Republic of Ireland v Finland - Wednesday, 14th October 2020 - UEFA Nations League

[Bielsa´s irish]

I hope we dont end up playing England away next time. better off to Bosnia or a minnow at home

[Olé Olé]

I like the balanced posts. It's a new manager trying a new approach through formation, playing style and personnel. We have drawn 4 and lost 1(edit: drawn 3 and lost 2) and scored only a goal. That is not great. But we have outplayed most of the teams. That is great but there are still flaws to the performances and goals are obviously integral.

I am finding that social media and cousins thereof like this forum are mirroring Irish society and becoming quite extreme with contrasting views, like the States and the UK. Vote for Sinn Fein or Fine Gael. Open up or lock down. Hendrick is crap or Hendrick is great. Kenny is on a hiding to nothing or Kenny is the saviour.

There are a lot of balanced posts here with people accepting it isn't perfect but at least it gives hope for something better. The truth sits in the middle.

So I'm disappointed that he started Maguire and Horgan. They're not up to it and won't deliver goals. On the other hand, he put O'Shea in centre half when Long was apparently fit. I can't think of another manager we have had in a while that would have given a young centre half his first cap away to a decent side like Finland in a competitive match.

[pineapple stu]

We've drawn 3 and lost 2. Finland beat us twice

[ifk101]

I thought we were the better team - just didn't take our chances and make poor decisions in vital moments. O'Shea was excellent - looked like he has been in the team for years, and Stevens looks to have become a steady solution at a position that has been a problem area for us for years. Molumby and Connolly should be good senior players for years to come - helping to address the ageing profile of the team. Their RB was really struggling and that's something we could have exploited more but other than putting the ball in the net for us and possible selection choices, not sure what more Kenny could have done to win the game. Maybe we should play Duffy as striker and keep sending it long into the box to appease the TV commentators?

[Olé Olé]

We've drawn 3 and lost 2. Finland beat us twice

Cognitive dissonance.

[Olé Olé]

I thought we were the better team - just didn't take our chances and make poor decisions in vital moments. O'Shea was excellent - looked like he has been in the team for years, and Stevens looks to have become a steady solution at a position that has been a problem area for us for years. Molumby and Connolly should be good senior players for years to come - helping to address the ageing profile of the team. Their RB was really struggling and that's something we could have exploited more but other than putting the ball in the net for us and possible selection choices, not sure what more Kenny could have done to win the game. Maybe we should play Duffy as striker and keep sending it long into the box to appease the TV commentators?
There was one stage where Pukki was coming through in the second half, very close to the 6 yards box and O'Shea ran across him beautifully and put a toe to the ball. It was very easy in that case to foul him but he stood him up, anticipated well and the chance was over for Pukki.

O'Shea is very confident on the ball. You could tell Molumby and he had played together for the under 21 side. They were constantly looking to create angles to break the lines in their passing out from the back. Molumby would pull left or right of a Finn or two to take them out of the game and O'Shea was comfortable enough off either foot to give it to him. On the other hand, Hourihane was rarely and outlet for the defence and went missing a lot. He's disappointed me so much.

[pineapple stu]

One thing I will say is that I thought Finland created more chances against us than any of the other teams did. I don't know if that's a worry in terms of teams adapting to our new style of play - or maybe it was just a factor of them having a home crowd behind them.

But covid aside, there was a lot of new players involved over the past couple of games, which was essential of course as the team was getting quite old again. Connolly, Idah, Knight, O'Shea and Molumby are all 21 or younger. You simply can't put out half the 21s and expect them to step up immediately.

[ifk101]

There was one stage where Pukki was coming through in the second half, very close to the 6 yards box and O'Shea ran across him beautifully and put a toe to the ball. It was very easy in that case to foul him but he stood him up, anticipated well and the chance was over for Pukki.

O'Shea is very confident on the ball. You could tell Molumby and he had played together for the under 21 side. They were constantly looking to create angles to break the lines in their passing out from the back. Molumby would pull left or right of a Finn or two to take them out of the game and O'Shea was comfortable enough off either foot to give it to him. On the other hand, Hourihane was rarely and outlet for the defence and went missing a lot. He's disappointed me so much.

As mentioned elsewhere previously, there is no compelling justification to have Hourihane and Brady on the field at the same time. Brady seems to have seniority over Hourihane for set plays so Hourihane should have given way when Brady came on. Hourihane wasn't directly bad - just decidedly average, but reason enough to give Cullen a go in his position.

