Internationals March (World Cup Qualifiers + Friendlies)

[Samid]

PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINALS
Thursday 24 March 2022
Path A: Wales vs Austria (20:45 CET)
Path B: Sweden vs Czech Republic (20:45 CET)
Path C: Italy vs North Macedonia (20:45 CET), Portugal vs Turkey (20:45 CET)

Postponed (date tbc)
Path A: Scotland vs Ukraine

PLAY-OFF FINALS
Tuesday 29 March 2022
Path B: Poland vs Sweden / Czech Republic (20:45 CET)
Path C: Portugal / Turkey vs Italy / North Macedonia (20:45 CET)

Postponed (date tbc)
Path A: Wales / Austria vs Scotland / Ukraine

All World Cup qualifying fixtures can be found here.
All friendlies can be found here.

 

[Samid]

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[Rockets Redglare]

How has Sancho missed out?

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

Smith Rowe over Sancho is sick.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

How has Sancho missed out?

Really weird. Southgate believes all the other players are ahead of him, which is understandable for some, but weird for others.

 

[RonaldoVII]

Imagine thinking Grealish is having a better season, or is on better form, than Sancho. At least he gets some time off rather than sit on England's bench.

Also this seems a bit odd:

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[V.O.]

As a Welshman, I wish I could say I was arsed about this.

First and quite possibly only World Cup I could ever see us qualify for and it's this oil money-bought and blood money-built farce coming up in the winter. Feck off.

 

[izec]

Sancho and Tomori for Shaw and Maguire. How these two are in only Southgate knows. But he has his favourites, and Maguire is one of them. He is just not good enough currently

 

[Bale Bale Bale]

Smith Rowe has had a far better season than Sancho. If you're just going to pick the squad on a month by month basis then it would be a completely different squad every time.

I think Utd fans are also overplaying Sancho's upturn in form, he's had a decent month but steady on, he still has a lot to prove.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Smith Rowe has had a far better season than Sancho. If you're just going to pick the squad on a month by month basis then it would be a completely different squad every time.

I think Utd fans are also overplaying Sancho's upturn in form, he's had a decent month but steady on, he still has a lot to prove.

I think there is some merit to pick on recent form, though it's a mix between how embedded the player is in the team in general, and how good his recent form is. I'm not necessarily shocked that some players who are struggling form wise are selected, if the manager believes they have value for the group.

As for Sancho, he hasn't had a "one month" upturn in form, it's been longer. That ESR is having a better season is debattable, and on recent form it's even more surprising. But that Graelish is in (even though we know Southgate is reluctant to use him) is just plain weird.

 

[Samid]

Smith Rowe has had a far better season than Sancho. If you're just going to pick the squad on a month by month basis then it would be a completely different squad every time.

I think Utd fans are also overplaying Sancho's upturn in form, he's had a decent month but steady on, he still has a lot to prove.

Month by month basis? Smith Rowe has started 2 league games in 3.5 months.

And what is your logic for the Grealish pick? Someone like Barnes has had 'a far better season' than Grealish.

 

[Hulme91]

Sancho and Tomori for Shaw and Maguire. How these two are in only Southgate knows. But he has his favourites, and Maguire is one of them. He is just not good enough currently

Maguire has been England's best CB for a fair few years now.
He... like Pickford.. is picked on international form, not club form.

 

[WeePat]

Tomori robbed again.

 

[TheGame]

Smith Rowe has had a far better season than Sancho. If you're just going to pick the squad on a month by month basis then it would be a completely different squad every time.

I think Utd fans are also overplaying Sancho's upturn in form, he's had a decent month but steady on, he still has a lot to prove.

Absolute bollocks. ESR is not even getting into the first team at Arsenal. Sancho and others are ahead of him.

 

[TheGame]

Also where is Bowen, Tomori? Why is Mings anywhere near the squad? Reece James back for a couple of games yet gets in straight away.

 

[Zlatattack]

Do England not have any decent centre backs anymore?

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Also where is Bowen, Tomori? Why is Mings anywhere near the squad? Reece James back for a couple of games yet gets in straight away.

Agree. Bowen has been outstanding even more than Sancho. He could definitely feel aggrieved.

 

[Nish115]

Absolute bollocks. ESR is not even getting into the first team at Arsenal. Sancho and others are ahead of him.

Because he's been injured. Besides, he's competing with Martinelli, nothing wrong with that. We rotate them both.

ESR is the top scoring midfielder in the premier league this season..

Bowen is ahead of ESR. Sancho is not. But Bowen is injured so not in there.

Tomori on the other hand, that is a joke. To the guy above who said Shaw out for Sancho, do you suggest we have no LBs in the squad then?

 

[TheGame]

Because he's been injured. Besides, he's competing with Martinelli, nothing wrong with that. We rotate them both.

ESR is the top scoring midfielder in the premier league this season..

Bowen is ahead of ESR. Sancho is not. But Bowen is injured so not in there.

Tomori on the other hand, that is a joke. To the guy above who said Shaw out for Sancho, do you suggest we have no LBs in the squad then?

He wasn't getting picked before he was injured. He's done well coming on as sub and getting goals which has upped his tally. Sancho has been in better form in my opinion but Bowen has been better than both of them.

 

[Nish115]

He wasn't getting picked before he was injured. He's done well coming on as sub and getting goals which has upped his tally. Sancho has been in better form in my opinion but Bowen has been better than both of them.

He's started 15 of our 27 games. He's been injured for 4 games. He's come off the bench for 8. He's more recently come off the bench, purely because Martinelli has been a bit better in periods, but for the majority of the season he's started.

And so what if he's come off the bench and got goals? That's exactly the role whoever comes into this England side will likely have.

