Italy vs. Albania 🇮🇹🇦🇱 LIVE REACTION! Euro 2024 Group B | ESPN FC

Italy vs. Albania 🇮🇹🇦🇱 LIVE REACTION! Euro 2024 Group B | ESPN FC

he day two at Euro 2 2024 my name is Mark Donaldson alongside gab marcotti it’s the boys on tour I’m in bour the old capital of West Germany gabs in Berlin the new capital of Germany and we’ve been watching Italy against Albania and how nervous were you when 23 seconds in the albanians decided to score the opening goal Gap uh yeah um I would say pretty darn nervous because given the competition in this group obviously um you need to take points from Albania otherwise you’re not going through and and this doesn’t just apply to to Italy obviously it applies to Croatia and Spain because uh if they don’t take points from Albania then they may well not go through so I don’t I still don’t know if it was a brain fart from dearco if it was the ball slipping out of his hand as somebody charitably uh suggested but um right we set a record right quick as goal in the history of the EUR of the Euros 23 seconds Well Done by Ramy I’ve lost Mark so I’ll just keep talking shall I keep talking all right I’ll do this live stream on my own while I wait for Donaldson to come back uh yeah it was obviously it obviously a big blow but I think the really encouraging thing um is that they didn’t get flustered they were just kind of like okay you know let’s play the handicap ah there you are you talking to yourself I wasn’t no I wasn’t sure if the stream was continuing so I thought hey look let me me feel airtime do you know what I was 23 seconds into our conversation my Wi-Fi in my room went out what’s the chances amazing time it took Albania to score the goal um unfortunately I’ve not heard your last minute or so but I’m sure it was outstanding but something else that was outstanding was Italy’s response my goodness they they didn’t let that affect them and they came back with a flourish did they not yeah I think that first half um I mean it we’ll get to it I’m sure we’ll certainly drop uh in the second but uh they did come back with a flourish and look anybody who’s followed the team knows that it’s imperfect right there are some very good midfielders and spalti to his credit decided to I think play a bolder lineup you know without a ball winner uh like christante sort of going you know georgino and and barela and Pelini uh and frates of course these are all Ballers right and he’s doing this because the strikers Beyond kamaka and kza um there’s not much there uh and on top of that he was also bold and playing to left-sided um two left footed center backs right G I think this is what his second or third cap um that was rewarded too so I like the fact that you know unlike the Italy of the past um not so much the last Euros but you know certainly The Stereotype of Italy they said let’s not go safety first let’s try to outplay the opposition and look it’s easier to do when it’s Albania as opposed to when it’s Spain um but they they did they went for it and yeah that I think think I think what you like people like to say is he finishing let them down is is that the term you your people use my people I’m not talking football after last night by the way how good was pelini’s delivery for baston’s header I pinpoint I mean look these guys can play like ital are producing they technical players they all have other than baela who say he’s Flawless but you know can be um look they’re all you know pini’s issue is he gets injured and he’s not consistent and his head drops especially when Mourinho is around him because Mourinho is like his his cryptonight which wasn’t so great when he was his coach at Roma um but they have their moments I mean kiz as well I I was uh I was whatsapping with our colleague Tom Hamilton who of course is at the game and he you know he wasn’t overly impressed with uh with Ken whereas I thought kza was really good um this is what kza does you he plays like this when he’s fit which unfortunately hasn’t been very often I think Italy absolutely need a fit kza and a kza who plays like what we saw in the first 45 minutes if they’re going to do anything in this tournament and they need to finish better of course they do there was a v check for the second goal looked like he was just on side the the fullback was a nice strike by barela and to turn it around pretty quickly what did that tell you about the Italian mentality having had that early shot I I think it was just so extreme um the way the way the goal happened that it’s almost easier to write off right when when when you just make such a colossal blunder I think it’s easier to move on from that than you know when the opposition scores a goal through buildup or or whatever you know you don’t question yourself you say all right yeah we just laid an individual egg it had or an individual turet as you probably more appropriately here um that time night we’re allowed to say that now aren’t we you are allowed to say that I’m I’m pretty sure uh and that’s shout out by the way to former Darby County uh Striker uh Mario turo um