Lee Bell wants Crewe to learn from their mistakes after letting a two-goal lead slip to crash to a late 3-2 defeat to Morecambe.
Having moved into the League Two automatic-promotion places with victory at Notts County seven days previously, Crewe were in the mood to keep the pressure on their rivals and were well set when Shilow Tracey added to Elliott Nevitt’s first-half header with a thundering strike soon after the break.
But the Shrimps staged a thrilling late comeback thanks to goals from Joe Adams, Jordan Slew and Farrend Rawson, which left Bell questioning his players’ decision-making.
“We were in total control up to the 69th minute and then the game was turned on its head and they got a winner. Full credit to Morecambe for the spirit they showed, but the goals were down to individual and collective decision-making,” said Bell.
“We’ve got to take lessons from today and learn from them; we will need to go through it and analyse it. We have owned our wins this season and we’ve got to own the defeats too, take it on the chin and look to get better.
“The game was changed in five minutes and if we had done the right things and doing the basics would have got us the right result.
“The players are on the floor, but we’ve got to learn from this as we’ve got 11 games left and if we pick up in the areas we need to improve then we will be fine.
“While it’s disappointing to lose a game when you’re two up, it’s what we’re going to do now to bounce back that matters.”
Ged Garner wasted a gilt-edged chance for the visitors when he dragged an early effort past the post.
Crewe, then, turned the visitors’ counter-attacking against them with Nevitt bagging his 12th goal of the campaign before Tracey showed his unpredictable flair when cutting in to fire an unstoppable shot past Archie Mair for the second.
But Morecambe were back in the game with two goals inside five minutes, first Adams’ side-footer slipped under home keeper Harvey Davies.
Then when Davies pushed out another Adams effort, substitute Slew drove home the equaliser.
Mair kept the scores level with great saves from Lewis Leigh and Josh Austerfield before Rawson stunned Gresty Road with a back-post finish.
Morecambe boss Ged Brannan said: “We showed great character. We’d played really well in the first half and created chances – we should have been ahead early on.
“But we let Crewe into the game and they caught us on the counter for their first. It needed a great show of character and our defending in the last five minutes summed up that.
“I told the players at half-time that Crewe were no better than us and they went out and did so well. Crewe could not cope with Joe Adams in the first half with the way he was running at their defence and I am made up he scored a goal as he had a couple of chances. And no-one was stopping Farrend scoring that goal, he’d have taken their whole team into the net.
“We’re ninth now and the league is crazy. Crewe are up there, but we dominated them at times, so we’re not too far behind.”
Rangnick says Austria must believe in hopes of France upset
Ralf Rangnick says self-belief will be vital as his Austria side hunt a major scalp in their Euro 2024 opener against France on Monday.
France are viewed among the favourites to win the tournament, having won the 2018 World Cup and finished as runners-up at Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup under Didier Deschamps.
However, Les Bleus have been tasked with a tough draw, with Austria tipped as potential dark horses and the Netherlands beating Poland 2-1 in Group D's first match on Sunday.
Austria finished just one point behind Belgium in their first qualification campaign under former Manchester United boss Rangnick, who has needed little time to implement his preferred high-pressing style.
Austria allowed their opponents fewer passes per defensive action (8.3 PPDA) than any other team during qualifying, also attacking with the fastest direct speed, moving the ball upfield at a speed of 2.03 metres per second.
Rangnick plans to take the game to France in Dusseldorf, telling his players there can be no inferiority complex if they are to earn a result.
"That is crucial, that we will be courageous, that we are convinced of our own strength," Rangnick said at his pre-match press conference.
"What's really vital is the way that we perform, not the way that France plays, or whether they are a little bit better or a little bit worse, it's only about us.
"We prepared for over two years for this day. It's finally starting for us. We're really excited. There's joy above everything else."
One of Austria's most pressing tasks will be to shut out Kylian Mbappe, who has scored 12 goals in his last three international tournaments (four at the 2018 World Cup, none at Euro 2020, eight at the 2022 World Cup).