Agree with the O'Shea comments. Positively surprised with how comfortable he was on the ball and the speed at which he was moving the ball.

[backstothewall]

As mentioned elsewhere previously, there is no compelling justification to have Hourihane and Brady on the field at the same time. Brady seems to have seniority over Hourihane for set plays so Hourihane should have given way when Brady came on. Hourihane wasn't directly bad - just decidedly average, but reason enough to give Cullen a go in his position.

Agree there is no reason at all to have both on the field, but Hourihane offers more in all departments. Injuries have taken their toll on Brady. He isn't the same player he was, and whoever told him he is good at free kicks has a lot to answer for.

[Stuttgart88]

What to say? We can't buy a break. I thought that was our best showing yet. I was watching that game and thinking it was shaping up as a game where we'd score, I just couldn't see it any other way at one point. We were brave on the ball for the most part and our play between the thirds was quite accomplished. Wales' goal last night was both lovely and, more importantly, an example of what can happen when you trust yourselves to build from the back. Did anyone see it?

Of course we can’t deny that apart from the brainfart goal we did get opened up twice and could have been behind in more normal circumstances but then again I’ve rarely seen a game of football where you don’t give up a chance or two away from home.

I can’t believe some in the media are saying O’Shea’s header was a mistake. I had some reservations about starting him over Long because I thought he had looked shaky for (a generally shaky) WBA so far this season but he looked a seasoned pro last night.

I actually think Horgan did OK in the first half. He’s far less predictable than others and showed nice touches. I also thought Hendrick had a good game yet he is getting hammered on social media and the Irish Times gave him 4/10 and called him “Mr. Anonymous”. Hendrick was very far forward at times and I think as an attacking unit we offered more last night than at any time in the first 5 SK games. Direct running by Connolly and less so Horgan contributed to that.

It does seem really clear that the team is playing very differently already and Kenny’s ideas are getting across. I personally think it’s a good thing. With a bit of luck we’d have had better results and the heat would be off. Of course we played quite good football under Eoin Hand and got nowhere, but I think we owe it to the exciting crop of kids coming through to stick with it and who knows, in 1-2 years’ time we could be in a very good place. Anyone who thinks otherwise should go back to the MON NL campaign and friendlies that were as grim a period in our history as I can remember.

[Stuttgart88]

Ah, the old "people only remember the score" argument.

I'll tell you what though, people remember more than that. I remember John Sheridan hitting the crossbar, and that didn't get recorded on the match report. That was a brilliant pass and move play involving Townsend, Keane and Sheridan.

Some class players in that team. Kenny would kiil for them.ah yeah but how many remember Ronnie hitting the bar in Stuttgart or Quinn failing to score when an inswinging cross missed his head by a gnat's whisker? :)

[Stuttgart88]

Yes but how many of them are vital to their teams in Premiership?Exactly this imho.

[paul_oshea]

ah yeah but how many remember Ronnie hitting the bar in Stuttgart or Quinn failing to score when an inswinging cross missed his head by a gnat's whisker? :)

i till remember quiinns miss on a 1v1 against Spains zubizarreta, as i remember thinking that was our goal to ensure qualification or at least thats what i thought at the time!


http://soccernostalgia.blogspot.com/2013/09/october-13-1993-republic-of-ireland-1.html think this was it but cant open at work

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Hi everyone! I've just been authorised to post. I've read these forums for a long time, now I get to add my wisdom. :D You'll soon realise that I ain't got none.

Just a quick summary of my views. I really want Kenny to do well. There have been encouraging signs such as last night. I'm all for giving him time but also, the excuses need to be calmed a bit. This is not some big rebuilding job like after the Charlton era. He has a squad full of premier league players and the most exciting set of youngsters we've had in a long time. I really thought the fixtures were set up perfectly for him to make a barnstorming start. We've have had chances but we've given away chances too. It hasn't been a good start but there's time to turn things around.

I really think we need 2 up front. Sticking with 4-3-3 seems to be the way we will go but hopefully some flexibility can be shown. I have more details on my thinking but I got to go. Chat later foot.ie.

BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!

