Alan’s Report From Düsseldorf As England Progress | EURO 2024

Alan’s Report From Düsseldorf As England Progress | EURO 2024

[Music] hello and welcome to the resty football with Mike Richards Alan Shir today and me galica uh Allan made it back from dorf and we’re all still celebrating England making it through to the semifinals of Euro 2024 and Micah what a resplendant shirt that is that looks as if it’s come straight from Mexico meana yes more Hawaii I think is it more Hawaii I think so look at that we got we got flowers on it we’ve got volcano is that is that a volcano we’ve got the sun yeah just a little bit different you know a little silk number only there’s only you could pull that off yeah it’s it’s it’s quite something I like it actually you like I don’t think I could wear it myself I don’t get away with that one a little Gucci number you got to deal with them I’m trying Alan great you just got back um we’re recording this on Sunday y tell us a trip first you went Friday obviously uh yeah went on the train uh about 5 and a half hours on the train um little bit of a delay and then uh England fans on the train there was a few on there they were all in uh they were fine they were in good spirits we got we actually uh went into dusel dorf and then got a car to Cologne Colon’s lovely cologne was beautiful it they had this uh Cathedral right near the train station and it’s like like magnificent it’s really impressive not really into those type of things if I’m honest but it this stood out I mean it was incredible and so I Googled it and they started building it and I think it was 1248 wow and it took 500 years to complete wow I mean build is normally slow but that’s really hope that it claws in there can I ask you what you normally do on on the trains you got five and a half hours to pass he do the notes he chilling out he listening to music all those things doing a bit of notes and teamwork and information on players and listening to podcast music and listening to uh listening to you two talk on the way back oh did quite well actually yeah it was a really good trip of course when you’ve got England doing what they did and the penalties and the excitement and everything else the crowd were amazing I mean I don’t how many England fans were there but there were they reckoned about 40,000 fantastic yeah must have been 3 to one but they were like incred yeah it was it was superb I mean yeah it was just it was a really really good couple of days so good to be back yeah thought you did well it’s not it’s never easy these things but no and it it kind of threw one at us didn’t they with all the rumors were that sacka was going to play at left wing back and trippier at right wing back and then straight away see when they line when they’re lining up it’s like okay that’s not what what we how long do you wait wait before you say you’ve seen trippier go on the left and sacker because sometimes teams try to throw you off a little bit and you don’t want to go too early so how long is it before you make that tactical judgment saying to uh I was tapping guy obviously you can just give him a little tap and I’m going like just pointing to him cuz I got I can’t see anything and um I thought we’ll just give it a minute cuz they might just be choking a little red hering out here so I just waited a minute and thought I better come in and see it now we someone else says he’s not bloody seeing he’s on the right or the left or there’s just that fine balance isn’t there yeah it was much better than we’ve had in in previous games obviously wasn’t great and they weren’t massively creative but it was a significant Improvement on what we’d seen before wasn’t it I think it was uh it was better definitely better pressing was better um had a bit more energy they seemed to respond a bit better to the system that they were uh that we were playing um I still think there’s a lot more to come um from them but what they have in abundance and it’s worth his Wai and gold is that they have this great togetherness they have this team spirit they have this belief uh and that always has to come from the manager but I do think they can they can still go up another level or two and there’s still more to come the creativity side of it atast at least this time I thought they were they were kind of a unit for the first time in this tournament and I think that was the thing we were trying to get off I mean certainly in the first half I mean we we didn’t have a shot on target again until the goal which was the 80th minute was it I think there were a couple of good efforts that were blocked yeah but they don’t count in the stats world but in in terms of was it a massive Improvement I don’t think so it was a it was an improvement but I don’t think it was off the charts it was a the chart it was a good performance but you’re at the stage now where it doesn’t it doesn’t really matter when you look at the teams that are left in there’s only Spain yeah that have been very good France haven’t scored a goal from out play absolutely France who were the favorites coming into the tournament I mean they’ve been poor they’re in the semi-final England and large Parts have been but they’re there um the Netherlands were very underwhelming in in the group I mean they finished third in that group I know so um yeah it’s you’re you’re at the stage where it doesn’t really matter does it you just got to you just got to somehow get through and England have managed to do that what were the positives for you I thought the positives were without doubt sacka I thought he was uh I thought he was brilliant um the way he