the Argent really really you’re going there it’s a dude’s name man what do you want me to say uh so yeah nothing to do with Italy Alia though it is easier to Mario’s an Italian name I’ll have you know um it is easier to to bounce back in those conditions and I think Albania also kind of invited the pressure a little too much um look I know they did I want say it’s a rerun of the Scotland game but wasn’t far off it was it because they sat so deep they didn’t know what to do did they it was a it was a bit like I mean Scotland took the lead against Brazil in 1982 David n’s toport we had no idea what to do it just angered them did the early goal anger Italy I I I I think it did I think it did we forced them to kind of realize all right let’s go and wrap this up um funny you mentioned 1982 because I ran into Alex mcle outside the stadium yesterday had a lovely chat with him and of course as my Aberdine supporting friends always remind me is had Alex mcle played alongside the legend that is Willie Miller in 1982 then instead of that Allan Hansen fell nobody’s ever heard of uh then Scotland would have definitely won that World Cup but I don’t want to big back bring back bad memories from when I’m going to be talking ital against Albania what did you make of Albania tonight because here in bone it’s probably I don’t know it’s by train it’s under an hour to get to to to Dortmund there was a number of albanians um here making a heck of a noise and and they couldn’t really believe what had happened to their side to take the lead but you have all these eventualities what happens if this happens but until it actually happens and you score a goal it was just like it wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened to them because it was the best thing that could have happened which became the worst because they had noide a what to do after that and they just got closer and closer to stosa in their own goal I it felt like all right we’ve taking the lead let’s sit deep and let’s see maybe we can get something on the counter um kosha is an outstanding goalkeeper yes um you know we create density in front of the goal um they have all these little guys running around if we’ve got bodies there we’ll stop them and look I I think as a game plan it wasn’t terrible but the problem is you can’t sit off so deep that these midfielders if they have time and space they can punish it they’re not Kevin De brine they’re not going to hit like uh a defense splitting uh pass when you they have three people on top of them but if you give um bigini a little bit of time if you give fratesi a little bit of time uh if you give georgino time and you don’t go press him which I thought was kind of unforgivable then they can pick pick you out and they can create chances and I also want to give a shout out to skaka I thought uh didn’t score and you can point to the chances that that he missed I think at least two come to mind but I thought he worked tirelessly he was unselfish he was very very clever he opened up space for his teammates which is exactly what what you’re supposed to do playing a game with you now you’ve seen all four Group B Teams never mind the result just performance-based give me a one top to four bottom of the four teams that you saw today with Croatia losing to Spain 3-0 earlier in the day so with the caveat the uh neither C then Nei Spain or Italy I thought put in a 90-minute performance um and you can argue that Spain didn’t need to fair enough no um I would argue I would argue that the I would put Croatia at the bottom um I was really disappointed I thought the approach uh from doich to that game was was wrong um even though you know they they had chances before spaying scored um and then I would uh second from bottom I have to put Albania because you can’t you can’t get be gifted a goal like that and then continue playing the way you did and again I thought Italy were really really good for 45 minutes an hour um Spain I thought did did better than that they were good yeah they were really good so Spain getting off to a flying start Italy I mean this the second half it just Peter he always felt like it was Big Brother little brother in the in the backyard and it was just they were always at arms length they be there was a bit of a nervy moment right in the 90th minute though Gap when the ball was played right across the the face hearts and mouths for you he very Rayman I getting away I thought that was maybe the only misstep caori made in the game I thought CI was was exceptional I mean that whole left side calori dearco other than his mistake obviously um I thought they did a lot of damage on that flank uh yeah and in fact looking at that I wonder man if maybe he’d gone with Mani earlier um than because because regular viewers will know that I love my Armand brya but he always always always lets me down I’m glad he let me down today uh but that was not a good performance from him at all and I was a bit surprised that you know svenia waited so long to uh to bring on Mani who at least gives you something