[Stuttgart88]

I think people really need to relax. Yes, we were poor in the second half, but we had a depleted squad. Horgan started out of a lack of options. He was not even in the original squad so it's hardly favoritism. Same with Curtis. It has been a deflating few games but a lot of the indicators have been positive. We still can't score however, and until we fix that Guardiola could be in charge and we'd struggle....yet a highlights reel of the second half would show we had our best chances then and gave up no chances other than the self-inflicted wound.

[Trequartista20]

Only Latvia, Andorra, San Marino and Ireland are yet to win a single Nations League match in their history.

Of the 55 UEFA nations, 53 have scored more goals than Ireland across the two iterations of the competition. Only San Marino, who are still waiting for their first-ever goal in this competition are beneath the Irish.

From Opta: Of the Republic of Ireland's last 20 matches, 16 have been goalless at half-time, including each of their last six. Indeed, Ireland themselves have scored just three first half goals over their last 24 internationals.

[backstothewall]

What to say? We can't buy a break. I thought that was our best showing yet. I was watching that game and thinking it was shaping up as a game where we'd score, I just couldn't see it any other way at one point. We were brave on the ball for the most part and our play between the thirds was quite accomplished. Wales' goal last night was both lovely and, more importantly, an example of what can happen when you trust yourselves to build from the back. Did anyone see it?

Of course we can’t deny that apart from the brainfart goal we did get opened up twice and could have been behind in more normal circumstances but then again I’ve rarely seen a game of football where you don’t give up a chance or two away from home.

I can’t believe some in the media are saying O’Shea’s header was a mistake. I had some reservations about starting him over Long because I thought he had looked shaky for (a generally shaky) WBA so far this season but he looked a seasoned pro last night.

I actually think Horgan did OK in the first half. He’s far less predictable than others and showed nice touches. I also thought Hendrick had a good game yet he is getting hammered on social media and the Irish Times gave him 4/10 and called him “Mr. Anonymous”. Hendrick was very far forward at times and I think as an attacking unit we offered more last night than at any time in the first 5 SK games. Direct running by Connolly and less so Horgan contributed to that.

It does seem really clear that the team is playing very differently already and Kenny’s ideas are getting across. I personally think it’s a good thing. With a bit of luck we’d have had better results and the heat would be off. Of course we played quite good football under Eoin Hand and got nowhere, but I think we owe it to the exciting crop of kids coming through to stick with it and who knows, in 1-2 years’ time we could be in a very good place. Anyone who thinks otherwise should go back to the MON NL campaign and friendlies that were as grim a period in our history as I can remember.

I agree with most of this. Apart from the Horgan bit. He offered nothing.

I fear for Kenny that he will end up bringing a load of young players through to the u21s, become MNT manager before getting the credit for u21 success next summer, then bring a lot of the same players through to the senior side and end up out of the job because of results during the inevitable transition period over the next few years.

The advantage of trying to play a bit of football over the next while is that we have the traditional way in our footballing DNA. We showed towards the end last night that it can be turned back on again as required. If we try to play the way we've done recently against Germany or Spain we would be beat by 5 or 6, but our trouble over the last few years has been our inability to do both depending on the demands of the situation. Thinking back to the game against Gibraltar with Easyjet landing in the background, the way we played last night would have been a much better way to go about things against those lads, but it goes back years through games we have struggled in against micro-nations and tiny former soviet republics.

[paul_oshea]

The advantage of trying to play a bit of football over the next while is that we have the traditional way in our footballing DNA. We showed towards the end last night that it can be turned back on again as required. If we try to play the way we've done recently against Germany or Spain we would be beat by 5 or 6, but our trouble over the last few years has been our inability to do both depending on the demands of the situation. Thinking back to the game against Gibraltar with Easyjet landing in the background, the way we played last night would have been a much better way to go about things against those lads, but it goes back years through games we have struggled in against micro-nations and tiny former soviet republics.

100% percent agree with this, versatility and adaptability are they key for me, we go out with a variable set of requirements depending on the opposition and the game itself. We showed yesterday that we can play more direct, down the channels like in the first half, and also mix it up with the old lob it in there boss towards the end of the second half. The only sad bit with that is we seemed to create our best chances with the old long range missiles as opposed to the other ways of playing.

