I've watched England in a lot of world cups. I can't ever remember a squad without a world class player. Kane is about as close as we get. maybe we'll do well for once. Not holding my breath mind
World Cup 2018 - General discussion
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
- Status
No doubt but I'd much rather that Brazil squad.
Just me surprised no one's been mentioning Lookman for the squad? I say even Sancho mentioned in one of the papers this morning.
Lookman's been scoring and assisting for Leipzig so thought he might've been a wildcard option.
Lookman's been scoring and assisting for Leipzig so thought he might've been a wildcard option.
Arsenal fans might disagree.
Got enough in there to make QFs and that’s our level. Plus if we hit on a formation with a good chemistry and have a slice of luck we might surprise a few. At least we won’t be trying to crowbar players into the team based on reputation.
Think Kane, Walker, and Sterling all have good shouts for being world class
He’s come into form at the end of the season but probably not quite enough to get called up.
Wagner announced his end of the DFB national team. The end of an era 
That's optimistic thinking. You's have a handy group but I think it could still be the early plane home. I just dont see the creative spark that will score enough goals.
If the 00s was the golden generation I dread to think what these lot are.
I think this is the best squad Southgate could have chosen (maybe Cook over A-A). Really impressed with his management stint so far and I think England will be difficult to beat
Too many defenders for my liking. No need for six full backs, even when you consider Walker is mainly going to play the right of a three. Personally would've dumped one of them and added Lallana or another midfielder instead.
I'd of liked to see Lookman and Cook ahead of TAA and Delph etc
Iceland is a team unlike England and the players perform better with the national team because everyone knows their role, there's no bad morale or drama queens. Iceland's mentality is better than England's which is why Iceland has been able to perform above expectations (way above the expecations of most) whilst England hasn't done so Euro '96.
That’s all well and good but it doesn’t counter @Classical Mechanic point.
Most of the squad won't play at all. It also doesn't matter what they do for a living, this isn't that. This is different football. Steven Gerrard might have been a world class player for Liverpool but he wasn't for England. Iceland have a striker that scores a goal every other game at club level and has done so in 4 different countries but he's not going to the WC because he's not as good with the NT. Messi scores less than a goal every other game for Argentina. At his normal job he outscores 99% of footballers that have ever played professionally.
It's hard to point at any footballer in the England squad and say that he performs for England at the same level as he performs for his club.
It's refreshing actually.
Wilshere doesn't deserve to be in the World Cup squad, his time has passed.
Smalling may deserve a shout, but I don't think any of the chosen ones was worse than him
Welbeck has a case for not being selected, but his England record is good.
England lacked of creative midfielder is nothing new, but Southgate actually chose players who are fit and performing for the clubs, sprinkled with some promising youth for next tournament. It'll be interesting to see how they fared.
I would guess that they would fare much better than most people here suggested
Wilshere doesn't deserve to be in the World Cup squad, his time has passed.
Smalling may deserve a shout, but I don't think any of the chosen ones was worse than him
Welbeck has a case for not being selected, but his England record is good.
England lacked of creative midfielder is nothing new, but Southgate actually chose players who are fit and performing for the clubs, sprinkled with some promising youth for next tournament. It'll be interesting to see how they fared.
I would guess that they would fare much better than most people here suggested
Cahill over Smalling is odd, as well as an injured Tarkowski being an alternate over Smalling. Even Maguire seems odd to me seeing as Leicester were pretty poor defensively all season.
Id go:
Pope
Walker Jones Stones Delph
Henderson Dier Lingard
Sterling Kane Alli
Id go:
Pope
Walker Jones Stones Delph
Henderson Dier Lingard
Sterling Kane Alli
That’s pretty much the opposite of what ‘on paper’ means.
I think this really is England's best squad and gives them a chance to perform better than any previous tournament. No big egos, a lot of simple (and under-profile) personalities, and relatively young squad. There is a very slim chance that England will win the WC this year anyway - so why not build a team which gels together and plays for a few years! If they can show the kind of teamwork that England haven't been able to show before, they could very well pull off a surprise semi final finish (similar to South Korea in 2002!)
