If you're from another country...

[BillyStubbsTears]

...watching Bellingham, you're thinking "Finally! England has produced a player who can dominate."

What a player.

[selby]

  Bukayo Saka is special he ran the attacking game and has done it all this last season and the season before in the Premiership for Arsenal, two great players along with Walker who would get in any team in the World Rice, Kane, probably would also and the Keeper is no mug.
  We should be there or there about with this group if we are not the management want to be held accountable big time.

[Alan Southstand]

Saka was ok for about 35 minutes and then where did he disappear to?

Did Foden actually play? I think I heard his name mentioned once or twice.

Jude is head and shoulders above the rest, I’m afraid.

[Silkscarf]

When I see Bellingham play now I can’t help thinking of him in the Brazil kit also wearing number 10. He’s that good he’d fit right in. But he plays for us! One of those awesome world superstars. We’ve got to win this trophy now.

[arkseyrover]

.....if you're from another country

you will also be thinking - why do England with the awesome Bellingham and all those skilful players, still persevere with that boring style of play, that worn out boring system of play and that inept boring manager.

[selby]

  I am not in any way degrading Bellingham, he looks a player who can have the same impression as Duncan Edwards and Gaza  had, that one off a generation player.
 The reality is to win in World class football you need at least five or six World class players and the rest to be very very good.
  I feel we have more than Bellingham who have reached that level and if we don't go at least near to winning the competition then the management needs to be called into question.
  To answer that question over Saka, the game was won in that first period when he took the game by the horns, after that his supply was mediocre with or without Bellingham, Rice probably sitting too deep, the build up too slow from back to front, Foden having a shocker, Alexander Arnold looking what he is, shoe horned in to mid field at the expense of more experienced players in that position and defensively poor, Kane not in the game for long periods and Trippier filling in in a position he cannot show his best, especially with Foden so far off the mark in front of him.
  It was not our best display by any means but qualifying is all it is about, Argentina, Italy, and more have eventually won a major tournament starting it poorly, the team showing form in a couple of weeks and just got to that level will have a good chance of winning the thing.
  Hurst got all the plaudits in 1966 doing what he did, he didnt start the competition, both Charltons, Wilson, Banks and Styles were magnificent  all through the competition.

[BillyStubbsTears]

England lost against France in the last WC by a fraction, but a very important fraction.

England matched France in every position bar one. We didn't have Griezmann and they did. He was the difference.

We've never in my lifetime had a player who could dominate a match of that importance like he did. But in Bellingham, we now do. It's up to him to write his name on history.

[DonnyNoel]

Saka was ok for about 35 minutes and then where did he disappear to?

Did Foden actually play? I think I heard his name mentioned once or twice.

Jude is head and shoulders above the rest, I’m afraid.

Saka was fantastic for 35 minutes - had his full back, winger and covering defensive mid on toast. At HT they obviously made some changes and they got on top of him. At that point we need a change of focus of attack, and whilst that may be a criticism of Southgate in some ways, I agree with Fabregas that tactics aside, sometimes players just need to make themselves available which is why I was disappointed with Foden. Another good performance but a worrying lack of ability to match an opponents tempo change.

[Alan Southstand]

Contrast our 2nd half with this afternoon’s Slovakia’s. Chalk and cheese.

[Lesonthewest]

Second half we played balls into Saka etc with their backs to goal & the first instinct was to play the ball back, then back to Pickford to lump it to Kane. Good win, rubbish 2nd half performance.

[dickos1]

Contrast our 2nd half with this afternoon’s Slovakia’s. Chalk and cheese.

Why compare with Slovakia?
Compare with Belgium, a team a similar level to us who lost. 

[ncRover]

Contrast our 2nd half with this afternoon’s Slovakia’s. Chalk and cheese.

Why compare with Slovakia?
Compare with Belgium, a team a similar level to us who lost.

Similar level?!

Go on, give me a combined England / Belgium XI.

[Colin C No.3]

England lost against France in the last WC by a fraction, but a very important fraction.

England matched France in every position bar one. We didn't have Griezmann and they did. He was the difference.

We've never in my lifetime had a player who could dominate a match of that importance like he did. But in Bellingham, we now do. It's up to him to write his name on history.

We have a Foden to match ‘a Griezman’, it’s up to the manager to ensure he plays him in a position where he can influence a game & ‘hurt’ the opposition.

That’s your question, do we have THAT manager?

[dickos1]

As fabregas said last night a player of a top level should take the game by the scruff of the neck and dictate it,

[dickos1]

Contrast our 2nd half with this afternoon’s Slovakia’s. Chalk and cheese.

Why compare with Slovakia?
Compare with Belgium, a team a similar level to us who lost.

Similar level?!

Go on, give me a combined England / Belgium XI.

So you don’t think they’re a similar level?

[BillyStubbsTears]

As fabregas said last night a player of a top level should take the game by the scruff of the neck and dictate it,

This has always been my issue with England.

Of course we've produced lots of very high quality club players.

But international football is a totally different game.

In club football, players are coached intensively into systems that they know and are comfortable in.

That doesn't happen in national sides. There's not enough time together to produce a well oiled unit. It requires players who can improvise.

Generation after generation, we've failed at that in the hardest matches.

Maybe Foden can make that transition, but he's not really done it yet. Bellingham though, looks like the real deal. If he was playing against England, your heart would sink. He looks like a proper mester at 20. He takes responsibility and sets a standard for everybody else. This could well be his moment.

[Alan Southstand]

Contrast our 2nd half with this afternoon’s Slovakia’s. Chalk and cheese.

Why compare with Slovakia?
Compare with Belgium, a team a similar level to us who lost. 

Why compare it with Slovakia? Because it was the same result as ours! A 1-0 victory!

[dickos1]

Totally different scenario though
We were big favourites and won 1-0, Belgium were big favourites and lost 1-0.
Slovakia massive outsiders and won 1-0.
Tournaments are all about results,
Only a couple of the favourites have played to their expectation so far, the best teams grow into tournaments and certainly don’t peak in the first group game

[ncRover]

Contrast our 2nd half with this afternoon’s Slovakia’s. Chalk and cheese.

Why compare with Slovakia?
Compare with Belgium, a team a similar level to us who lost.

Similar level?!

Go on, give me a combined England / Belgium XI.

So you don’t think they’re a similar level?

No. Only De Bruyne gets in our starting XI. Maybe Doku. That’s it.

Lukaku wouldn’t even get in our squad.

[Spud]

Belgium are third in the current FIFA rankings, England fourth, I think it's fair enough to compare the two?

[TonySoprano]

As fabregas said last night a player of a top level should take the game by the scruff of the neck and dictate it,

This has always been my issue with England.

Of course we've produced lots of very high quality club players.

But international football is a totally different game.

In club football, players are coached intensively into systems that they know and are comfortable in.

That doesn't happen in national sides. There's not enough time together to produce a well oiled unit. It requires players who can improvise.

Generation after generation, we've failed at that in the hardest matches.

Maybe Foden can make that transition, but he's not really done it yet. Bellingham though, looks like the real deal. If he was playing against England, your heart would sink. He looks like a proper mester at 20. He takes responsibility and sets a standard for everybody else. This could well be his moment.

Potentially the best player since Beckham for taking the game by the scruff of the neck.

I like southgates philosophy of picking players who do well for England, not just for their club.

Massive southgate fan

[graingrover]

Bellingham two nights ago was more influential than Mbappé last night and I think RMadrid supporters will continue to consider him their No1 next season ..