was going past the Defenders and getting to the by line and putting balls in even two people on him yeah even when they were doubling up on him I thought he was uh he was very very good I thought coner played uh played well as well he had a really good battle with with molo slightly unlucky where the cross goes through his leg legs and then he’s in there to uh to to tap it in but I thought in the main he played uh he played really well I thought foron looked a lot better in the uh in that role that he was uh that he was playing we’ve been crying out for the whole tournament who quietly who went under the radar without being spectacular but did a really good job I thought Dean rice did did that I think he’s underappreciated as well because there were a lot of you know you know what social media is like everyone say a lot of people going get rice off he’s not and they don’t I don’t think they see work and his interceptions and all that he’s you know could he improve his passing breaking the lines yes but that aside he when you’ve got three players that Mayu likes to go forward and you got Bellingham and foden you need the anchor don’t of course we got a little bit of I won’t say stick but on people were saying we were a little bit too positive for England well before they were say a little bit too negative there always going to be people that disagree with yeah but I think it’s nice to to explain in terms of the first game Serbia we all had the huge expectation of what England would do they they weren’t great then we was up against first half an hour but in the game overall it wasn’t great then we had Denmark who were really organized then we had Slovenia and we see in their system 442 they defend really deep in in a low block difficult to to break down then we have Slovakia where of course the last minute Brilliance from Bellingham and Kane wins it in extra time but when I said England were brilliant I’m comparing them to the previous four games I’m not saying they was the finished article we all the things that you mentioned higher up the pitch folden in the 10 all the things we’ve been crying out for maybe if we was been really picky would we have put Trent Alexander Arnold on on the right wing back I think it would have been perfect for him but then you lose sacka and sacka played so well obviously the positive Luke Shaw coming back in into the side as well look like he’s not being uh away from football for the the time he has so I like to clarify what we meant on you know what I mean we was in the motion of the game at the time it was just a better performance in terms of Southgate could he make his Subs early yes I think the second half was nowhere near as good as the first no it wasn’t but it was that question to the manager can we impact the game earlier and the problem I I saw with this is who do you take off you don’t really want to take off foden because he was he was playing well Bellingham can get you a goal at any time maybe Kane to stretch him like the point that that you made you don’t want to take off of sacka as well so when I said he was Brave in making the subs normally Southgate would make one sub but he made three right after the goal and that’s what was more satisfying for me he tends to be more reactive them proactive agreed yeah I thought he I been picky here because I thought he could have made the subs a bit earlier maybe five or 10 minut were all in the studio going he needs to make changes they they they kind of gone a bit flat they’ve lost their energy correct well you know at this stage of the competition and in a lot of games in International Football you’re going to suffer in terms of possession you’re not going to you’re not going to dominate possession for 90 minutes or however long you play the game you’re going to have to sit back and stick together and defend you might need a little bit of look now and again and and that’s what England had to do in the second half because they came into it Switzerland they were the ones that were putting England Under Pressure you know and um the crowd go quiet and the Swiss fans get and then all of a sudden that it sort of changes and you’re under pressure and then I’m thinking okay can you get can we get a little bit more energy from somewhere and then I’m thinking okay you need to make two or three substitutions here they made two Y and they give them a lot more energy and they they sort of reacted to that and I’m thinking okay and then we go one nil down you’re thinking the worst but to be fair to Gareth straight away three Subs on but you know how many times have we said about big moments come from Big players at the right time and sacka I mean it couldn’t have happened to uh to to a better person just the way his performance was in that first half and he’d gone a little bit quiet like like the rest of the team in the second half but then produced that piece of I mean it just AED up perfectly for him didn’t it I didn’t think as well we touched on it how good Switzerland are that that is the thing there is I think it applies probably to all countries as well all big football in Nations there’s almost like you think there’s a some kind of divine right that because you’ve got really good players that they’re going to dominate everyone and we’re way better than them why aren’t we just attacking and get creating loads of chances and scoring loads of goals tournament football’s so hard it’s so hard and you’re playing against really good teams Switzerland have been excellent in this tournament particularly in the last couple of games I mean they ran they were one nil up against