a little bit different especially when you’re when you’re chasing a game like that we will be previewing England’s opener against Serbia very shortly with James oie who’ll be joining us I just want one final word I want to talk fashion now I can’t really talk given the fact this looks like the patterns you get from an 8s disco ball this thing I’m wearing but it’s spetti he’s got this beautiful suit and then G Jes gear look that’s that’s all right that’s company man but what’s with the stuff on the back of spet suit I mean I can’t be having that so Toral does that does that count or is that just too far fashion fora it’s it’s it’s very fashion forward right well it brings together you know the old style sort of uh 1960s sort of yeah exactly with a suit with the suit um why not open open your mind open your horizons you I’ll open it I was wearing a skirt yesterday as they called it my Kilt and everything like that but hey ho each you have your scoring too of course I had everything well except one thing but we don’t we don’t we don’t need them when we were a killed do we anyway we’ve gone from 1982 to what’s under kils you’ve had your your rude word and everything like that I tell you what we’ll have a quick break and when we come back we can discuss How England are going to get on and what’s their team going to be against Serbia James oie will join us to give us one or two Clues after this welcome back to espnfc live on day two of of Euro 2024 now is someone that flew from the United States to Frankfurt then got the train down to Munich and then got the train up today to Bone it’s not easy there are a lot of delays it’s not as good as I thought it was going to be but I’ve not had anywhere as near as many issues as our next guest James Ole who’s joining us from Gilson you told me not to do that and poke the bear did you because you’ve not had the best day you puy lamb I don’t think people want to know about this it’s just uh I think there was a I don’t know how far this resonates but I think there’s a sort of traditional stereotype of German trains being extremely efficient running on time being like clockwork uh I’ve been here now what five days and they don’t I mean they are they are not great so uh yes I’ve had quite a trying day making a a relatively short trip from uh England’s well near England’s base in Ord to Essen which is where I am now uh which is a short train away theoretically from gson Kirk and spor where all play Serbia yeah if what happened to gab’s helicopter when it’s not in use gab can you not send it to to see if you can pick James up to be fair I flew back from uh uh from Munich uh to Berlin and I had no issues whatsoever so I I I feel for you on the on the no but on a serious note um I was here for the 2006 World Cup and it was F because it was fantastic took one Everywhere by train the trains were fantastic Brand Banking new they were all on time a lot of my German colleagues is like yeah those are the same trains from 18 years ago we simply haven’t updated them and um that might be part of the reason why I mean it’s been a common complaint I think for Germans as well I think Nicholas ful crug um made the joke that he uh uh when when when he joined up in the German base camp he said yeah out of respect I didn’t want to make the German Railways look bad so I came the day before by car are England are England G to put a smile in your face tomorrow James I mean they should they should it was a pause I um well look okay here’s the situation I think with England there’s a lot of the sort of narrative around England is that um because half of this squad half of the 26-man group were not in Qatar it’s a idea that there a massive Evolution that it’s a squad imbued with new Young Talent um players who have not had the um experience of failure in the past who will kind of only know the South Gate way or the South Gate era and they’re come to make that final step that England need to make to to finally win a trophy and I was looking this afternoon on one of the many train delays that I had at the the at the England France um quarterfinal in Qatar which is only 18 months ago you know you got to remember this is not a regular tournament cycle it is a little bit shorter this the team that started that game Pigford Walker Stones Maguire Shaw Henderson rice Bellingham sacka Kane foden now there’s there is a doubt about Luke Shaw in the first game but we know he’s been brought because I think he’ll be fit Gareth actually tonight was talking quite positively about he may even be able to play as a substitute against sery in the first game so let’s slots Shore into that team okay you’re only missing you’re only missing Maguire and Henderson and I think everybody would probably have said after that tournament that those were the two weaklings in that team so nine of the 11 if every everybody’s fit and all things being equal still from that team that wasn’t good enough in Qatar and got knocked out in a very tight game of five margins kanes is the penalty in the last five 10 minutes whatever