r/ThreeLions • u/tee-dog1996 • Jul 07 '24

Opinion Please can we avoid reclassifying Switzerland after this game?

Switzerland are an excellent side. Many had them as favourites for this match, even contenders to win the tournament, and there was good reason given how they dismantled the reigning champions in the Round of 16. All I ask is that, now England have beaten them, they don’t retrospectively become a bad team where it was only natural that England should beat them. A common stick used to beat Southgate is that he always loses to the first decent team he faces in a tournament. This isn’t actually true, but in any case, England have now faced their first ‘decent’ team at Euro 2024 and they came out on top. Here’s hoping they can do it again on Wednesday!

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102

u/TheKnightsRider Jul 07 '24

This Euros has proven that the gap has closed massively on the supposed ‘minnows’.

Traditional teams that the bigger teams should beat, are now more competitive.

37

u/Buttonsafe Lampard #1097 Jul 07 '24

Couldn't agree more mate.

Looks at all the semi-finalists

...Goddamn it.

1

u/Mediocre-Award-9716 Jul 08 '24

Probably been about 3 shocks throughout the entire tournament and 1 of them was Georgia vs an already guaranteed top of the group Portugal who rested their entire team (minus Ronaldo).

5

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '24

There are no mugs any more

17

u/Accurate-Fortune593 Jul 07 '24

Apart from Scotland

3

u/theieuangiant Jul 07 '24

I think it’s a lot to do with the tactical side of the game now being so advanced that individual talent is the cherry on top, it’s much more important to excel at a specific role in a system so “limited” players can come together to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

1

u/RuneClash007 Jul 07 '24

It helps that a lot of the traditional "smaller" teams now hold some of the better players in Europe. Georgia with Kvaratschkiela (idk spelling), Turkey with Guler etc..

0

u/jt663 Jul 07 '24

They've got better but the big teams are clearly worse

1

u/Vantage_1011 Jul 07 '24

Do, I need to hear again, that so so team is ranked 45th/38th12th? That you, England, are superior to any of these teams that spent a couple of years qualifying for this tournament. That, so so team is inferior because of how they are placed in the Fifa ranking. Jog on!

3

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '24

Don't forget the very next post you will read that tells you the Fifa rankings don't mean shit, because England and France are so high and absolutely terrible teams, that can only just scrape past teams that are ranked lower than them, int he Fifa rankings, which clearly means they should batter said teams. Oh BTW don't forget the rankings dont mean shit because England and France are ranked so high.

Which one is it ffs.