[Trequartista20]

You see, I think if Kenny really does go for a more revolutionary approach and bring in the younger lads like Kelleher, Dunne, O'Shea, McGuinness, Collins, Manning (when he's back playing), Knight, Cullen, Byrne, Gallagher, Coventry, Smallbone, Harness, Ogbene, Obafemi, Parrott etc, a chance, then people will be more patient and inclined to give him the time to turn things around. And, yes, I appreciate the process has already begun with the introduction of Molumby, Connolly and Idah.

I understand he took over at a difficult time, coming towards the end of another manager's qualification campaign, and needed to give the older players a chance as well as lean on their experience for these crucial games. But it's time to put his own stamp on things now. Bringing back Williams, a bit-part player at a midtable Championship club, and Horgan, who proved himself not even up to Scottish Premiership standard, really doesn't help his cause.

For example, O'Shea looked very accomplished last night for a debutante. He's playing every week in the Premier League as he was in the Championship last season. Why wasn't he in the squad from the start? And Knight looks good enough already to me.

I think it's time to be bold.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Hi, first post.

I want Kenny to do well and I've been encouraged by some stuff that we have played in his first few games but I think the excuses being used will wear thin soon. He has inherited a squad with numerous premier league players and has some of the most exciting young players coming through than we've had in a long time. Also, McCarthy's recent reign was very disappointing but we were still very close to qualifying automatically, beating Denmark instead of drawing was all we needed and the performance against Denmark that night was better than anything so far under Kenny.

It's early days through and Kenny should be given a chance. I do feel that he needs to have more flexibility with his system.I know it's been said numerous times but we need to change our formation I think. 3-5-2. Kenny is a 433 man and I think he'll stick with it but 352 looks ready made. We have a number of options for the 3 centre backs. Duffy with Egan and Clark, maybe O'Shea who looked very good last night. Then Coleman on the right, Doherty has been a let down. Stevens left. Molumby has looked decent, can have him with McCarthy, Cullen or maybe Hendrick in the middle. McGoldrick just in front and then 2 up top. I think we need that, 1 alone is not working for us as we don't really have goalscoring midfielders. You could go with Connolly and Idah, Parrott maybe or Robinson/Long.

_______________Randolf_________________
_________Egan___Duffy___O'Shea__________
Coleman_________________________Stevens
_________McCarthy_______Molumby________
_______________McGoldrick_______________
_________Robinson________Connolly_______

[Trequartista20]

Whatever about our goalscoring problems, we look a lot more solid with a 4-2-3-1, that's another takeaway for me. Maybe it's time to try a genuine number 10 like Ronan, Smallbone, Byrne. Or with the better-suited McGoldrick or O'Dowda in the role. Even Browne made a better fist of it than Jeff.

I think we also need a proper focal-point up front - a real number 9. Playing the likes of McGoldrick or Maguire up there just doesn't work.

[jbyrne]

Y
For example, O'Shea looked very accomplished last night for a debutante. He's playing every week in the Premier League as he was in the Championship last season. Why wasn't he in the squad from the start?

I think it's time to be bold.

to be fair the duffy / egan partnership has looked very good with a very able back up in Long. Its a fine balancing act bringing in the younger players at the right time particularly with our u21 situation. It would be a real boost to the senior team if a load of our 21s got to play in the euro finals and if DO'S was unlikely to get much game time if he was with the seniors then it was probably best to leave him with the 21s for the italy game. as soon as the covid situation and the long injury happened DO'S was brought in and played from the start. all seems very reasonable to me

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

You see, I think if Kenny really does go for a more revolutionary approach and bring in the younger lads like Kelleher, Dunne, O'Shea, McGuinness, Collins, Manning (when he's back playing), Knight, Cullen, Byrne, Gallagher, Coventry, Smallbone, Harness, Ogbene, Obafemi, Parrott etc, a chance, then people will be more patient and inclined to give him the time to turn things around. And, yes, I appreciate the process has already begun with the introduction of Molumby, Connolly and Idah.

I understand he took over at a difficult time, coming towards the end of another manager's qualification campaign, and needed to give the older players a chance as well as lean on their experience for these crucial games. But it's time to put his own stamp on things now. Bringing back Williams, a bit-part player at a midtable Championship club, and Horgan, who proved himself not even up to Scottish Premiership standard, really doesn't help his cause.

For example, O'Shea looked very accomplished last night for a debutante. He's playing every week in the Premier League as he was in the Championship last season. Why wasn't he in the squad from the start? And Knight looks good enough already to me.