it was you know could have gone to extra time all of that so I’m not quite sure there’s this sort of progression in the team and in in the squad that that people think um so I think England have still got the same question to answer which they which they had 18 months ago which is can they deliver in the biggest games against the biggest teams on foreign soil and that last bit is really important because they won the World Cup at Wembley they reached the EUR 96 semi-final at Wembley they reached the last Euros playing six of the seven games at Wembley and now they’re here in Germany and that really is is an unknown they don’t have the pedigree they’re not proven at this level in these competitions and Serbia I think will be a tricky start for them you know they’ve got they’ve got obviously everyone’s focusing on valovich and mitrovich in terms of the attacking talent that they have and England’s weak point is in defense still that is still the issue they’re still not great without the ball and I’m not kind of I’m not sort of suggesting they can’t win it because I do think they’ve got obviously they’ve got the individual players to be able to go and win a tournament like this but I think the question that is being asked of England is still the same as it was 18 months ago which is why I’m not quite sure why their favorites ahead of someone like France who obviously have the pedigree they’ve been they’ve done it and then we look at the teams that have started really well the heavyweights Spain Germany I know Italy weren’t that great tonight but they’ve all won they’ve all looked you know in moments pretty good so he was eating his pizza didn’t watch the G you didn’t watch the first half it were really good it were really really good you didn’t watch you’re do you know what gab I was on a train it I was on yet another train but no I’m I’m I’m saying I mean in many ways you’re making my point for me which is that the the sort of heavy weights the powerhouses Italy the defending European Champions they’ve been there they’ve done it they’ve won it you know the I I I just get very uncomfortable with this idea that oh England are favorites and England are going to come here and their big players are going to turn up and they’re going to deliver they have not got the track record of doing that which is not to say they can’t do it but they’ve got to prove it in a way that other countries don’t I I I think James needs some cheering up here look you’re doing the typical thing right I’m gonna out you as an England fan I do the same with Italy right we’re more likely to look at all the negatives and so on the reality is I think it’s a good thing that nine of the 11 players are back because like you said it was so close against France um I think it’s a good thing that actually the core of this group is generally the same as the one that you know reached the the semi-finals of the um of the World Cup in 2018 and and lost on penalties uh in in the last Euros I think these are actually these are actually positives because you’ve got people who learn from defeat and who and who grow and if they’re still there it’s because they’re better than some of the other guys they brought in now did I need to see Adam Wharton at the Euros as opposed to somebody else I don’t know I I have no idea I haven’t seen much of him for Palace so I don’t know when we can go and quibble about that hopefully that guy will never play because everybody will be fit will be doing well if you’re an England fan um what I interesting I want to ask you about is these reports that Trent he’s gonna move Trent in into Midfield um now obviously we say that Southgate is conservative and and sort of Safety First and whatever but look here he’s doing something that some people will say is logical but which you know I think other than a couple friendlies he’s never really done for England I think he might have done it he did it as a kid for Liverpool obviously in the youth team but he’s done it very rarely in the first team how do you see that planning out and what’s his mindset there there well you’re right gab because I think that strikes to the absolute heart of the the whole debate around Southgate which is you know you’ve got all these attacking players how are you going to make them click I mean the big difference between you talk about talk about the nine of the 11 the big difference of course is that since then Jude bellingham’s gone on to great things at Real Madrid Dean rice is now 100 million pound player Phil foden was the player of the play of the year in England Harry Kane’s just scored 44 goals in Germany you know the attack players individually have developed so much at Club level that’s where the expectation comes from what I’m saying is that they can go and put it together with England is is the unknown um my understanding is that I there is a debate going on or there was a debate going on about whether it would be Trent Alexander Arnold or Conor Gallagher it’s between those two to start alongside Dean rice in what is probably