Spain march on, Portugal’s last-gasp heroics and England vs Netherlands preview | Euro 2025 #4

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2:13Rachel: welcome to up front i'm chloe morgan and i'm regula sullivan well spain are well and truly flying they beat belgium 6-2 yesterday which cemented their status as the tournament favorites and belgium weren't even that bad plus portugal got a last gasp equalizer against italy to keep their tournament hopes alive we recap both those matches and look ahead to a few crucial ties in group c as germany and sweden hope to book a slot in the next round plus we preview the small matter of England versus Netherlands, hold your breath, in what is a vital game for Sazie Vigs and the Lionesses. Rach, obviously the games are coming thick and fast, but before we get stuck into the events that keep unfolding day to day, any more eagles your end?

3:01Rachel: Everyone wants to know.

3:03Chloe: Not today. We did have horrendous rain yesterday, and it's pretty grim again today. So that very heavy heat that I was talking about in our early pods has definitely changed now. Tun was thunderous. It was very, very, very wet. It was not a very unpleasant game to shoot. At least there were goals, so I'll give it that. But yeah, the weather's definitely changed. It is due to come back to being nice and to being warm again, thank God, because as nice as it is to not be sweating 24 hours of the day, it's not as nice getting absolutely soaked in the games.

3:40Rachel: Oh, that gives me sort of like less FOMO, I suppose, in a way. so yeah thank you for that and i suppose it's between the rain and the smell of garbage so yeah those are the things that i'm really holding on to to make me kind of feel like it's not that bad i'll try and think of some other shit stuff for you thank you i really appreciate that it's expensive if that helps so i'm not sure i was gonna say i think potato but i'll say to be honest with that one um right spain 6-2 belgium it was a complete and utter gold fest um the win and it was a absolutely ridiculous win uh that means they're now through to the knockouts after portugal failed to beat italy that result also means that belgium have been eliminated this is 11 goals now in two games for the spanish um the bbc comms team do you know who scored more in two games

4:28Chloe: who england in 2022 the first two games was it the first no the second two games they scored 14 goals in three games and they didn't concede a single one so it kind of feels like spain

4:39Rachel: topic slightly are gearing up to be um probably the winners of the euros at this stage they are just absolutely in full force yeah no one saw that coming god great prediction there chloe um i think someone was saying that it was spain's biggest win at a euros tournament ever um to be honest i wasn't expecting this result i it was such a kind of topsy-turvy game complete spain dominance i expected the win but i didn't expect it in the manner that it went down complete spain

5:07Chloe: Dominance, yes. However, that first half, the opening kind of 50 minutes or so, exposed where Spain could be got at. And I think, you know, Belgium had a really good game plan. They were very disciplined in trying to put that game plan out on the pitch. You know, as we expected from them, good defensively, disciplined defensively, very dangerous on the counter-attack, and have a serious weapon and just see Van Havermaet in set pieces which we saw and I think actually Belgium could have had another at least two goals which could have made it a very very interesting game it wasn't a game for the lover of defending because no one seemed to give that any credence or value in the game for much of it because I like that though when you have two teams you throw the kitchen sink at the attack and it opens the game up completely absolutely but I think when we talk about Spain dominance you know they conceded uh twice they had a goal ruled out for offside against them and one or two times players from Belgium more than one or two times got in behind which is a real threat for Spain so my only concern is that if Spain were coming up against a better side um that they can be got at and I think the fact that Belgium were able to expose that at times what happened was by the time we got to kind of you know by the time Spain put that fourth goal in and we got to kind of 4-2 I think Belgium really struggled to kind of sustain the game plan understandably because it's bloody tiring playing without the ball and really tiring trying to be shifting constantly staying super switched on and all of that kind of stuff that seems like basic stuff but actually you as a player I'm sure Chloe can attest to is a very very difficult thing to do to be playing that style of football for so long so I think once it went kind of 4-2 it was a constant kind of glimmer of hope for Belgium constantly they were like oh my god like we're in it we're out of it we're in it we're out of it and you know once it was 3-2 they got that I think was the goal ruled offside then then they got the you know the fourth goal went in almost immediately after Eulings scored the timings of the goals were bizarre it was just like chaotic you know what I mean but I just think there was a little chink in the armor that's all I'd say about Spain, which could be better exposed by better teams.

