There will be an overreaction in England | Why would you doubt Cristiano? 

0:0033 days, 33 episodes, no off switch. From the goals and the glory to the politics and the problems of the World Cup, if you want soccer analysis from a podcast that's been over-analyzing the game for more than 20 years, then this is it. Join me, Max Rushton, and our expert team of soccer journalists every day of the tournament. Can England end 60 years of hurt, or will this be another year of falling just short? Probably. World Cup Daily, listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch full episodes on YouTube. No, but you're going to hear people, we're never going to win it now. He's rubbish.

0:32He's this, he's that. We go too far. The thing is, it's going to be a different game. You come up against a France, you go up against even a Germany or an Argentina. They're not going to sit behind the ball and defend in two banks of four. That's what I'm saying. I don't remember our group stage games where we won the Champions League either. Oh, we've done that now, have we? Yeah. I don't remember either. Have you done that? No, not yet. But that's my point. My point is, these games, as long as you get through, you want to start playing well towards the end of this tournament.

1:01Yes, guys, welcome to this episode of Rio Reacts. We're here out and about now. Do you know what? We had a barbecue at the villa, right? Beautiful villa, the Airbnb villa. And we know what we said. Do you know what? Let's find out what's going on. So a few locals were there. We invited them, had a bit of food. They told us to come out here and go to Barney's Beanery. What a place it is, by the way. What a setting. Come and watch. How many screens? One, two, three, four, five, six. It's not just the screens. It's the live audience that I hear Live audience You thought we were alone Nah man We did it with the team But Rio It's been England Nil Ghana Nil You can hear the fans are outside as well having a good time Obviously Steve You know I know this isn't your favourite game but you watched it slightly Yeah it's two hours of my life I ain't getting back Two hours of your life But what do you reckon the reaction is going to be to this result back home in England I think it's going to be it's going to be negative There's going to be a lot of negative noises coming out of it, but that's understandable.

1:54So we do overreacting in many ways. We'll get into overreacting later on in the show with Ronaldo. It happens all the way through football, no different with England. But listen, man, if you would have said before a ball was kicked to this tournament after two games, you'll have four points and you'll qualify, we'd have took it 100%. Yes, we haven't played well in this game. We've had one good half of football in the first game. Didn't play unbelievably well today. I think you have to give credit sometimes to the opposition. I thought Ghana, they were diligent, they were set up well, they defended well to a man as a unit.

2:23They worked hard. They're aggressive. They're physical. Tactically, they got everything right today and they could have nicked it a couple of times on the break. I even thought they had a penalty as well. I don't understand how it's not a penalty. Like long junk back on the right day. Yeah. Listen, I think there'll be an overreaction, but I've played in teams where we've won things and in the group stages. Do you remember the group stages performances when we won in 2008 Champions League, Steve? Do you remember them? No, no. That's what I'm saying. I don't remember our group stage games or we won the Champions League either.

2:53Oh, have we done that now? Yeah. I don't remember either. Have you done that? No, not yet. But that's my point. My point is, these games, as long as you get through, you want to start playing well towards the end of this tournament. You don't want to be putting your best foot forward in the group stages and then that petering out towards the end. It's okay for us to say they didn't play well and they need to do better. We don't need to. They just need to do better. That's it. No, but you're going to hear people, oh, we're never going to win it now. He's rubbish. He's this. He's that. We go too far.

3:21The thing is, it's going to be a different game. You come up against a France, you come up against even a Germany or an Argentina. They're not going to sit behind the ball and defend in two banks of four like Ghana just did. They're just not going to do that. Now, after the last England game, you was talking about how important the bench is going to be. Do you think he used that well today? Well, Rashford was the one I thought who came on and was the best player when he came on. He scored, obviously. Both him and Saka were good. I thought in tandem, when they came on, that is scary. And I thought he would have just used that again because it worked so well.

3:53Rashford's got 10 minutes, 12 minutes is the best of time, I think maybe. But Morgan Rodgers came on, he'd done a little bit here. But yeah, we can't expect the substitutes every game to be pulling us out of it, you hope. But they didn't have the impact this time that they had last time. But again, it could be different. If Saka's shot goes in, then you go, wow, unreal. By saying that though, obviously we just said Rashford, Saka, come on, great stuff. Is it time now to start them ahead of Anthony Gordon and Nani Medway? I think there's an argument for that. I was surprised that at least one of those didn't start.

4:25But maybe fitness could be an issue. There could be stuff going on behind the scenes fitness-wise that they're meaning that he's bedding them in slowly. But listen, the next game's against Panama. We're through. Do you need to take any risks if there are any injury situations going on? I think the first knockout game, that's when you know he's playing. That's when you know who he feels they're his best, best team. Surely he would have done that now, though. because especially if you know the Panama game, on paper, that was always going to be an easier game. I don't think so. I think that he's...