Germany until the 92nd minute um they played Italy off the park in the game before corre so I think sometimes you you I understand why because we all get frustrated as fans and we all want more and more but it it it was significantly better in that first half but they did drop off and Switzerland had their moment which all big teams will have which they’re which they’re going to have the substi were uh were positive um and you know you know when it’s coming to the crunch time and yeah you’re looking you’re thinking when’s he going to bring the penalty takers on because because what happened in the last Euros in the final we were all critical about giving the guys the two or three minutes to to come on and then have this huge penalty from from 12 yards out that you’re under that much pressure but you’ve only been on a minute or two it’s it’s probably unfair fair I think he learned his I think he learned his lesson and I think he brought them on in in plenty of time they were able to get in and play a bit in the game and and have enough time to feel part of it Mike asked me a couple of times about Harry Kane Y what we have views I mean on his performance um um yeah he’s finding it tough I mean he’s got his he’s got his two goals but he’s um I don’t know I don’t know if there’s anything wrong with him with he’s carrying an injury or or what but he is he is finding it tough to have to have a big impact on the game I’m not saying he’s having no impact because that’s that wouldn’t be fair he is without I mean in the stadium you you can sort of see it when players are going to him and marking him and him taking other players out of the game you can see that but if you sat at home watching or you’re sat in the studio you’re thinking oh come on what give it we need where’s the goals where’s the energy where’s where’s everything else you know that that you want from him and and that he’s produced for for so long um we just we just want him to it’s a tough one because it’s a tough one for Gareth as well isn’t it because you’ve got a player there who’s well it’s a record goal scorer for England he’s the captain he doesn’t look particularly sharp in the tournament um I mean there’s no question he’s he’s work he’s running back and trying to defend which actually you would say no save your energy stay up we don’t need you I just wondered cuz you get the overall pitch about movement if it was me I’d be saying to him just play the wit of the 18 yard box I know exactly what Bobby Robson would be saying to him absolutely it’s you know sometimes and I and I get that he wants to when the team’s under the cush trying to come back and help out and he did that a few times I mean he there was at one stage where he he had to run back 50 or 60 yards and track back you know and I I I admire him for but other people can do that I don’t and when we were under the Cush then the ball was sort of going back up and coming straight back at us whereas if he was up there he would be that presence that you that that you need so but you know what it’s like as a goal scorer yeah one opportunity and that might be the most important thing in the game he he’s likely to stick it away but he there was also a CH an opportunity where sacka in the first half got down the right wing and put a great ball he got to the by line put a great ball in probably about rolled it across the six yard box and I think okay where’s and I look around and Harry I don’t think he was even in the 18 yard box and that’s where he needs to do it what to do and where to spend most of his time but can I just ask you as as Strikers what’s it like playing against a two obviously switzland played with the three does that make it harder for you you talk about runs all the time both of you but if you got threee Center offs who stay within the obviously the width of the Box does that make it more difficult to make them runs that you’re talking about well you do become a little bit sacrificial so what you have to do there is try and occupy as many as them you can because don’t forget if you’ve got three players against one you are outnumbering them in other parts of the pitch particularly with England’s strength in Midfield with that that box of four players Mayu rice Bellingham and foden so you’ve got to be patience to strike and I I think Harry sometimes gets a bit frustrated but I thought he generally stayed up a lot higher particularly in the first half and therefore we suddenly saw interchanging in Midfield and they started passing because they got a bit more space but when he drops into that deep role then you got five players there so whilst you’re outnumbering in one area you’ve got nothing in another area because none of those players really run Beyond harri kanane which is is kind of the issue so he’s he’s got to say hi and you take one for the team in in in the sense that you’re trying to occupy three Defenders of course it’s hard but but is that is that fair talking about Kane’s performance but you’re basically saying he needs to sacrifice himself so we’re looking at his overall performance we’re not going to get that Kane’s best part of his game is dropping into the number 10 and linking up with a play there is the conundrum for Gareth exact because we all know even it’s like positives and negatives isn’t it you’ve got the positive that that Harry if you gets a chance you know nine times Well 19 times out 20 it’ll bang it away if it’s a good chance but on the other side you’re not getting anything behind a defense so if he could Sprint behind pushes the back three that they have to run back that creates more