7:20Rachel: Yeah, 100%. And I think I was having a look at the stats on this game. Belgium only had 20 % of the possession. And what they did with that 20 % was so effective. I think, you know, the set pieces, I thought they were effective, I think, on the counter sort of breaking through, you know, attacking at pace, really, really super effective. And I think, bearing in mind, they had four shots, three on target, they were incredibly good chances so to create even that amount of sort of positivity from the little possession you have I thought do you know what credit to Belgium and I think they provided such a spicy game you constantly thought for like quite long periods of time that they were going to get back into it and actually cause like the first biggest kind of like tournament upset and it would have been huge if that had gone the other way that would have been a huge result for them but yeah credit to them I do feel gutted to now we're starting to see sort of teams drop out after the two games having been played.

8:11Rachel: It's heartbreaking.

8:12Chloe: Yeah, but I do think that the final two goals, the Caldente and the Pina goal, if you watch them back, the defence were just like... I felt like I could have been part of the team because it just seemed like we all just stood and watched them. Do you know that kind of way? You're like, oh, like a Pina, incredible goal. Pinpoint Pina, perfect. But if you're going to stand back and watch her, you can't give a player like that that much space to take the ball down, set up, pick her spot and just like bend it around everybody. So I think, you know, Belgium will be frustrated with those last two goals because they just seem so static in the box.

8:45Chloe: And you just can't do that to teams like Spain. And look, like I said, it's bloody hard. You run ragged. They were so good with the quick passes, the flicks, the back heels to each other, the little triangles they were playing in and around the Belgian defence. But by the time they got to 60 minutes, they couldn't sustain that type of game plan, which I guess is understandable. But I would argue you would like to think better teams could.

9:06Rachel: yeah 100 % I think that will kind of be a little bit of a template of how teams will look to set up against Spain as they progress through the tournament like there are like you said chinks in their armor I mean small ones small very tiny ones but ones that can be exposed in the right circumstances um let's talk a little bit about then Spain's absolute wonder child Alexi Puteas obviously returning into major tournament football scoring two and assisting two more earned her second player of the match award. I mean, is there anything she cannot do? I feel like she's become, again, this kind of, there's a balance, isn't there, between her and also Atana Bonmati.

9:42Rachel: I think it kind of feels like those are the ones that people are sort of most excited to see. And when someone like Alexi Puteas delivers that, like in the first two games of a tournament, like the crowd go wild, it felt like the crowd exploded every time she even got on the ball.

9:56Chloe: Yeah, she's the first player to assist two and score two in a Euros game, I believe, which is pretty impressive. It's lovely to see her, what feels like back to her best, because I remember there was scrutiny on her during the World Cup coming back from injury and was she playing as well as she had? And had we, you know, people are very quick to write off players who've been injured. You've seen it with Vivian Minema, you know, that they'll never reach their heights again, which I think is just often too quick to say that. And it takes time to come back from injury. And I just think it's lovely to see her back playing just I don't know with her chest out you know that kind of way that confidence that comfort on the ball like she absolutely belongs here there's no kind of stress or she just looks like she's happiest on the pitch and that's back now and she's um yeah an absolute weapon for sure

10:44Rachel: 100 % and also like a massive nod to Bob Matty obviously still returning to fitness from the viral meningitis scare just before the tournament started um she came on at half time and I think Like, I mean, she looked amazing in midfield, but I've got to give credit to the midfield as a whole, as a unit, because they were just so slick, the passing patterns, the triangles they were creating. It became almost unmanageable for Belgium in sections. They weren't having possession of the ball for large sections of the game. And that was due to kind of just how, it was almost like a cat and mouse. They were kind of toying with Belgium at points and kind of just waiting and biding their time until the next opportunity, moving their triangles further and further towards goal and then creating those opportunities.

11:22Rachel: But Rach, what did you think of the Spanish midfield? Because it looks bloody frightening.