4:56England are qualifying at this group regardless. Yeah. So whatever team he puts out, they're going to qualify. The next game, when they get out of the knockout stages, I mean, get out of group stages to knockout stages, that's when you're going to see, right, this is definitely his best team now. Now we have to give a massive shout out to Ghana, the Black Stars. They defended exceptionally well, very well drilled by your former coach, Mr. Carlos Kieros. Yeah. From what you know of him, Rio, is that a Carlos Kieros set-up team? Darren Fletcher was messaging us in there, you know, what's that group with United?

5:26And he said exactly what I was thinking. This is typical Carlos Kieros. Set him up hard to play against, hard to beat, well-drilled, tactically very good. Boring. And yeah, maybe boring for some to watch, but I think if you think from a coach's perspective, he's got out of his team what he set out to get. So you have to respect that. Well, he's qualified for the next round, so. Yeah, and they're through. Imagine what the streets are like in London right now. London? London, Ghana. Accra and Ghana. Even in places like Germany. Right, man, we've got loads still to come on this pod, but we'll be back shortly after this.

5:5933 days, 33 episodes, no off switch. From the goals and the glory to the politics and the problems of the World Cup, if you want soccer analysis from a podcast that's been over-analyzing the game for more than 20 years, then this is it. Join me, Max Rushton, and our expert team of soccer journalists every day of the tournament Can England end 60 years of hurt? Or will this be another year of falling just short? Probably. World Cup Daily, listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch full episodes on YouTube. 102 miles ago, the oil light came on. 100 miles ago, you'd noticed. Now, it's time to head to take five.

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6:59One of the things I have to say is that I don't think we're going to be seeing another team like that in this tournament. I'd be surprised if we're going to see another African team who can match us, if not be stronger than us physically. Did you see how strong we were, Rio? They were body in a few of our players. Oh my goodness. that pounded yam in some of those barges, yeah, were outrageous. Like, there was only one player that I saw survive him and it was Saka. Typical. But like... But what I would say, yeah, is what could we have done differently I think is the question. And I think for me personally, I think moving the ball quicker.

7:29Moving the ball quicker side to side especially, right, and making them have to shuffle across the pitch because the more you just play through the middle when they're a low block like that, you're playing into their strength. When you get it wide, you can get 1v1s and if you switch it quick enough, you create a 1v1, overlap or underlap from a fullback, two V1 situations, then you get an opportunity to really unlock a defence like that and move people about. But the slower we approach the progression of a football, the easier it was for Ghana today. And there was no underlaps. Yeah. There was none.

7:55You was getting the ball into the right areas with the wingers and they were standing their fullbacks up, but then there was no one making any inside runs off them because that inside run, the defender sees it. That takes his attention away a little bit. That gives you that half a yard that you need to either come in and get across in or go to the byline yourself. and that just didn't happen. Like, a little bit disappointed in both Rhys James and Spence in terms of like none of them really got beyond. It was quite conservative. And you didn't need to be conservative because they were just playing on the counter.

8:23And yes, it works. It does work. It works at every single level. If you can just sit in, absorb, and you've got pace on the counter with the likes of Semenyo and that, just send it, put it in an area. You're asking for a foot race and that's literally a toss of a coin. Like, so it is a good and decent tactic. And they should have had a penalty, in my opinion, from the chance that they had already broken the box. but I just think from an England point of view you can have all of the possession you must have seen the way the game was going after 20, 30 minutes or after the first quarter whatever you want to call it with his hydration breaks you must have seen how it was going then that's the time to fix something if you think you can go on and win the game then don't wait till the 60th or 70th minute what we're doing because now they can see the finish line from 60, 70 minutes they didn't even wait 60, 70 minutes he waited even longer than that England played with next to no risk how many times do you see one touch football in the final third with movement ahead of it.

9:14You didn't. It was Lou van Gaal. If they went and put more bodies forward, they were getting in about two or three times they got in with one straight ball over the top. You'll need two or three at the back. No, no, I agree. But obviously, we weren't able to defend it properly then. And that's the issue. So if we overcommitted more players and leave less players at the back, they're not dealing with it with more enough players. We commit more, we could be in trouble. Maybe that's the way they were thinking. I'm not sure. There was also looking across it a lot early doors in the first half. We didn't do it as much in the second half.