Harry Kane is the only European player to match that figure, and the England man was also the only player from Europe's top five leagues to equal Mbappe's 44 goals in 2023-24.
However, Rangnick says Austria cannot afford to focus entirely on any one player, such is the strength of the France squad.
"With our style of playing we have to counter him and the whole French team, we have to make sure that he doesn't receive as many balls as he likes," he said.
"We know from our own strengths that we can win this match."
Rashford did not deserve England spot for Euro 2024, says Ten Hag
Marcus Rashford's poor form for Manchester United meant he could have no complaints about being left out of England's Euro 2024 squad, believes his club boss Erik ten Hag.
Along with Manchester City's Jack Grealish, Rashford was a surprise omission from Gareth Southgate's party for the tournament in Germany.
Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen were among the wide players preferred to Rashford, who had been a mainstay in the Three Lions' squad since making his first tournament appearance at Euro 2016.
Rashford scored just seven goals in 33 Premier League appearances in 2023-24 as the Red Devils limped to an eighth-place finish – their lowest in the competition's history.
Only in 2015-16, 2016-17 (both five) and 2021-22 (four) has Rashford scored fewer goals in a top-flight campaign.
Speaking in his role as a pundit for NOS on Sunday, Rashford's club manager said the forward had not done enough to be considered for his country.
"Grealish and Rashford were both lacking this season. And when you are lacking, you risk not getting picked for your country," Ten Hag said.
Ten Hag's job was thought to be under threat as United enter their first full season under the Jim Ratcliffe regime, but it was confirmed last week he will stay at the helm.
He was asked on Sunday whether he had any desire to manage the Netherlands in the future, but he maintains he is content at Old Trafford.
"I've never been chasing anything," Ten Hag said. "I'm very happy with where I am now. And I want to make the most of it."
Kane's England contribution about more than goals, says Trippier
Harry Kane offers more to England than simply goals, says Kieran Trippier, who is not concerned about the striker's lack of touches in Sunday's 1-0 win over Serbia.
Jude Bellingham's goal was the difference as England recorded a hard-fought victory to open their Group C campaign, meaning they have started all four of their major tournaments under Gareth Southgate with a win.
However, their performance attracted criticism from some quarters as England managed just five shots to Serbia's six, accumulating a total of 0.52 expected goals (xG).
Kane was a victim of the cagey nature of the contest, recording fewer touches (24) and successful passes (nine) than any other England starter.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford at least doubled both of those tallies, having 48 touches and completing 25 passes.
Kane did go close to giving England a two-goal cushion in the second half as he saw a header tipped onto the crossbar by Predrag Rajkovic, but Trippier says he should not be judged purely on goals.
"Obviously it was difficult because they played five at the back, but what people don't realise is what Harry does off the ball," Trippier told reporters in the mixed zone.
"Of course, he scores goals but what he did for the team today was incredible, holding the ball up and bringing other players into play.
"People just focus on goals with Harry but internally, as team-mates, we appreciate what he does off the ball."
England have, however, kept five successive clean sheets in group-stage matches at the Euros, the longest such run in the competition's history.
"I would say it's about managing the game," Trippier continued. "There will always be moments in games where the opposition will have a spell of 10 or 15 minutes of possession.
"It's about being nice and compact and not conceding. We have got experienced players in the group like [Kyle] Walker, Harry, myself, players that can help the younger players manage the games. I thought we did that tonight."
Fans were hoping to see a free-flowing England display after watching Germany and Spain kick off with resounding wins, but their figure of 0.52 xG is the fourth-lowest of any team to have played at Euro 2024 thus far, after Scotland (0.02), Serbia (0.18) and Albania (0.51).
However, Jarrod Bowen – who teed up Kane's big second-half chance – is not worried about the performances of other nations.
"We are so focused on ourselves and what we can do, other teams are irrelevant. They are their countries and we are England," he said.
"We focus on ourselves and our focus was to win the game not because other teams won, but because it was a statement for us to win the first game going into Thursday.
"That was our mindset coming into this game and that will be it, full focus on us."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