going to be a 4231 system for England um tomorrow night and that yeah the the I think after Iceland when they lost one nil at home um they weren’t great yes there were a lot of mitigating circumstances it’s a warm-up game who cares really about the result and a lot of players needed the minutes there was were there were managing a lot of players Fitness through that at that stage Bellingham obviously didn’t even play because he was given a week off after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid but I I I do wonder whether South goat’s slightly obsessed with this idea of balancing the team and when he talks about balance that kind of implies an inherent caution and a conservatism that that I know gab you’ve written about before I’ve certainly done the same and I I I’ve sort of felt all week that he would lean towards Gallagher because he might think W the attacking players that Serbia have got maybe we need a runner in there alongside rice if you if if you’re asking rice to essentially anchor the Midfield and play someone who’s slightly more advanced you know Trent obviously a Defender sort of by trade but not you know is an unknown in that position as you say that is a risk but maybe it will unlock those four attacking players ahead of him the Bellingham the kanes the foden the sackers um I I I just but he’s talked really positively about Trent learning that role understanding that role from what I’m told from sources they’ve been training with Trent in Midfield this week so I think it leans towards the idea that Trent maybe will start against uh Serbia tomorrow but that’s the ultimate Balancing Act do you go does he go for it or does he think actually exactly as Calvin Phillips was in the last Euros I want someone who just will sit in a little bit more someone who maybe can press a bit better won’t kick on as an eight as a more you know as a six but wants to be an eight will actually just sit there and hold a little bit more which is what Colin Gallagher will give you and that really is the only unknown I think we know the other 10 I think it’s pretty it’s pretty set it’s not Cas of Playing devil’s advocate here but from the outside looking in is there any way you can get the four plus Palmer and maybe rice and you’re spoken about Colin Connor gaker and look it’s it’s a bit gung-ho but you tell me a defense that could cope with that front five I mean it might be 32 or 43 no you’re you’re right you’re right well there’s there’s a there is a way of doing it and now he to play 4-33 and play rice as the single pivot and then play yeah you could play fod in and Bellingham as the eights and then you can get sacka Palmer and Kane in the team as the front three I don’t he won’t do that and I think I think the Iceland game shows you why because they lost the kobby minu lost but they they basically lost the ball kobby Miley was playing more as an eight because that’s clearly his natural instinct is to get forward a little bit more and they got done on transition and uh Gareth Southgate he did an interview with us um which which went out last when did it go out this week um and he talked a lot about how Didia de sort of got killed for you know being too cautious and too conservative in his teams and then he he ended that answer by saying but then when a team gets done on transition if you’re too open people kill you for it and you say you’re naive and you’ve not you know youve you’ve not given due respect due credit to the opposition and that answer is really sort of stuck in my mind about that so I he’s sort of flitted between 4331 and 433 on occasion since guar but really it’s been 4231 and and I think I think his gamble will be to play Trent in that system rather than playing 4-33 and getting them all in which is maybe what people will want to see if england don’t win the first game and I do think because there’s this whole kind of conversation around southgate’s future and you know is he gonna stay on after the Euros is the only scenario where he does that if he wins it if they don’t win that first game and they’ve won all three of their tournament games under South goate the first games of every tournament they’ve won and it’s just sort of helped set the tone for it and I think that’s why there won’t be any complacency from England tomorrow I think they’ll be bang at it um but if they don’t win that first game that’s where the questions will come in and say well especially when you see you know Germany scoring five and Spain scoring three and it’s you know it’s been quite an exciting opening to the tournament isn’t it if england sort of stink the place out tomorrow or kind of you know maybe win one nil with a with a set piece or whatever then I think those questions are already grow Lou gab who should uh who should GTH Southgate play if what James has saying is correct which we believe it is it’s between Conor galliker and Trent Alexander Arnold which of those pair would you hand the starting Jersey to so I feel a little bad for Connor Gallagher because there’s this idea that he oh