Agree about Bowen, but he's injured as said. But from reading the above you'd think ESR was someone living off reputation.. Sancho is in better form as per the past month sure, but the squad isn't based off that.

 

[TheGame]

He's started 15 of our 27 games. He's been injured for 4 games. He's come off the bench for 8. He's more recently come off the bench, purely because Martinelli has been a bit better in periods, but for the majority of the season he's started.

And so what if he's come off the bench and got goals? That's exactly the role whoever comes into this England side will likely have.

Agree about Bowen, but he's injured as said. But from reading the above you'd think ESR was someone living off reputation.. Sancho is in better form as per the past month sure, but the squad isn't based off that.

I haven't got an issue with that, just was making a point he was a sub. With Southgate picking the squad, I'm not sure what it's based on.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

He's started 15 of our 27 games. He's been injured for 4 games. He's come off the bench for 8. He's more recently come off the bench, purely because Martinelli has been a bit better in periods, but for the majority of the season he's started.

And so what if he's come off the bench and got goals? That's exactly the role whoever comes into this England side will likely have.

Agree about Bowen, but he's injured as said. But from reading the above you'd think ESR was someone living off reputation.. Sancho is in better form as per the past month sure, but the squad isn't based off that.

Just realised Bowen is injured when started to watch the West Ham game.

 

[FootballHQ]

Just looking at Portugal squad ahead of the potential monumental play off v Italy....

Do they really have no other CBs apart from Pepe and Fonte? Both have combined age of 77 ffs.

Other defenders named are Dalot, Cedric Soares, Guerrerio, Mendes, Cancelo and Inacio who I presume must be a CB but is 20 and uncapped.

Who would actually play as CB if one of them picked up knocked v Turkey? I'm guessing William Carvalho would have to be placed there.

Interesting to think Ronaldo era likely ends if you don't make it through, Moutinho probably retires aswell.

Edit: Forgot Ruben Dias is injured.

 

[sallycinnamin]

So potentially Italy v Portugal winner takes all match.

 

[croadyman]

Tomori robbed again.

Yeah when is he gonna get a chance

 

[croadyman]

Do we reckon England's biggest weakness is creativity through the middle or a top class CB partnership, maybe it's a bit of a both

 

[Nish115]

As much as I like Southgate, his tactical deficiency is our biggest weakness. He's a fantastic man manager, but.. any complex match situation and we'll always struggle.

Personal wise, when everyone is fit I think we have a well balanced side. Oddly, I think England are very similar to Arsenal in terms of how they should be shaping up. We shape up like:

Ramsdale
Tomiyasu - White - Gabriel - Tierney
Partey
Saka - Odegaard - Xhaka - Martinelli
Lacazette

England could do something very similar:

Ramsdale
Walker - White - Tomori - Chilwell
Rice
Saka - Foden - Bellingham - Sterling
Kane

But as pointed out before, we'll always have two screens in the middle because our CB partnerships are always not good enough. I'm aware this is biased towards Arsenal slightly, just my opinion.

 

[FootballHQ]

As much as I like Southgate, his tactical deficiency is our biggest weakness. He's a fantastic man manager, but.. any complex match situation and we'll always struggle.

Personal wise, when everyone is fit I think we have a well balanced side. Oddly, I think England are very similar to Arsenal in terms of how they should be shaping up. We shape up like:

Ramsdale
Tomiyasu - White - Gabriel - Tierney
Partey
Saka - Odegaard - Xhaka - Martinelli
Lacazette

England could do something very similar:

Ramsdale
Walker - White - Tomori - Chilwell
Rice
Saka - Foden - Mount - Sterling
Kane

But as pointed out before, we'll always have two screens in the middle because our CB partnerships are always not good enough. I'm aware this is biased towards Arsenal slightly, just my opinion.

Bellingham has to start at next world cup imo, assuming Southgate will go with him and Rice and see if that combination can develop.

 

[Nish115]

Bellingham has to start at next world cup imo, assuming Southgate will go with him and Rice and see if that combination can develop.

Very good point, more balanced side too.

 

[RonaldoVII]

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[saivet]

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I think he ranks around 8th in the pecking order, with Walker, James, TAA, Trippier, KWP, Lamptey, and Livramento ahead of him. If Aarons had some good form I think he would be ahead of him too. Other options like B. Johnson and Ayling are surely behind him.

 

[Lay]

Japan got a late win against Australia to qualify for the World Cup. Australia will have to play two playoff ties to go through, one of them being against the 5th placed team from South America.

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

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Southgate's footballs hardly progressive, seems weird he wouldn’t fancy AWB at all.

 

[choccy77]

Huge game for Ronaldo tonight

 

[Lay]

AWB was looking at playing for DR Congo the last I heard.

 

[RedDevilCanuck]

I'll be watching Portugal v Turkey amd Wales v Austria at the same time. Then Canada v Costa Rica later tonight!

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Big, big nights for Italy and Portugal. I'm expecting one big shock (Italy being knocked out for ex). Have a fecking dinner at friends this evening and I've been kindly told "no football on TV" when I asked. I need new friends.

 

[ThierryHenry14]

I am only interested in the netherlands vs germany game on 29th. I would like to see how LvG set up his team with all the current Dutch players. There aren't many big names there.

 

[bren_84]

does the winner of sweden v czech republic tonight then qualify?

path a and path b still have to do a second round, right?

 

[SportingCP96]

Pretty positive Portugal are not going to the World Cup.

For one we have so many key players out for this game vs turkey and that usually ends in disaster.

Secondly that ridiculous robbery that occurred away to Serbia is going to be the reason we don’t make the World Cup.

I truly don’t see Portugal making the World Cup, would take a Herculean effort to get through both games.