England fans were left baffled by the BBC pundits' half-time comments during the Switzerland game.
After Gareth Southgate double bluffed us all by not using a back three for tonight’s (6 July) quarterfinal, the blokes at the BBC praised the England manager and his team.
Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden played in central No.10 roles behind captain Harry Kane during the first half, and Rio Ferdinand for one was pretty impressed.
“Foden in the 10, we’ve all been asking for it, that’s the difference,” the former England footballer said during the half-time chat.
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“He gets on the half-turn. [Previously] we haven’t see [Bukayo] Saka run behind, why? Because people aren’t in the position where he can get the ball.”
And Micah Richards echoed this praise: “We’ve been crying out for it. It’s delightful to see him in a position where he can have an impact on the game.”
Pundit Frank Lampard seems to be buzzing with the play too as he said the change tonight has been a ‘big deal’.
He added: “[Foden] has not stayed in one position, he’s moving around the pitch and gives you a feeling of control. That’s top-level players, they do that in tight areas. He can give us another number deeper.”
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And Gary Lineker added of the Manchester City star: “He’s one of the best, if not the best, No 10s in world football, playing in that way. It felt like he was locked up [previously].”
But not everyone watching the coverage is exactly in agreement with the pundits.
Jamie Carragher wrote on X: “On the BBC England are 2-0 up, on Twitter England are 0-1 down!”
Even David Baddiel said: “The England team have been more positive but nothing like as positive as the BBC pundits. I’m not sure what they’re going to say if England have, y’know, a shot on target. Or heavens, score.”
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Other fans joked: "BBC pundits would make you believe England have been better than Barcelona 2011, despite having zero shots on target."
Another speculated: "Oddest half time analysis I've ever seen. They 100% been told to make up for being overly negative in previous games."
One also said: "It's absolutely wild, I'm convinced they're watching a different game on tape. They're been very very average."
And before Switzerland's goal came in the second half, another said: "Thought I was going mad at how they were bigging up that first half."
Topics: BBC, Football, Euro 2024, TV and Film, Gary Lineker
Jess Battison