Who?Wagner announced his end of the DFB national team. The end of an era
Same - think he's been smart across the majority of his decisions. I like what he's done and the way he handles himself.
I'd prefer to see Wilshere, Lallana and Smalling in the squad but I don't think it really matters. Southgate's clearly built the team he wants over the last 18 months and he's going to stick with those 15-18 players who have made that up. Like you say, I think we'll be hard to beat, which is about as much as you can hope for in a tournament competition with the midfield we have.
No pressure. I think we might shock a few people and turn a few heads.
Southgate knows his onions. Picking players on-form not reputation.
Just quietly going on about his business creating a monster... no media distractions, no WAGs.. perfect recipe for success.
As a dane looking at your squad, what screams to mind, is the poor midfield i think. It really is a shame that Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard and Carrick all more or less came at the same time, 'cause boy could two of them be of use now. Henderson and Dier i don't think are that good at linking defense to attack, Lingard and Alli are more or less CAMs and I'm still trying to figure out what Loftus-Cheek's role will be, if any. That being said, the lack of world class midfield material isn't Southgate's fault and i think he's done great as a team selector getting rid of Rooney, Hart & Wilshire (though Welbz will forever be a mystery to me).
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Least he's aware he might get the sack.
This is the mistake managers have made before, shoehorning players in unfamiliar positions. Lingard midfield 3 and Ali out wide?
England really have a talent vacuum in midfield. The over reliance on pace is a bad move - you don't need pace, you need guile and creativity. Really surprised he didn't pick Shelvey tbh - not a world beater by any means but at least he can pick a pass which is what you desperately need. It's a solid team but I can't see many chances being created and as a Spurs fan I am already prepared for the Kane bashing that will happen when he fails to score due to nobody offering him up any chances.
You are going to be bitterly disappointed.
No worries, he can just claim a few that somebody else scored to keep up appearances
Midfield is definitely a problem for England though, and considering the type of football Southgate wants to play with this team it could hold them back quite badly.
Agree, Panama and Tunisia will surely sit deep and defend.
Pace won't be key in those games. Need good set pieces some guile and creativity.
Bambi na l'du
Watch as we try and play a possession heavy game, breeze past Tunisia & Panama and then get absolutely hammered by Belgium. Revert to type, Southgate goes to flat back 4 counter attacking team and we scrape past the winner of Group H (Poland or Colombia) before coming up against Germany in the QF. Southgate-gate opens after a 7-1 humiliation.
I'd have taken all of Sancho Sessegnon Lookman Cook Shelvey and Lallana.
GS is being praised for taking youth and energy but that squad is really deficient, why not take some of our best talents. Germany would have.
I think this is exactly what's going to happen. Germany vs. England should be labelled 18+ with the PEGI 18 description: Depiction of gross violence, apparently motiveless killing, or violence towards defenceless characters.
Never gonna happen. Although we (Belgium) have a decent team, we've never hammered any decent opponent. I think Belgium - England will be a tight and nervous game, if the group isn't decided by than. Kane, Sterling, Rashford, Ali all can cause trouble to us.
If we were playing as England under Hodgson, I would agree it would be a tight game, probably a 0-0 or 1-0 type affair. My fear with Southgate is he seems pretty keen to be a Pep-ite and I just don't think we have the players to play the ball out of the back against world class opposition. Belgium to me have a vastly superior technical players: KDB, Meunier, Mertens, Hazard & then the likes of Dembele, Vertonghen, Kompany, Alderweireld, Courtois would all easily get into our team.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
No surprise that Martial is left out.
Bit surprised that Lacazette is out.
Martial, Coman, Rabiot and Lacazette in the reserve list.
No Lacazette and Martial. Quality squad if those don't make it.
- Status