England National football team thread

[War]

In the future, I'd like to see a midfield three of:

Carrick
Cleverley Wilshere​

Of course this being England, we're more likely to end up with something like this:

Parker
Milner Barry​

Although i have my reservations about Carrick, the above does look quite nice to be fair.

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Gerrard usually only hits those passes when he's frustrated with the rest of the team and feels as though he has to do everything on his own. I can't blame him really.

Ha ye at times he did look frustrated, he ended up playing quite deep even.

 

[Ollie_H]

Gerrard usually only hits those passes when he's frustrated with the rest of the team and feels as though he has to do everything on his own. I can't blame him really.

In my opinion, Gerrard was nothing short of awful on Wednesday night. If he'd been made captain for that game, the armband would have been passed around all evening.

In the future, I'd like to see a midfield three of:

Carrick
Cleverley Wilshere​

Of course this being England, we're more likely to end up with something like this:

Parker
Milner Barry​

I can't quite fathom as to why Barry & Milner are anywhere near the England squad? They're both awful. Barry probably the better of the two but still shouldn't be in the England team.

I'd swap Carrick for Parker and that would be my first choice midfield.

My pinch of salt on Wednesday's game:

• Hart - Played well, wasn't really at fault for any of the goals. Will be Englands keeper for years to come and should be one of (if he isn't already) the best keepers in the world.
• Richards - Did well, looked good when he overlapped the winger and can be forgiven for not attacking as much as he could have when you have to defend against Arjen Robben. MR was shown up a bit by AR but not sure Johnson would have done much better.
• Baines: Should have been tighter to the player for the 3rd goal but think Hart would have saved it if it weren't for the deflection. Solid but unspectacular.
• Smalling/Cahill - Didn't play particularly well, both were at fault for the first two goals.
• Parker - Great peformance, maybe slightly at fault for the first goal but defence should have done better.
• Barry - Not sure why he is in the England team.
• Johnson - fairly awful. Didn't get to the byline and cross enough for me. In contrast I thought Sturride was excellent.
• Young - Don't think he had his best game, lost the ball to which Holland then scored their 2nd. Clinical finish for his goal though.
• Gerrard - Should have been rested all together in my opinion. Didn't have a great game probably too tired.
• Welbeck - Played well, had it tough with him having to come and collect the ball a lot but tried things that were too flashy and unnecessary but didn't get a lot of good service either.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

I think England have a genuine conundrum in the striker department. Welbeck is the most talented but he'll struggle playing in a 4-3-3 with players like Sturridge/Johnson. Welbeck has been superb this season linking up with Rooney. Both of them are hard working and totally unselfish, they're constantly playing 1-2's and bringing others into play. Johnson and Sturridge are the polar opposites of that - they're greedy, lazy, direct players who just won't work with Welbeck. Then the other strikers like Bent just aren't at the right quality.

Also, Gary Cahill should be nowhere near the England team. Absolutely abysmal positioning. Smalling didn't have the best of games but he's certainly warranted his place - his reading of the game is incredibly good, especially at such a young age.

 

[War]

BBC - Football Tactics: Can Scholes be the fulcrum for England?

It may be unlikely, but getting Redknapp as coach along with Scholes to come out of retirement would be superb news for the euro's.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

BBC - Football Tactics: Can Scholes be the fulcrum for England?

It may be unlikely, but getting Redknapp as coach along with Scholes to come out of retirement would be superb news for the euro's.

Put it this way - who else do we have with his poise on the ball, his pass selection and ability to execute them? Who else do we have who receives compliments from the likes of Iniesta and Xavi? And don't forget his rocket like shot from outside of the box. He couldn't possibly do any worse than any of the midfielders at 2010, that's the way I see it. He should be a definite to go, if he wants to.

 

[puddleduck]

What the hell? So we sensibly decide that we should have gone with the young and upcoming talents for the tournament. That we probably wouldn't win anyway, and that Germany stole a march on us in the last tournament by just going with youth.