space um in that Midfield but he’s not that player so you could make that argument that someone like Ole Watkins who who you wouldn’t say would be as assured a finisher but he’s improved a lot and his statistics last season were were superb but what he will do is he’ll run behind and therefore stretch them a little bit more and create a bit more space behind them for that midfield for but it’s it’s it’s a dilemma for I I always remember Terry vanal saying to me you know he said to me when if you’re playing against if you ever playing against three at the back which often happened at uh yeah in those days in International Football he said go and stand on the touch line go and see just see what they do yeah go and see if one he did the same with me a couple times or two come and stand with you you said because there’s so much space over there for other people just go and see what they see if they’re brave enough to send two over with you or one over and if they send one over you fancy a chances One V one against anyone you know but if they send another two over there there has to be spaces somewhere else so it’s funny as you say that Terry van say it’s not England but the exact story about that so whenever we played Nottingham Forest and I’ve I’ve told this story but the reason is I’m not going to go into the story again about Dez Walker but Dez Walker KF always put Dez Walker on me manto man which is quite unusual wherever I went Dez would follow so Terry used to say to me go and stand on Stuart pierce the left back which nobody wants to stand near Stuart Pierce because whack you but um so I used to go there and then Dez came out and I I was basically sacrificing myself to occupy the two best defenders that that Nottingham Forest had and it was clever and then they never knew what to do you know played in The Cup Final and and kff tried to change it and stuff but it was um that’s exactly you’ve got to make the opposition think in terms of things like that just ask different questions so what would you do if you go us just I think you know you go I think you go to Harry come on like this is what your role is you’ve got to stay high you’ve got to try and’s no doubt about it and there’s no doubt in my mind and I would do exactly the same there’s no way you can leave him out no take an incredibly Brave manager to do that you can’t leave your captain out and your goal scor and a guy who can produce something special I know we’ve got other players to do that as well but he’s he’s our main goal scorer keep him in there try and um try and encourage him as much as possible because um he has looked tired at times but um you put him you put him in that team no doubt about it and and you get the best out of him or try to anyway and you try and conol him and do whatever you have to do and keep his spirits going and because it’ll turn he’s a great goal scorer he’s got two goals so we have to talk about them penalties I know we had a little talk about them last night but I know you like the Trent one well we got I like them but the Tony one he not he’s not even looking at the ball we were talking we were walking around here to to do this just now w’t we were talking about that it takes some balls to do that yeah I mean it was a great camera angle wasn’t it because the camera angle and I’m and I’m looking down at him which obviously I can’t see but then I’m look at the screen that’s next to me and I can just see him staring at the keep I’m thinking I mean this is this it’s an un believable technique isn’t it like I’m thinking l i mean everything has to be perfect because just the two steps beforehand you know and he’s watching it’s it’s it’s so brave but it works incredibly well for him so um Swiss Tony the the the five penalties oh my God they reminded me of the German penalties when in uh in ’96 and 90 and 90 yeah it’s like all five of them were absolutely bang on the money weren’t they what about Cole Palmer Cole Palmer hadn’t even played for England up until what two three months ago now he’s England’s first penalty Tak and it looks as if he’s like clearing the park with his PS it’s mad isn’t it it’s mad I mean the the the the nuts on him to go give me the ball I’ll have it and walk up there he just it just is is like his strut isn’t it it just makes it it just made me smile I know we’ve talked about how nervous you know nerve-racking taking penalties is but is a damn site worst watching I think I I so nervous particularly for two people that yeah particularly for two people sacka because of what happened to the oros I mean talk about stand up and be ballsy which reminded me of the Stuart Pierce moment in a game you played when you scored the penalty against Spain yeah yeah against Spain yeah and and this kind of redemption thing not that they need he done that already by dragging us back into the game with a piece of Brilliance but I was I mean I did choke a little bit pour him no it was uh it was because I I remember um back in ’96 when uh when Stuart Pierce had the ball and was walking up to take the penalty against Spain knowing what had gone on in 90 um I mean it’s it’s hard enough taking a penalty when you’ve scored you one before let alone thinking oh my god I’ve got this situation again so for him to even put himself forward to take one which is no surprise cuz we know what character he is and then to to stick it in the uh in the side net and the way he did was just unbelievable I mean Gareth got it spot on he got it absolutely right in terms of the timing of his substitutions and Trent and uh and Ivan Tony to uh to come on and and take them uh in