11:28Chloe: Obviously, superb. I thought Vicky Lopez is looking more and more at home, like another wonder child. And you can see like where the youth is at times where maybe the final pass is maybe the wrong one, for example. And you can see teammates maybe looking up being like, OK, next time that's for me, not for, you know, don't take it yourself. Don't take the shot. Don't go wide. Like, you know, so I think you can see that. but my god she's so confident I think we touched on this in the first game as well and I think as well what the extra level that Spain has gotten to that perhaps they struggled a little bit in the past and don't come for me for saying this but it'd be games where they'd have all that possession and make all those passes and dancing in around the box and it came to nothing and actually I think now they've got even more I said this last time again Esther Gonzalez provides that option to go over the top or provide a long ball or be direct so it makes it harder for teams to think it's fine we'll just kind of push them out or keep them out wide it's probably we'll probably be all right if it ends up here you don't have that option now there's kind of no safe space for you to push the ball to with Spain they've got players who can take it from outside the box you know they've now got a player in the box who's an absolute poacher lethal weapon inside that box so it's yeah you just there's there's no there's more danger spots there's less safe spots on the pitch to allow Spain to kind of have the ball and I think that's kind of giving them that extra edge to just free reign score goals from everywhere and anywhere.

12:51Chloe: And I think seven goal scores now they've had across the two games are just pretty incredible.

12:55Rachel: And I think talking of the threat and the different types of options they do have there, I've got to give a shout out again to Gonzalez. I think, I mean, her scoring that third goal, I mean, that was kind of like almost like a defining moment in the game. It was kind of like, that felt like the half nail in the coffin that kind of put the game to bed. It was such a crucial time that it took place as well. But I think you kind of mentioned it before in the last pod, Rachel, the last pod that we talked about Spain, was kind of how she pops up in those pivotal moments and is that sure hand that you know is going to provide and do damage.

13:24Rachel: And once again, she does exactly the same thing. I mean, what did you think of her for this game? Because she was so effective.

13:30Chloe: I think probably not necessarily more effective or less effective. I think she kind of had a bit more freedom, understandably, in the Portugal game. I thought for a while Belgium did well trying to deal with her. I think you're right about that third goal and the timings of the goal. So if you didn't watch the match, the first goal came from Alexio Pateas on the 22nd minute. And Belgium scored in the 24th minute. So, you know, it was probably about 90 seconds between the two goals, right? And you kind of thought initially, oh, Spain are now up and running. Here we go. They've got the goal finally.

14:03Chloe: But you could barely breathe and suddenly Belgium were back in it. And you were thinking, OK, hang on a second. This could be interesting. Paredes scored in the 39th minute. I think for Belgium, if they managed to get to halftime at 1-1, it would have been a real coup. but Paredes put Spain back in front in the 39th minute and when Belgium came back out in the second half you knew, right, if Spain get the next goal they're going to run away with it. This is how I was thinking anyway. Eulings then got the goal in the 50th minute and you thought, okay, holy shit, they're back in it now. It's 2-2 again.

14:33Chloe: Brilliant. Two minutes later, again, less than, must have been again, 90 seconds. Gonzalez straight down the other round, scores a goal. They'd barely finished playing. You'd want to be on it in that frigging stadium playing the da-da-da-da-da music every time someone scored because it was like barely, the sounds were still lingering in the mountains and suddenly they had to go again with the button because they bloody scored another goal. So I just found those timings of those goals so interesting. And yeah, you're right. And I think the Gonzalez one maybe just kind of deflated Belgium a little bit.

15:00Chloe: They thought, God, we've got back into it twice now. We have to go again. And they couldn't go again quick enough before Caldente then got the fourth. And I just think, yeah, it just pushed it then too far out of their hands.

15:12Rachel: I agree. And obviously the absolute rampant win by Spain now means that Belgium are out of the competition. Thoughts with Belgium? It's so horrible to see, especially in the second game, these teams start to disappear from the competition, especially when they've shown such promise and kind of given big teams a run for their money. But credit to Belgium. It wasn't to be this year. Second game of this group, Portugal, Italy, 1-1 result. I think this was a very interesting game. It started slowly, burst into life towards the end. It was the 89th minute equaliser from Portugal's Dani Gomes that kept Portugal in the tournament.

