Pickford brilliance helps England topple Germany

Hope I'm wrong but that is a shit set up from Southgate. It's like we know we'll lose but not's get embarrassed. Our next manager based on tactics?

I wonder what Southgates descision is based on. But it's ultra defensive and suggests a grinding game.

So much for flair and attacking the opposition with our better attacking players.

Stand by for a goalless 120 minutes and a penalty shoot-out defeat for England. Pity for DCL because he can take a decent penalty too.

Apart from that, to leave Dom out the squad is pretty poor.

I don't think today can come close to yesterdays games. I'm thinking 1-0 England. However, I think I read that Germany have won 5 and drawn 2 of the last 7 games at Wembley.

As Sterling has scored our ONLY 2 goals, Southgate can't seem to drop him. It's a must win competition now and that team just looks so defensive and negative. Hope I'm wrong.

Looks like we're geared up to defend and then get balls over the top and into channels for Sterling and Saka.

Also bizarre not to at least have DCL in the squad as an option, especially given Kane looks like he'd lose a 50-m dash with Rodriguez at the moment.

It allows all of the pundits to agree that DCL must leave Everton to progress his career at least.

So there is no alternative attacking force on the bench. If recent games have shown us anything, it is the value of strikers of who get a goal with their head, especially when games get to that frantic final 15 minutes.

Not to even be on the bench is a shocking decision. Especially with Kane being so out of sort.s

Saying that... l think we have a good chance. Even if history doesn't.

Sorry but the lad just can't shoot.

Times change eh. As bad as kopites airbrushing history although different level altogether!

Instead we have 2 keepers on the bench and 2 centre backs to join the 3 already on the pitch.

Is Carlo in charge?

They are required to have all three keepers in the match day 23.

Still no centre forward on the bench though.

Kane looked like a donkey with that last chance, which I've not seen from him before.

As said above, Germany looking ordinary so there may be hope.

Harry Kane, played like Calvert-Lewin did in the latter part of last season imo, because of how little support he got maybe, with England having so few forward thinking players on the pitch?

Watching England, was like watching an old Rafa Benitez team, when he used to be successful. Defensively strong, disciplined, and cautious, but not very easy on the eye.

Tournament football is about winning and getting through to the next round, so we'll done England, who must surely never have a better chance of winning a major tournament now.

Four consecutive clean sheets is no mean feat.

"Jordan has been magnificent every time he's put the shirt on, and he was again today, he was magnificent."

If Ancelotti did one thing right it was bringing in Olsen and putting pressure on Pickford

Brilliant comment, couldn't agree more! Spot, spot on.

The worst German team I've ever seen and England have an easy route to the final, so no excuses!

A scrappy game at times, especially in the second half but England's deserved it.

Grealish and Shaw helped create both goals. Sterling gets in lots of good positions but he's a 1 in 4 in converting that into something constructive.

Pickford made a couple of good saves. Good, consistent distribution which isn't something he's done for Everton this season.

Germany wasted their two good chances and Pickford saved England with two terrific saves.

The best keeper in the tournament by a mile.

As I said before the tournament started Southgate has probably the the most talented pool of English players to pick from for many years and if they don't win it all he should be fired.

He has picked some players who are quite average as starters at this level and has ridden his luck with the defense doing better than expected so it needs the offense to start firing better which will happen if he gets it through his thick skull that Grealish has to start.

I will say that Toni Kroos as the successor to Matthaus, Moeller, Ballack and Co never really had the charisma or the dynamism to be the German maestro for me. Good player, yes, but those guys would take the game by the scruff of the neck, especially against England, while old Toni adopts the hands-on-hips glum look.

I've always liked Muller. He's kind of an arrogant fucker but in an inoffensive way. He's a winner and he knows he is but he also seems like a decent laugh. When he missed, I knew the gods had intervened because, 99 times out of a 100, that is the "Kuntz" moment and things go downhill.

Anyway, back to Everton players. Pickford, as he was for us past Christmas, was brilliant. Confident, calm, and unbeatable. Calvert-Lewin missing out? Yeah kind of odd not to have a striker on the bench in a knockout game. But, then again, France won 1998 without a proper striker. I think Gareth felt we had an abundance of goals on our bench among our attacking midfielders. The fact we won means I'm not going to second guess him on this occasion.

England got that right. When I saw the line up I thought they would do what they done. Allow Germany early possession but grow into the game, which is how I saw it. Germany are not the team they were 5 years ago.

Pickford was great again, he really is in good form this year, for club and Country. Muller could & should have levelled, but for me England deserved that.

Reflecting on my pre-tournament thoughts:

France: favourites - out

Italy: close 2nd favourite - in

Belgium: possibly a tournament too late but still strong and have De Bruyne - in

Germany: Transitional team but never write them off - out

England: Have a chance and now they have a very favourable quarter final draw. In

Denmark: My dark horse tip. Even without Christiansen, they're in the mix.

One of Belguim or Italy fall next round.

Watch the documentary on Kroos. He is a great player. Not blessed with pace, and doesn't do anything particularly special; keeps it simple. He's always been an orchestra. Spraying passes and spreading play. To do that, he needs the players and runners around and in front of him to get the most out of him. On a lesser pedestal, we could say that about a few Everton players.

You're right though Kieran, not one to grab the game by the scruff of its neck. It goes back to this German side being a bit of a shadow from when he shined in 2014. Kroos didn't have the same options he had then.

Kilbane is so fucking stupid it beggars belief. You'd like to think that to qualify as a football analyst, actually watching some football in the last 6 months would be a prerequisite. He's even making Stephen "Quality" Caldwell sound like a genius, relatively. Unbelievable these dickheads get paid for their opinions.

Southgate is treating the tournament like a chess game but, if Italy make the final with England, I think England will get banged.

However, some of the other subs, like having Coady - who was never going to play, or having 3 central midfielders in Mount, Henderson and Bellingham on the bench without having a back up striker (I don't count Rashford as he is more of a wide forward) was baffling.

I totally agree with your comments.

All the time Kane is fit, even semi-fit DCL will never start, but to not even make the bench, as you say, baffling.

This got Pickford to raise his game, rid the demons in his head, and whatever he did, while he was out of the first team, he has looked a completely different goalkeeper, more relaxed and assured and certainly been almost faultless since the Anfield Derby.

A lot of us said he is an excellent goalkeeper and if he could sort his head out, the rest would fall into place.

So whatever happened, the time Pickford was out, whether it was down to someone speaking to Pickford, or Olsens fine performances, Pickford has certainly raised his game.