minutes some individual opportunism and ambition by Kyle Walker as he ignored Southgate’s orders and pressed high, won the ball in a dangerous position and Kane scoring from close in, he couldn’t miss.
Southgate’s reaction was to have England even more negative and defensive, invited Denmark on and they equalised 16 minutes later. The whole game a shambles with the negative tactics and no apparent plan as to how England were trying to win the game. Very lucky to get a draw.
Kieran Trippier played well on the left and didn’t put a foot wrong.
Friday 21 June 2024
Slovakia 1 Ukraine 2 (Euros Group match)
Martin Dubravka and Slovakia looking to be cruising through to the last 16 when dominating the first half and leading 1-0. However, Ukraine came out for the second half all fired up and turned it around, equalising on 54 minutes and then a shocker with 10 minutes to go from Martin Dubravka, when a ball was played over the top that he should have dealt with, allowing the striker to score from a narrow angle and he should have stopped it for sure.
Sunday 23 June 2024
Switzerland 1 Germany 1 (Euros Group match)
A man of the match performance from Fabian Schar helped Switzerland get the point they needed to guarantee progress to the last 16.
However, a brave and dangerous Swiss side deserved the win, as Germany created next to no clear chances. Switzerland scoring a great team goal on 28 minutes and then defending brilliantly but at the same time looking more dangerous on the break than the hosts.
The win they deserved was denied in the second minute of added time due to a quality header from sub Fullkrug. A moral victory for Fabian Schar and his teammates and a performance that will give them massive confidence and momentum for their last 16 tie on Saturday.
Monday 24 June 2024
Colombia 2 Paraguay 1 (Copa America Group match)
Miguel Almiron and Paraguay very unlucky against one of the favourites to win the tournament.
Paraguay going two down by the break due to poorly defended headed goals, then pulling one back in the second half but unable to get the equaliser they deserved.
The final stats showed that Paraguay had more overall shots (12 v 11), the same number on target (3 v 3) and the same number of corners (3-3). Only when it came to putting the ball in the net, did Colombia edge it.
Tuesday 25 June 2024
Brazil 0 Costa Rica 0 (Copa America Group match)
Chance after chance went by for those playing in front of Bruno Guimaraes, who has a generally more disciplined deeper role to play for his national side. The Newcastle midfielder having a very good personal performance.
Marquinhos saw a goal ruled out via one of those very marginal VAR offside calls, whilst Paqueta saw a rocket of a shot come back off the post.
Costa Rica struggled to even get out of their half and the final stats showed Brazil with 19 v 2 in terms of overall shots and 9 v 1 on corners.
Bruno Guimaraes almost won it himself late on, his effort from just inside the box, clearing the angle of the goal by a very small margin.
England 0 Slovenia 0 (Euros Group match)
Yet another woeful Southgate masterclass, his only change was Gallagher for Alexander-Arnold.
Kieran Trippier playing the opening 84 minutes and doing well, actually creating by far the best chance in a shocking ambition-free half, Kane somehow failed to turn in Trippier’s brilliant cross, when arriving unmarked at the back post.
The only change at the break was Mainoo for the woeful Gallagher and whilst the Man U sub improved things to a very small extent, Cole Palmer likewise when introduced on 71 minutes. It was only when Anthony Gordon arrived with one minute remaining that England produced a dangerous and exciting, incisive move. The Newcastle winger cutting inside and a brilliant ball from the halfway line found Mainoo on the edge of the box, he and Kane then set up Palmer, but his shot straight at the keeper.
Yet another woeful negative display to add to the Gareth Southgate collection. Will he make the clear and obvious changes to his team on Sunday (5pm kick-off)? We live in hope.
To add to the embarrassing Southgate behaviour, he actually brought Alexander-Arnold on with six minutes to go, replacing Trippier and moving Walker to the left. Obviously this was desperately needed, not somebody who could run at and open up a defence…
Wednesday 26 June 2024
Slovakia v Romania (Martin Dubravka) Euros Group match 5pm BBC TBC
Friday 28 June 2024
Paraguay v Brazil (Bruno Guimaraes and Miguel Almiron) Copa America Group match
Tuesday 2 July 2024
Colombia v Brazil (Bruno Guimaraes) Copa America Group match
(There will of course be more matches for Newcastle United players if their nations get through the group stages of the Copa America and/or the European Championships.)
Sunday 14 July 2024 – European Championships final.
Sunday 14 July 2024 – Copa America final

 