15:50Rachel: I mean, race, this was such a, you kind of constantly felt on the edge of the seat. Like, are Portugal going to do it? Are they going to save their skins? Are they going to save themselves from exiting the competition at this stage? And then they do it in the 89th minute, deservedly so. I mean, they were throwing the kitchen sink and trying to get the goal. They had one ruled out and it kind of felt like this was the result that was really fair to both teams. I mean, what did you kind of make of it? It was so tense.

16:16Chloe: Yeah, I mean, the way I observed this match, if you like, was first half in the car on the way home from Tun didn't sound the most exciting. OK, I thought maybe it sounded like Italy were perhaps creating more opportunities with maybe less possession. let's put it that way and I'm so glad I got home to watch the second half in full on TV because that's when it kind of started to come to life and I thought the goal from Giorelli was an absolute peach and definitely up there for me as goal of the tournament so far particularly from someone like her 35 years old you know there were times you thought maybe she wouldn't be picked in the team again or she was someone that was kind of slowly not being pushed out of the Italian team but you know a little bit worried for for her and she's out there now playing with such confidence and freedom like she's 25 you know what I mean and to score a goal like that in a moment like that was incredible she was so emotional as well and it just sparked the game into life like suddenly it was like an electric bolt hit the pitch and suddenly everyone was like right let's go it's go time and then Portugal really put the the pressure on yeah I thought Diana Silva had nicked it for them and uh you'd start to think that I think how they got that goal it might actually it was the 83rd minute I think you might actually have thought that they could then turn this game around and maybe go on and win it actually um but yeah it was ruled offside and I remember when they when they showed the clip of the offside I was like ah here if Beth Mead was offside that was definitely offside if this isn't given we riot I think they keep showing the VAR

17:53Rachel: and it's like a hand or a fingertip or like a fingernail that's kind of like a or a toe and just like I don't like sometimes I'm just like I don't actually know how they're because it doesn't seem very consistently applied in some cases I just I don't get it but I can't

18:08Chloe: Wimbledon has shown us that there are errors in technology and there are degrees of errors as well and I think if you're going to come down to literally measuring someone's toenail like you know there are degrees of errors we saw the Wimbledon where one where it basically ended up being called in and it was out by about four inches do you know what I mean so you put all this reliance on technology and then when you look at it and you can't see it it's very frustrating but she was definitely offside in this case 100 % I think this is the game that I also

18:34Rachel: want to give a bit of a shout out to the keepers I think like both the Italian and the Portuguese keeper absolutely some outstanding saves that kind of kept their teams in the competition sort of like throughout the game but yeah I mean like there were point blank saves there were saves off that there was like tipping onto the bar there was tipping over the bar there was like this was goalkeeping at its very finest so definitely take a look at that i think another controversial moment in the game anna borges sent off for a second booking in the fifth minute of added time after pushing uh bonan say into the advertising hoardings um this was not okay but the way it's

19:08Chloe: being reported is that she pushed her into the hoardings they came shoulder to shoulder at the line clashed and then like the momentum she rolled off the pitch and into the hoarding it's not like she just shoved her into the hoardings they were both going for the ball I don't know I think some some people think it was a bit harsh to get a yellow card for but I guess when people keep saying she was pushed into the hoardings I think for me it felt like the card came from the the aftermath of the push it was almost like she saw what happened to Bonan and was like oh that's a yellow card as opposed to booking for the actual shoulder to shoulder

19:40Rachel: no see I saw it differently I saw it um I don't know if you've had a chance to catch up on the replays but the it was she they are going shoulder to shoulder and obviously there is a bit of they are kind of like going like at it but at the same time there is that kind of shove from budget like she does lean into her quite significantly and I think if you're in that position on the pitch the only way to go is inevitably into the hoardings I think it I think it was unsafe given the area of the pitch and like she should have known better for me

20:05Chloe: there hasn't been consistency over stuff like that you know I think in refereeing there hasn't been consistency where those kind of things happen and they're not given and then they can be given and then they can be freezed or they can be bookings and then they're not so again I thought there were some refereeing decisions that surprised me in that game as well it's a little bit of a frustration at this level I think but needless to say like they did get the goal back we should say because she was sent off after the equaliser right so they'd already equalized um a wonderful goal again Portugal really putting the foot down and playing with some serious intensity which I think is something they should try and dig out a little bit earlier in matches um but another a wonderful goal to kind of equalise.