9:42And I'm thinking, Kane's sort of set these plays up. He's still outside of the box. He's not getting across the front of the box there. And we're putting crosses in to Bellingham, essentially. It takes me to a point of players getting across players in the box. I've got a bone to it with you both. Cristiano Ronaldo. Did he message you? Oh, hang on. Oh, wait, hang on. Ronaldo scored against Uzbekistan. Everyone was wrong. Don't forget it. We were wrong. Real was right. It doesn't matter who you score against, mate. It doesn't matter who you score against. It doesn't matter who you score against.

10:10no one was moaning about or saying that team's not the best team when Messi scores against them it's fine you've got to score the goals let me start off what camera Mr. Ronaldo I just want to apologise because it looked like I was getting on to you the other day yeah I'm not scared I'm not scared Robbie Keane said I'm not scared I just want to say that I felt like you would have had a better game you should have had a better game I felt like the whole team wasn't really producing last game wait I ain't finished apologising Tom Brady rattled him yes you know what The ladies were in the comments saying, oh, hey.

10:41I was hurt by that, you know. Why? The GOAT disagreeing with me. That's ridiculous, man. And you didn't even come out in the comments and back me either. Because I don't agree with anything you said about it. That was terrible, man. Steve, you said that Portugal are better off about him. Yep. Do you still stand by that? Yep. In what sense? Scoring against Uzbekistan doesn't change my opinion. I scored two. Two good goals as well, by the way. Good. Good finishes. So my point with this, right. Uzbekistan rotation game. You can bring Ramos in for the big games. My thing is, is that if they had another number nine who was distinctly different and better than Cristiano, I would go, you know what?

11:21I understand it a bit more. But no disrespect. It's not like you're changing Cristiano Ronaldo. You're going to go, right, we've got a massive upgrade here. That's my point. I think Ramos is an upgrade. He's subbed for PSG. I know he is. No, I don't think Ramos is an upgrade. like I don't I think on on 2026 June Cristiano Ronaldo I think he is I'm not sure I think he got a better team out of it so a player who's sub for his club team is better than Cristiano Ronaldo who's just again by the way see the goals you see the two goals that he scored by the way it's just the difference between being sub for the European champions and then sub for how many goals did he score in qualification Ronaldo yeah probably loads was he top goal scorer probably loads That's what I'm saying, man.

12:06I just want to say, Mr. Ronaldo, I'm not rubbing strong like Steve. I put my hands up. Also, all this, he's not a team player. He give Nuno Mendes the free kick. He said, go on, son, you take it. Be a star for a minute. Don't you think a little bit of that was a little bit of PR when he scored the first goal? Hey, look, everybody, I'm celebrating. PR, it's one goal. Yeah, but he said it himself. What was the quote? You know, he had a brilliant quote. He said in his quote, it was, I care more about hard work than I care about football. Because he knows hard work's going to pay off in the end. And he did say it hurt him a little bit as well during the course of the week, innit?

12:40Yeah, because listen, these guys, you don't get to that level without having an ego. He's got a massive ego, right? And you don't do what he's done for as long as he's at without having a massive ego, right? So he's going to be hurt by that. And trust me, he'd have seen every comment and he'd be remembering every comment and he'd be coming back for you, Joel. Do you reckon he... I was going to say, do you reckon he saw... You reckon he saw what I said? Yeah, he watches the show, man. Oh, man. Listen, Mr. Ronaldo, I'm sorry, man. you know what I mean I was wrong good good it's good to see you apologise right so we've got some stuff planned this week is it all locked in have we got outfits sorted yeah I've got a banger of an outfit by the way what's happening why are you guys not telling me what we're doing I've ordered a hat you've got a hat yeah I've ordered an unbelievable hat but you're wearing a hat now why do you need another one yeah this one's just a little bit different show me what I'll show you after the show on the phone I've ordered it I want to make sure we're not matching no no no our outfit's ain't we're matching mate I've got orders listen everybody watching thank you very much the views have been unbelievable to support all the group chats we're absolutely loving them make sure you watch out the rio meets has been incredible caca so far thierry henry oh what's it all see it's dropping soon by the way guys stay tuned oh my goodness we've got a couple of more little specials for you don't worry the villa you know what the villa's doing it's attracting superstars it is man listen keep on watching joe bayer Stephen Alson Rio Ferdinand signing out from Storio Ronaldo peace

14:2533 days 33 episodes no off switch from the goals and the glory to the politics and the problems of the World Cup. If you want soccer analysis from a podcast that's been overanalyzing the game for more than 20 years, then this is it. Join me, Max Rushton, and our expert team of soccer journalists every day of the tournament. Can England end 60 years of hurt or will this be another year of falling just short? Probably. World Cup Daily, listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch full episodes on YouTube.