yeah he he puts in a shift he works really really hard and you know and this is kind of what I struggle with hasn’t been part of a debate right but JW Bellingham has played in this Advanced role for Real Madrid all season long right and so back with England oh yeah 42 31 let’s play Jude there right never mind that for most of his career that’s not where he actually played uh Connor Gallagher for Chelsea has effectively played an attacking Midfield all year long right he had Enzo and uh Moises kiso behind him now with England it becomes oh well you know rice is good carrying the ball forward and you know I want somebody more solid oh so let’s got con Conor Gallagher to play in defensive Midfield look Conor Gallagher would play goalkeeper if you ask him to and he would give you a thous % effort but I kind of feel it would make sense if if you are going to press and be proactive I would prefer the idea of playing maybe 4231 with Connor Gallagher actually in that 10 to go and disrupt the opposition’s buildup play if that’s what you’re going to do now we know southgate’s not going to do that we know Southgate is conservative so more likely uh so more likely he he’s going to sit back and if you’re going to do that I kind of prefer Trent’s long long-term passing especially because my fear with Serbia is that because you know they’re going to be cautious too and and they’ve got this issue where we have so many attacking players that we’re going to ask Sergey M linkovich Savage to you know effectively sit very very deep um they have to carry you know todic plus two big Strikers in v and MIT now if these guys run around and they start this is the other thing to think about right if laic and mraic put in a shift which they sometimes do um and they go and and and they let England have the ball and they go and they start you know getting up Rice’s backside you know rice is a phenomenal player but he is not necessarily the most press resistant guy out there so maybe having another passer alongside him whether it’s Bellingham deeper which again I don’t think he’s gonna do or whether it’s Trent might actually make sense um because you know what you look at that back four and other than stones and that’s another option I suppose Stones stepping up into Midfield we’ve seen him do that with City do we expect to do him to do that with England not so much but in that back four other than Stones you don’t really have I think um anybody who’s particularly good at at passing and kind of being that that extra Outlet in the buildup if they do press you so I I think these are some of the actually the other thoughts I Haven maybe been part of the conversation but which are probably going through southgate’s head as well yeah yeah yeah I I agree with that I mean yeah you’re right in in the sense of that Stones I don’t think will I mean the problem is because England have lost Maguire there’s no way the stones won’t be just anchored at a center back it looks like it’s going to be Mark Gay who plays alongside him um I mean South goat talked quite positively tonight about as I said earlier that Luke Shaw could maybe play some part against Serbia but he won’t start so that will be trippier at left back it’ll be Walker at right back um and then it will be you know as we’re talking about the two and then I think the front four kind of kind of picked themselves really at this point in the tournament um given what they’ve done at Club level and you know and and their reputation and everything else so yeah I it’s I would expect a positive start from England I really would you know I I um I I I’m it’s ingrained in me I’m of the generation to think that something is going to go wrong it’s just it’s just the way we are with with England um but I you’re Scottish What’s Happening Here Yeah well I know but you I I just I’m very uncomfortable with this favorites tag that’s going because they haven’t earned it England have not earned have earned it stop it it they’ve not earned it’ve earn because you think France are better France probably are better mark but first of all I’m gonna I’m gonna correct me if I’m wrong because I know you know you’re you’re betting there uh Mark but yeah the reason Englander favorites doesn’t have to do with the fact that that book it’s money right in England and bookies just want money to be the same on both sides so they make the England odds shorter guess guess what gab over here in Germany England aren’t favorites well Germany are favorites or one of the favorites it’s basically volume of cash I think France you get better odds for England and Germany than you will back home because the bookies don’t want any liabilities because you get your 50 P each way Grand National Granny’s and grandads doing it and you’re right you’re right you’re right you’re right but you couldn’t but you couldn’t give England away the last few tournaments you know there would you would be seeing all of these bookmaker offers of kind of like there’s a couple of extra points here and there you know on the day the week before the