I think it's time to be bold.

I agree with you in a way. No point sticking with players who have proven themselves not to be up to it. I think players like Hourihane and Brady should be let go. Also though, I think throwing players in too quickly could be counter productive. Let some of the youngsters play some senior games before throwing them in. That's why I think players like O'Shea and Molumby have impressed and why I think Knight should be given a run as you say. Idah hasn't played enough at senior level yet, you could see the difference in touch needed, McGoldrick made a huge difference when he came on in Idah's place.

[Trequartista20]

I meant 'debutant' of course.

I understand your point but I think the benefits of youth football is overstated. And the needs of a competitive senior international match should always supersede those of the underage teams. O'Shea can cover across the back and is comfortable on the ball and makes a very useful squad member, as we saw yesterday.

I agree Long is a fine back up, but he rather oddly wasn't even in the original squad, despite playing regularly and well for Burnley.

[geysir]

I like the balanced posts. It's a new manager trying a new approach through formation, playing style and personnel. We have drawn 4 and lost 1(edit: drawn 3 and lost 2) and scored only a goal. That is not great. But we have outplayed most of the teams. That is great but there are still flaws to the performances and goals are obviously integral.

I am finding that social media and cousins thereof like this forum are mirroring Irish society and becoming quite extreme with contrasting views, like the States and the UK. Vote for Sinn Fein or Fine Gael. Open up or lock down. Hendrick is crap or Hendrick is great. Kenny is on a hiding to nothing or Kenny is the saviour.

There are a lot of balanced posts here with people accepting it isn't perfect but at least it gives hope for something better. The truth sits in the middle.

So I'm disappointed that he started Maguire and Horgan. They're not up to it and won't deliver goals. On the other hand, he put O'Shea in centre half when Long was apparently fit. I can't think of another manager we have had in a while that would have given a young centre half his first cap away to a decent side like Finland in a competitive match.

Horgan was one of our few better players until he was shifted over to the left side to accomodate Brady and faded out.

[paul_oshea]

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/those-truly-bothered-by-mick-mccarthys-commentating-on-ireland-matches-are-just-looking-to-be-annoyed-39627041.html
https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/those-truly-bothered-by-mick-mccarthys-commentating-on-ireland-matches-are-just-looking-to-be-annoyed-39627041.html

[Trequartista20]

Quite a thoughtful article:

https://www.the42.ie/stephen-kenny-22-5233759-Oct2020/

Ireland second only to Spain in pass completion (88%).

A definite culture shift is underway, and Kenny has succeeded in some respects. But the balance just isn't there yet. No goals from open play tells its own story.

[Razors left peg]

Quite a thoughtful article:

https://www.the42.ie/stephen-kenny-22-5233759-Oct2020/

Ireland second only to Spain in pass completion (88%).

A definite culture shift is underway, and Kenny has succeeded in some respects. But the balance just isn't there yet. No goals from open play tells its own story.

Very good article. You are right, the balance is not right but the foundations look good

[TonyD]

You see, I think if Kenny really does go for a more revolutionary approach and bring in the younger lads like Kelleher, Dunne, O'Shea, McGuinness, Collins, Manning (when he's back playing), Knight, Cullen, Byrne, Gallagher, Coventry, Smallbone, Harness, Ogbene, Obafemi, Parrott etc, a chance, then people will be more patient and inclined to give him the time to turn things around. And, yes, I appreciate the process has already begun with the introduction of Molumby, Connolly and Idah.

I understand he took over at a difficult time, coming towards the end of another manager's qualification campaign, and needed to give the older players a chance as well as lean on their experience for these crucial games. But it's time to put his own stamp on things now.

I think it's time to be bold.

I have no doubt he will, and sooner rather than later, but the reality is he was never going to bring all those lads in for his first couple of games. I'm pretty sure that in 18 months time, if he is given the breathing space, the squad will have a very different look to it. The way he has the team trying to play is undoubtedly more difficult than just keeping it tight and playing the percentages, it's more risky and you're more likely. To cough up chances until it clicks. I get that supporters have a limited amount of patience (very limited in this case it seems) but honestly, I don't think we've played terribly. We've got to give it a chance to come good.

[geysir]

Don't kill Kenny!!