20:46Chloe: Just, yeah, losing her at that time is not ideal because now you've got this big, important match coming up and she's not available.

20:55Rachel: I agree. And talking of which, Italy have four points and Portugal have one. Portugal will need to beat Belgium comprehensively and hope that Italy lose to Spain. I love this part of the pod where we're now having to figure out what could happen, the ifs and the buts and the maybes and the goal difference. And if this happens and this happens, it's a contingent upon this.

21:12Chloe: I kind of feel like a bit of an idiot because I never realised that it was head to head first before goal difference. That is... Always feels a bit like meh to me. I always feel like goal difference is a better way to go first rather than head to head. Because then that only comes down to one game rather than like what you've done across multiple games. But yeah, I mean, I always, I just never fucking realised, which says a lot about me. Sorry.

21:35Rachel: No, I think it's UEFA and their inability to actually develop clear and concise rules or apply them consistently. so Rach I don't think that's on you at all actually coming up after this a Group C showdown and an absolutely crucial game for England

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23:35Rachel: Oh Rach, it's squeaky bum time. England versus the Netherlands tomorrow night. Obviously we're a couple of days on now from the defeat. Everyone's kind of settled. Everyone's still processing. We talked a little bit about this just before the pod started on kind of what the reaction has been to that defeat. Because I think in the moment, obviously, there was like a little bit of shock and a little bit of reeling and a little bit of like okay let's pick this apart what's actually happened here but Rach what have you kind of seen that's the you know the biggest narratives I suppose around why that defeat took place in the manner that it

24:09Chloe: did for me it's very much it's a lot of hindsight which I think is a wonderful thing because at the end of the day like people saying team selection was wrong this player should have started this should have happened and I think part of me is like well no one expected the majority of the team to have a bad day you can't foresee that right like any other day that starting 11 will do well against France will be able to pull up a better fight against France so this idea that anyone could have predicted that kind of performance from England is BS in my opinion I don't think he could have predicted all of them to pretty much have a shocker at the office so that's the first thing it feels like the narrative is just well England need to play better which you know no shit and for me a little bit of it's almost like the talk is about the team that everyone wants the team that could have should have gone out and been better and played against France to then go out and play against the Netherlands and France and the Netherlands are two different threats to England so actually you should be looking at what's the best team to go out and face the Netherlands and deal with the threats not what team could have beaten France do you know that kind of way?

25:15Chloe: I've not seen much saying here's what England need to do against the Netherlands here's where the threats are and here's who could be the best person to deal with that in this position, for example.

25:24Rachel: No, 100%. And I totally hear that. I think there needs to be sort of more kind of, you know, in-depth analysis of what those particular points are to improve on. But I think at the same time, I kind of do hold a little bit of sympathy for the narratives around to just do better. Because I think, like you said, Rach, on their day, they would just do better. They wouldn't make the kind of ridiculous mistakes that we saw, the kind of clumsy defending, the, you know, not watching players run into the box, the, you know, lack of man marking, the kind of ball watching, that allowing players to run in behind you, like all those like basic things that you expect from these absolute world-class players in the England team, they just weren't doing.

25:56Rachel: So it is a case of, well, just do your job, like do the job that you know how to do and that we've seen you do a hundred times before. So I think there is kind of some sympathy there. And I think there is an expectation. But also, obviously, duh. The players aren't going to help. Let's not play shit again. Let's do what we did before and expect a different result. What did Dan Bonaday say? that was the definition of madness yes but i do yeah it is really hard i think to pinpoint because it wasn't like i don't think the the game plan was particularly like off i don't think you know serena made really bad decisions in the starting 11 i don't think you know i think there will be maybe personnel changes there i mean what do we think serena will do for the next game do we think we're actually going to see different people come in we obviously praise michelle adjeman grace Clinton, Chloe Kelly, who all came on obviously as substitutes in the last game.