the way they did and it just it everything was perfect could see they’ve worked at it hard as well they knew what the plan was they knew what penalties they were going to say what about your line as well your line was a great line you’ve used it before on here I yeah I’ve used it but he used it for felt right it just felt right what was it go on for the for the for the viewers for the show pressure is for tires it was a great line I was I was celebra you know what it was it was either that or it was I can feel a semi coming on you should have done that one I don’t think the BBC would have been too happy with that one well you was talking about third legs the the week before or the game before well the well that was funny was it because it just came out but I mean it was Rio though was it because Ronaldo had two guys two Mass one massage in one and he went look he’s got two Mass I said this is well he’s not got three by the way we have to give pck for a mention as well what about his homework the homework that they do with him and the goalkeeping coaches and all that side of it save one in every shoot his face with you see did you see his the bottle where he had on on these water bottle with a Ki we didn’t get the shot of that he had the he had a water bottle and he had all the players listed the opposition Dive Right dive left and AI the first penalty on the bottle dive left no I tell you what though brilliant yeah that’s brilliant but if there’s another penalty shootout one of that one player is going to look on that ball and go sneak and get the bottle he needs to right if you’re listening and I know you’re all shutting out the noise if you’re listening do it differently do it on a different piece of do it on the post do a different kind of thing and the other one of course was was was Trent Alexander Arnold and I I think he’s had it tough at this competition it’s been brutal for him you know being put in there and then people saying it’s an experiment that didn’t work etc but that was because England was so disjointed I’m sure he could I mean he’s such a wonderfully gifted football isn’t he and that was that what a moment to come there and step do the the winning penalty the winning penalty and it was just stuck away with such a plum I mean it I I I thought he was going to go that way because angle of his run up his angle of his runup and he’s so good at whipping the ball and in that and and that was that was my favorite side and a penalty that was my go-to side the majority of time I used to try and go there and thinking if I get my spot right the keep is not saving if he goes that way I spoke to Danny Murphy this morning I was we had a coffee and he would he would scored all five would he he probably did he said 100% um but he he made actually quite an interesting point he says I was worried about the Trent one because of the angle he was running he said because we’ve seen it in in sometimes and particularly perhaps the pitches here he said if you’re going at that angle you’re going to have to whip it that much he said your left foot could easily you know you you’re planting it harder so it could could slip away um it obviously didn’t and he he hid it perfectly um it was it was a brilliant well all five of them were but for Trent to have to have that moment to have the opportunity to stick a penalty away knowing that you put this in you’re going through to the semi-final oh it’s great and Brilliant and the we yeah it was just I mean what a I mean we’ve not had too much success from py shootouts I think that’s the the third win in in a major tournament yeah and um it’s so special oh great great for Gareth great for his coaching staff great for the squad great for every English football fan it’s just it’s just brilliant keep on rolling don’t we it looks I me we’ve said it it it doesn’t matter how you start the tournament it’s how you end it and they they now have put themselves in without playing spectacular free flowing football they’ve put themselves in a an unbelievable position um do you have a few drinks after the game last night had a few drinks wott you theot what a lovely guy he was he said he uh we having a laugh about you actually about really you know what he said to me go he said I wish Mike had have told me he was blind that’s what that’s what he said he said when I played for him for England I would have helped him out a bit more track and back brilliant he said is he really that blind I said he is really that blind yeah literally yeah he said to me can you remember when you uh when I had my England debut his England de through in 2006 he said can you remember when you rang me up and I said uh I can actually he said you just rang me up to say good luck he said is thaton he said I said can you remember what you said to me I said no what did I say it he said good luck but whatever you do blank out the noise I said really did I say that he goes yeah I said oh incredible it was ever us shall we blank out the noise yes we should Let’s Do It Goodbye For Me Goodbye For Me Goodbye For Me [Music]

How do England improve again after a more encouraging performance against Switzerland? Do they bring Marc Guéhi back in or stick with Ezri Konsa for the semi-final? Are we still leaving substitutions too late to have a proactive impact on the game?

Gary, Alan and Micah discuss Big Al’s trip to Düsseldorf and Cologne and how England are shaping up for the business end of the tournament.
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00:00 – Intro
00:53 – Alan’s Report From Düsseldorf
13:00 – Harry Kane’s Performance
19:28 – The Penalties