[elatedscum]

Didn’t anyone see the video of Shane Duffy ending Randolph’s chances of having kids? Painful to watch

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Hello. I've made 3 posts on this thread. None of them have been approved. Is there a reason for this? I'm not sure who isn't approving them but it would be nice to know the reason. Thanks.

[Kingdom]

We've actually played quite well in this match, but we just don't have the players to play proper football. We're better off hoofing the long balls up and defending in numbers. That goal would never have happened under Trap because our goalkeeper would not have been allowed to try something like that.

You realise why we're in the predicament that we are in, right?

[Kingdom]

well we are garbage. finland look far more like scoring a second than we do an equaliser.

it's been a pretty disastrous start for kenny it has to be said.

It's been a disastrous 4 years.

Kenny prioritised Slovakia, and sacrificed results in the first two games of the NL because of getting the message across, lack of fitness, and integrating new players - this is acceptable.
Against Slovakia, we played well. We created two really, really good chances from excellent interplay, that an Irish team has rarely done since Euro 2016. Difference is we couldn't finish. The result in the short-term is a disaster. Long-term it remains to be seen.

In that context, I fail to see any positivity had Kenny not been given the job, and MMcC continued, because at the end of nearly every game, there are moments of evaluation where I'd think "what are we at here?" because the football was so bad, and the performances just as bad. We didn't look like scoring much under Mick either, lets not forget.

I'd suggest that we've already reached our nadir, and that we're starting that slow gradual rise. We've not played anyone garbage, we've played teams actually at our own level, and not once have we looked out of our depth, playing differently. The last 30 mins at home vs Finland is the only "unacceptable" performance, and that could possibly be attributed to tiredness/pre-season.

I don't ever want to see a situation arise again where we are playing long-ball football against Gibraltar.

[tetsujin1979]

Hello. I've made 3 posts on this thread. None of them have been approved. Is there a reason for this? I'm not sure who isn't approving them but it would be nice to know the reason. Thanks.
Sorry about that, missed that your posts needed approval

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Sorry about that, missed that your posts needed approval

No problem! ;) I thought I failed the standards needed to post as my posts are ****. But being granted approval is truly a great honour. Good morning foot.ie!

BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!

[pineapple stu]

Welcome!

There's a lot of new blood recently; it's great to see. The more the merrier - Make Foot Great Again! :p

[Stuttgart88]

Sorry about that, missed that your posts needed approvalI can't believe Tets didn't notice the capital letters :)

[Stuttgart88]

I thought I failed the standards needed to post as my posts are ****. I think it's fair to say the bar is set pretty low.

[John83]

I think it's fair to say the bar is set pretty low.
In the Junior League subforum, you don't even need to be able to form a coherent thought or express it in your native language.

[geysir]

No problem! ;) I thought I failed the standards needed to post as my posts are ****. But being granted approval is truly a great honour. Good morning foot.ie!

BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!
Generally it's advisable that a poster should avoid distracting Tets from his slumber.


e.g. don't post a link to a joe.ie article.

[pineapple stu]

Do you what tets loves though?

A good pun.

Let's see what you've got :p

[Kingdom]

In the Junior League subforum, you don't even need to be able to form a coherent thought or express it in your native language.

That is their native language.
You've seen DAnny Healy-Rae on camera, right?

[paul_oshea]

https://www.otbsports.com/soccer/john-giles-stephen-kenny-1091666

Worth a listen. John giving his opinion

[John83]

That is their native language.
You've seen DAnny Healy-Rae on camera, right?
The Junior Leaguers don't seem to be fluent in cute hoor at any rate.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

I don't really know about puns. I'm not really talented in that way or many other ways, for example; I lost my job at the bank on my very first day. A woman asked me to check her balance, so I pushed her over. I then farted on my way out in the elevator, it was wrong on so many levels. When I got home, I slipped on my sisters bra, it was a booby trap. I don't want to get banned so better get back on topic and Finnish my post now. :weep:

It's been nice knowing you foot.ie.

BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!

[Charlie Darwin]

One thing I will say is that I thought Finland created more chances against us than any of the other teams did. I don't know if that's a worry in terms of teams adapting to our new style of play - or maybe it was just a factor of them having a home crowd behind them.
I'd say it's down to the fact Pukki has a little extra bit of class that the others don't have (seeing as Bale was injured). And also Randolph passing the ball directly to Pukki for no reason.

[tetsujin1979]

Thread bumped, locked, and archived
B-tg3Ra-ndg