26:47Rachel: It seems like, you know, the question is, should they start? But at the same time, I wouldn't advocate for yes. I think Michelle Ajebang, no. I think I love the impact that she makes as a very young, hungry player coming on in those kind of final minutes. I think she should have got more time, but I don't think she should start. Grace Clinton, again, a really effective substitute weapon. Chloe Kelly potentially but I still wouldn't change much of the attacking line-up to be fair

27:14Chloe: So here's the thing and like some players I've seen getting an awful lot of criticism and you know yes I don't think anyone had a particularly good day at the office I think some had a worse day at the office than others I think both full-backs struggled I think Georgia Stamway struggled in particular I've seen a lot about Beth Mead and I think a lot of people judge her on her attacks forward and what she produces in the box rather than the fact that her defensive attributes are very, very good, which is often why she might be picked ahead of Kelly against certain teams because, for me, she provides more defensive cover.

27:45Chloe: She had to come back a lot to cover for Lucy Bronze as well, which then nullifies her threats going forward. I think as well what people kind of forget is, you know, Emma Hayes, I think, was saying on ITV that the centre-backs need to help Jess Carter more on that full-back position, which I think for me what happens in that situation is if Jess Carter has been done it pulls Alex Greenwood out to try and cover that which is what we saw for the first goal because then Leah Williamson is suddenly left in the box with like three players in a massive amount of space that she can't control on her own so you know you have to look at what bad performances do and force players to do because of maybe players having a bad day being out of position pulls you down in the wrong place and you're not then impacting the game the way people expect you to, you know.

28:32Chloe: And if you've got a striker who's constantly being pulled back or constantly having to come back to get the ball, everyone just says they have a bad day. That was a shit game. And you're like, okay, well, why was that? Did the midfield struggle to actually get the ball forward to the striker? Did they then have to draw? Did their game plan have to shift because of what's going on around them? So for me, that happened to Beth Mead. I don't think she had a brilliant game, but I do think she had to provide an awful lot more defensive cover than perhaps was expected, which then didn't allow her to give much going forward.

29:01Chloe: I agree with you with Michelle Adjimang. There's always this, well, she had a great five minutes, so she must start. She's an impact player. She's something that throws defense. You know, they struggle to deal with her, with her directness, with her ball control, with her confidence in the box. That's a weapon you want to be able to have to throw on and kind of throw the cat amongst the pigeons a little bit. You know, it's a bit like having an LJ come off the bench and being able to make that change and that kind of disruption within the other team. And I think that's what Michelle can do off the bench.

29:29but yes should have come on earlier in my opinion um I do think we might see a change at left back

29:36Chloe: we might see Niamh Charles starting she's going to have to deal with that speed down the wings of um the Dutch again but I don't think it's necessarily the same type of opponent as France um and I do think perhaps we'll see a change in midfield whether we'll see Clinton and Toon start whether we'll just see Toon start um we shall see I mean I thought it was interesting what Georgia astound my set in the press conference um i'd like to get your thoughts and i've given you're a former player but she was like what she found really frustrating was that she just couldn't seem to do what she wanted to do and what she was trying to do and the ball wasn't doing what she you know and like players have bad days and i've not not played to that level but i've had it when i've played sport where you're just you just have a shit day and you're like why is this happening and yeah you know i'm sure as a as a goalkeeper you've had that where you're just like you know what you're supposed to do but it's just not happening oh my god I've had countless of those

30:29Rachel: games I think um there are some days like and they normally come weirdly enough after a really good week of training where you feel like in the best position like everything's been going right you've been absolutely smashing it saving goals left right and center or creating passes or whatever it is and then you get into a game and for some reason like your eye your eye hand coordination is off like the ball just doesn't land in the right way you don't feel like you've made the right move or you're in the right position or you're just off but I think what happened in that England game is that every single player kind of had one of those games I think maybe bar Lauren James who I don't think really put a foot wrong and that game so I'd be surprised if she actually didn't start again I think I don't I do you reckon obviously you had the context there of her just coming back from injury and kind of not wanting to overplay her but I just think that

31:13Chloe: yeah she was but I think because of France's dominance in midfield and her creative ability going forward at times it just left a little bit of a gap and I think England needed a bit more robustness in that midfield area and I guess that's the thing right like like you said when you have a bad day you don't necessarily expect everyone else to have a bad day so you can't you can't hook everyone you know like if you're having a shit day your manager might go at halftime right okay you're coming off we're gonna put this person in and you know fix the problem when everyone's playing off their game it's very very difficult to just like make one or two tweaks and everything's fine like so I think that was the difficulty as well for Wiegmann you know people are like why didn't she make the substitutions at halftime and you know if ifs and buts she made a triple sub at 60 minutes um and I think my only criticism was just making that Michelle Adjimang won a little