start of the tournament whatever you know pile on to England you know show some patriotism all this the the I I can tell you having been with England since they landed here and having done the two warm-up games have basically been with England since the start of the month and the the the the questions they get from from foreign journalists as well as the English journalists are you are the favorites for this tournament can you handle the pressure of that and there’s VAR variations on that theme okay so they are seen I I don’t agree with it but that is seems to be the consensus that they are the favorite you have to step up if england aren’t first favorites if we think France is better I agree with you France are better then they’re second favorites right it’s not like yeah it’s the middle of the pack so I don’t getting bent out of shape over the fact that haven’t earned the right to be second say favorites you’ve been a second in the last Euros um you lost a very close game to the team that lost the World Cup Final on penalties uh the World Cup before that you reach the semi-finals um so put these things together and yeah you’ve earned this spot you have really what you what your describing is is right and there’s there is a final step to make there is a but there is a final step to make and the Assumption from favoritism is that they will make it and I don’t think there’s any evidence to suggest that automatically they will make it they can they may well do so and obviously I hope that that is the case but to to to just anticipate that they are going to do it and it’s based on the individual quality of England’s attacking players not on the collective not on the fact that they don’t have a good sense back partnership not in the fact that they are are they are relying solely on Dean rice to Anchor that Midfield and actually they do get done on transition quite a lot by teams that are quite good on the Counterattack all of those things notwithstanding they are expected to just make that final step and win the Euros and I’m just saying I don’t think it’s it’s a fatal complete you know I I think your words kind of betray the actual feeling here right because we’re previewing England against Serbia and all we’re talk talking about is well England shouldn’t really be second favorites because they haven’t earned it or or whatever else like I agree with you right so they’re on the same gonna be in the same half of the draws France so if they both win their groups one of those two isn’t getting to the final right that’s just the way the tournament is set up um I do Wonder a little bit having like you seen you know remember the battle days with England and sort of the the failures pre- Southgate shouldn’t we be talking about Serbia more or is it that just well even if you know they don’t win against Serbia it’s okay because the rest of the groups are are rest of group is made up of Muppets and so we’ll still get through so let’s have this big debate about whether they’re favorites or second favorites or third favorites and can they live up to it um no you’re you’re you’re right England England had a big issue with the opening tournament games pre Southgate it was a it was a major problem and it was something that they talked about a lot and I know that they did a lot of work on it actually with the with the psychologist that we were talking about look you need to try and hit the ground right in these tournaments that’s why I made the point earlier that in in the three previous Southgate tournaments they they have won the first game and I think in tun was it Tunisia in 2018 they won it pretty much in the last minute they weren’t great but it just sets the tone for the tournament you’re right we should be talking Serbia more it’s not an easy game but I guess the caveat or the sort of CounterPoint to that is well this expanded format means that you know third place teams can get through it doesn’t really have the Jeopardy that it used to um so you sort of think leave it I mean I don’t I can’t see England losing tomorrow I think I think they will win tomorrow um I’m just not sort of convinced it’s going to be the sort of you know sweeping all before them that has been anticipated by many people who clearly aren’t you know wearing the scars on their heart like I am I want to I want to wrap this up shortly but I I as someone with no skin in the game here but as someone that grew up in the United Kingdom and we got all the English commentary and whatever and we’ got the English newspapers 86 especially Italian 1990 don’t you dare come home without this trophy it’s a bit like Scotland in that stupid 1978 World Cup when we’d won it prior to even going there Al Army Ali’s tan Army but then with England in Mexico and in Italy as well France 98 there seemed with the media this is just a perception of mine it might be totally wrong it was a case of they built them up so much what you are saying is totally the opposite of that so what has happened when you’ve got Harry Kane he’s top scorer in Europe and now you’re