So, why, are we considering playing a man who retired from all football just 7 months ago? I love Scholesy, but unfortunately we missed the boat with him, when we decided to shuffle him out wide left to accommodate the dream team of Gerrard and Lampard! haha, what a joke that Beckham has 100+ caps and Scholes isn't our most decorated England midfielder of the last 20 years.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

We need a good mix of youth and experience. If Scholes has still got it for Utd, he's still got it for England - that's why he should be considered. But you're right, he needs to be played in his ideal position - we missed out on a lot of Scholes in an England shirt due to his being shunted out wide.

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Also, Gary Cahill should be nowhere near the England team. Absolutely abysmal positioning. Smalling didn't have the best of games but he's certainly warranted his place - his reading of the game is incredibly good, especially at such a young age.

Yep, Smalling is going to be a great England defender.

 

[puddleduck]

I really dislke the way all the ex Man U media mafia kept posting interviews that always used Harry Redknapp as the England manager elect. Strange how it's died down once we slipped away from them in the league

 

[MasterBlaster76]

I really wish we could get Hiddink as England manager - he did a cracking job at Chelsea, he can speak English properly (!) and he knows the England game. Isn't going to happen of course.

 

[lancashire666]

AVB for next England manager!

 

[War]

BBC Sport - Lord Triesman tips Roy Hodgson for England managers job

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I think England have a genuine conundrum in the striker department. Welbeck is the most talented but he'll struggle playing in a 4-3-3 with players like Sturridge/Johnson. Welbeck has been superb this season linking up with Rooney. Both of them are hard working and totally unselfish, they're constantly playing 1-2's and bringing others into play. Johnson and Sturridge are the polar opposites of that - they're greedy, lazy, direct players who just won't work with Welbeck. Then the other strikers like Bent just aren't at the right quality.

Yea this is indeed a problematic area going into the EURO's for those first two games.

We saw in the Holland friendly how isolated Welbeck was. At United him and Rooney work well in a 4-4-1-1 formation, compared to ENG's new found 4-3-3.

If ENG were to try and adapt a United like formation, Defoe is probably the best man to play behind Welbeck in something like this:

--------------------Welbeck---------------------------

Young----------------Defoe--------------Walcott/Johnson/Sturridge

------------Parker------------Gerrard--------------------

But i'm not too comfortable with any ENG formation these days that doesn't have three in mid-field.

 

[harrisb]

I was rather hopeful of us getting Mourinho as the new manager, but it seems he's back to Stamford Bridge after AVB's (unjust IMO) departure.

Anyway, with regards to the midfield, we could do with getting Scholes back, because it would give us the chance to play 3 across the middle, with Gerrard just behind Rooney and/or Welbeck, with 4 at the back, and a defensive mid if you only play one striker.

So i'm thinking of something like this

Parker -- Scholes -- Wilshere

-- Gerrard --

Rooney -- Welbeck

or

-- Jones --

Parker -- Wilshere -- Scholes

-- Gerrard --

-- Rooney/Welbeck --​

All this is dependent on Wilshere and Gerrard being fit, if not we could have problems. Also, I think Jones is much better as a defensive midfielder than a full-back or centre-back. He can play at the back if he's needed, but some of the runs he has made at the defences of the last few teams we've played have been quite good.

 

[Auwais]

Defoe in the hole? Gerrard in central midfield alongside Parker? Good God, no!

And who's supposed to provide width in your side, harrisb?

 

[puddleduck]

Argh. 6 months ago, people were happy with the idea of just going with youth, safe in the knowledge that we're not gonna win it. Germany did it in the last tournament, they looked fresh and vibrant and will surely be stronger for it this time.

Meanwhile, in the next 6 months we're trying to work out how to coax someone who retired back into the England team? Move on guys, his time has passed, England messed up, we'll all just have to deal with that

 

[barmyarmy]

And who's supposed to provide width in your side, harrisb?

I don't think he's been mentioned as a possible starter.