32:01Rachel: bit earlier 100 % I think well it's going to be really interesting to see how they light up tomorrow I think for me I would still be accepting LJ to be there I think maybe the switch out with Niamh Charles and Jess Carter um but other than that I think I think Sazie Viggs is going to remain roughly the same. Rach, flagpole in the sand, about any changes? Oh yeah, I think there'll be changes.

32:23Chloe: I want her to go rogue. I want her to do what she did against China. Just like, three of the back, two up front. Let bronze and Charles push up. Provide a little bit of extra defensive cover with that third kind of centre defender. You know, put Lauren Hemp and Russo up top. Just like, I don't know. Fuck around and find out kind of vibes. Caution to the wind. Yeah, I think as people have touched, sometimes England can be a bit predictable and um you know i kind of disagree in some ways where i think it was actually millie bright on her podcast and rachel daly saying how predictable vikman was i don't actually think i predicted at 60 minutes these three players are going to come on and these three players are going to come off do you know what i mean and i think that's easy to say after the fact that this isn't euro 2022 where you could predict down to the minute of who what when I don't think England have been like that for that long yeah but I don't this idea that that's still the same situation I think is isn't really the case um but I'm glad like I said glad she made the 60 minute substitutions and I guess this is a make or break game so if things aren't going the right way changes will need to be made quicker and she'll have to roll the dice and I think she did show a bravery going to a back three with Alex Screamer coming off for Michelle Adjimang but there's that timing of that bravery if needed is going to have to be sooner.

33:42Rachel: I think it's that, isn't it? How kind of risk adverse is Serena Vigman going to be in this game? Or do you just put your cards on the table, throw everything at it and just try something completely new to create magic? So we will absolutely wait and see. Obviously, this game is absolutely pivotal in terms of getting back on track tomorrow night. England could be eliminated if they lose and France avoid defeat against Wales. Similarly, Wales will be eliminated if they lose to France and the Netherlands avoid defeat against England. Essentially, this game is the game to rule all games in terms of figuring out what's happening with our tournament chances.

34:20Rachel: Tonight, we obviously have Germany versus Denmark and Poland versus Sweden. Germany and Sweden are both on three points. They'll go through if they win and the other of them avoids defeat. Do we think there's a chance that Poland could spring a cheeky surprise? is Rachel you've been so impressed with them this tournament do we think actually this could be the little upset that you actually could be predicting I hope so because I'm doing that game I'd quite like to I'd quite like to capture um Poland's first goal at a major tournament that would be

34:50Chloe: lovely yeah I just think I think what they did with Germany shows the threats that they have I'm hoping that Eva Peor not scoring will light something underneath there because she'll think she could have had two or three and I think Germany arguably are better than Sweden so I think they'll take from that if we can do this against Germany you know we can we can hurt Sweden equally Sweden are defensively pretty good as well but you know I think sometimes can be shy in front of goal maybe this is the game they'll prove me wrong and not be shy in front of goal but um yeah I'm if Poland are going to score just I'm putting it out there if they could do it in the first half because that's the end I'm shooting I'd really appreciate it guys thank you love that

35:36Rachel: I'll definitely give them the nod through none of the contacts I have in the Polish Federation we'll be back on Thursday with reaction to the next couple of days of action at the Euros including England's crucial game against the Netherlands tomorrow night remember make sure you hit subscribe so that you never ever miss an episode throughout the Euros thank you so much Rach, looking forward to hearing more negativity from you on Thursday but also buoyed by the positive news that the Lionesses completely smashed Netherlands, touch wood, touch wood yes, thank you Rach thanks Will

36:20Rachel: Upfront is a Stack production and part of the Acast Creator Network

36:54Rachel: We'll be back. the upstairs bathroom. Yikes.

36:58Chloe: You could hire the guy your neighbor recommended, but I'm pretty sure that's just his cousin. Do we know if he's licensed or does he just stone a ladder?

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