suddenly saying oh I’m a bit worried I don’t like being favorites in in Serbia it’s there’s got to be a happy medium here there got to be a middle ground is there not well I I I can’t and would never try and speak for the whole of the English media but what I what I would say is I think I think I think that that narrative is linked in inextricably to Gareth Southgate you know he has managed now more games for England than Bobby Robson um I think it’s Walter winterbottom and and Alf Ramsey are ahead of him this is his fourth tournament the cycle you know and let’s not forget the work that he’s done he has done he has done a phenomenal job I think in redefining what it means to play for England you know these players want to be here that was really wasn’t always the case um pre 2016 when he took charge and and they’ve gone on a fantastic Journey you know they’ve won penalty shootouts they’ve won knockout games they’ve really broken down you know they beat Germany in the last Euros that was a massive thing for England to to beat a big team right again at Wembley but they still they still did that in a knockout game they’ve knocked down these hurdles Time After Time with the time but I think I think the reason why there’s this pressure aside from and it’s certainly a component part as we talked about already the individual development of Bellingham of Kane of foden you know sacka all these players but also it’s around G Southgate because when he took charge England did not have a group of players that were capable or believed or even as I say wanted to really play for England and really commit themselves wholeheartedly and open themselves up to the potential pain of not succeeding with England what he’s got now is a Buy in and a group of players that are good enough to actually go and win it and the question really is have they outgrown the manager is this manager now somebody who can take this group and the quality that they have and take that final step or is he in fact having taken them so far is he the one that’s holding them back and that’s I think why you’re seeing a lot of this narrative around the England team about well the only thing they can do from here is win it because that’s the only thing Southgate can do from here is win it if he’s going to stay on to 2026 prediction time gab let start with you England against Serbia I think it’s uh it’s going to be nervy I think I have all the reservations about Southgate um and also all the praise that a lot of people have for many of the same reasons that the jamit did but um I don’t think Serbia are it’s not their fault they’re not a very well balanced team and while a lot of those names are familiar some of them aren’t coming off great Seasons um so for that reason I’m going to say I think England are going to win two-nil 2–1 something like that but again it could be something where they don’t play particularly well and you know it’s it’s a penalty foden falling over in the Box you know some screw up um somewhere else okay um 16 goals so far in this tournament in the four games it’s not going to be nil nil is it James England gonna win six nil England no um no I’m I’m I’m joking I’m joking no I I look England have kept two clean sheets in the last seven games not an entirely relevant statistic given its you know warm-up games and friendlies and whatever I don’t see them keeping the clean sheet against Serbia but I think I I would I I think their Firepower will be enough to get them over the line I’m going to say 3-1 England see your positivity has increased since we start it’s gaps G’s having this effect and just given the day that you’ve had and given the fact that all three of us are in our hotel room and the fact you horsed a pizza in about 18 seconds so you’ll be getting some indigestion overnight we’re all in hotel rooms we all have these little mini bars I’m going to give you this to cheer you up you can have that okay I’ll pass it through the monitor from Bon you pick it good lad there you go and if by the way what about these fried oregano oregano or whatever they call I mean what what is I don’t want to know what oregano oregano which is oregano nonsense oregano come on you can do better oregano hey see well at least we didn’t concede after 23 seconds when we Face Germany the problem is we did concede five after that whereas the Italians manag to turn it around I was going to say good luck England I’m not going to I can’t say that um May the best team win tomorrow James you’re you’re lacky bills needing B what’s happening here I’m I’m staying in I told you I staying in a dodgy Hotel there we go no it’s it’s fine now it’s we need to end this because that that power’s gonna run out lose WiFi this is it’s all done right okay we’re done we’re back tomorrow espnfc enjoy that red wine bye for now sh

Join the ESPN FC Live crew at full-time between Italy and Albania for full match reaction and a preview of Sunday’s Euro 2024 action, as England kick off their campaign against Serbia.

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