Chuffed for Young getting in.
You'd have got decent odds on that at the start of the season
You'd have got decent odds on that at the start of the season
World Cup 2018 - General discussion
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
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Well, Gary Lineker was saying that to win the WC half the 1st team needs to be World class.
The only sure fire player who'd get in any team in the World is Kane.
The only sure fire player who'd get in any team in the World is Kane.
Do England play 2 up top? Wondering why they'd pick 4 strikers if one of them is Welbeck. Seems like a waste of a pick when the midfield is seriously lacking creativity.
The thing is with Smalling is, put him in the middle of the 3, he's the most solid defender England have, and he's proved it this season.
By English standards that is the worst squad I’ve seen them produce. I’m so used to a squad with plenty of world class talent but of the current crop I’d only place Kane in that bracket.
However, as others have said there is plenty of talent coming through at underage level although even at that it is no guarantee of success down the line.
However, as others have said there is plenty of talent coming through at underage level although even at that it is no guarantee of success down the line.
Judging by comments on here from some, I say sell Pogba and buy this Johnjo Shelvey lad, he sounds like a top player....
How is zaha not in yet welbeck is?
Might be because he plays for Ivory Coast.
Sorry if people are bored of hearing about Chris Smalling already, but he should've been selected. I get that Southgate is just sticking to his guns, but when you're picking the likes of a crock and inferior defender in Phil Jones and a fourth, somewhat unnecessary forward in Danny Welbeck (who is also a crock), then the guy has some serious stubbornness issues. Smalling plays every week and usually does very well, along with providing a better goal-threat from set-pieces and is better at defending sustained attacks/crosses/long balls which England will undoubtedly face at times in the competition. My issue with the whole thing is that I don't think we need three 'ball-playing' centre-halves and I don't think Jones and Cahill fill that role anyway for Christ's sake.
Ah well, what's done is done. As soon as England face a decent team, they will be eliminated.
Ah well, what's done is done. As soon as England face a decent team, they will be eliminated.
Zaha has changed allegiance
Take Kane out and England don't look much better on paper than Iceland despite our injuries.
When did he change? Never knew. Always felt he was just being overlooked
Too true.2016 so he could play in the ACON
I find it hard to fathom how Smalling isn't in the squad, but Cahill is. Glad to see Young in there. Well deserved.
Danny fecking welbeck.
Jesus wept.
Jesus wept.
Must be April 1st if you think that is a good squad.
I don't care about his injury record. Picking the likes of Henderson and an unproven Liverpool back over Wilshere just shows that Southgate doesn't have a clue of how to build a Squad with depth
3 average GK.
Trent Alexander-Arnold ,
Gary Cahill,
Fabian Delph
Henderson
Loftus Cheek
Wellbeck
My god how far backwards has the standard of english players gone.
Trent Alexander-Arnold ,
Gary Cahill,
Fabian Delph
Henderson
Loftus Cheek
Wellbeck
My god how far backwards has the standard of english players gone.
I am not talking about Kane or Alli (I not believe they are specially harsh on some other players). I am talking specially about Livermore, who has robbed a taxi in Barcelona this season with WBA, wtf.
Shelvey would have ended up nutting a player and getting himself sent off.
I for one am dissapointed he is not included.
I for one am dissapointed he is not included.
Southgate picked Jones but not Smalling. Baffling.
Smalling is definitely better than Jones, but neither are that good, really. Stones and Cahill are bang average also. My point wasn’t to say who should start just that our two centre backs aren’t great.
Agree the midfield is a problem but Wiltshire as the answer?
I would struggle to pick a good squad to take. My expectations for England are pretty grounded for this tournament. Be nice to be surprised.
Smalling would not make an iota of a difference to that. On top of being an utterly bad fit for how Southgate wants England to play. Im happy that England finally has a boss willing to put the system over the player.
He has a good scoring record for England. Its baffling why people constantly over look it.
You don't know? Just one easy example: Burnley. People are impressed about their season. Many teams over the years switch tactic when being under pressure by going direct. Even LVG's best period where we dominated other teams had Fellaini as way bypass pressing and LVG is as possession master as you can get.
The point regarding England squad selection is they have no plan B (1). And their plan A doesn't look good enough (2). Also it doesn't make sense playing out the back with mediocre midfielders who would struggle to turn the flow of the move from pointless passes between defenders to an attack(3).
A football game involves 2 teams. If one team is take initial to attack then another team is there to counter either by collective/ one on one pressing, stay compact sit deep... What England selections for the defense tells is they want to take initial against every team even the so called superior team. Midfield option as you put it yourself is mediocre and against proper team, England can't either defend or attack. They invite trouble passing between their defenders without a outlet to move the ball up top either via creative midfielders or going direct to forward with presence up front. England has none!
Going direct is the way to be less dependent on midfield quality. How can you get the ball to the attackers from the back with midfield who lack ability to create? Even the best ball playing CB can't create more than low tier world class midfielder stats wise. Possession football is first a defensive mechanism to limit opposition chances to score. Defensive line even how funky you set you full back wouldn't change the role of midfielder (and attackers) to help recycling possession. It's a teamwork. The attacking quality lies with the creativeness of the midfielders which there is no Eric'son, KDB, David Silva in this team to go past the defensive side of possession based football.
KDB David Silva picked up the ball from between the defenders quite plenty of time. Are you sure you watched them play at all? They are able to keep a high line is also due to the quality of their midfielder and attackers, not because their defenders just so good on ball they dribble and passing and their midfielders and attackers can wait in the final third.
If anything Pogba problem is he doesn't know to play midfield role well enough and make wrong decisions. At times just leave the back struggling build from the back. Another time, stay on the ball for too long deep and invite pressure. Nothing to do with midfielders is optional in building from the back. Midfield is essential for possession football. Barcelona is not the same level since Xavi declined and retired. Even they became more direct and attack with less numbers and let their front men more freedom to do more work than strictly keeping positions.
England play 3 up top. At least 2 of the back up forwards had to be comfortable in wide areas
Don't think that team would get close to a top 6 place in the PL
England have been playing 3-1-4-2 in the most recent friendlies with Sterling playing off a striker. Dele Ali and Kane were missing from these friendlies but they could easily line up like that for the start of the tournament with Sterling playing off Kane.
Literally splitting hairs between which players should have gone and shouldn't have gone, taking the likes of Smalling over Maguire isn't going to win England the World Cup anyway (although it's always nice to see United players at the tournament), we're just collectively shite.
At least with the way Southgate wants the team to play we can go out to a good individual mistake, like the good ole' days, instead of just a malaise of collective shitness like the last few tournaments. We might even get ourselves another effigy to burn this summer!
My money is on Stones.
At least with the way Southgate wants the team to play we can go out to a good individual mistake, like the good ole' days, instead of just a malaise of collective shitness like the last few tournaments. We might even get ourselves another effigy to burn this summer!
My money is on Stones.
It really is. There's also some very harsh things written about fellas like Welbeck who has consistently performed for England in recent years.
I don't rate him particularly highly but he's assisted and scored goals in an England shirt when he's been given chances.
I didn’t say it was a great squad. But yes I think it’s a good squad considering the pool of players we have to choose from. We haven’t got the stellar individuals of teams in the past like Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard etc with only Kane comparing, but I think we look more of a ‘team’ this time.
I’m not saying we have a chance of winning, but if we play well then we can get to the quarters and inevitably go out to the much stronger teams.
Come on, most of Iceland’s squad is Championship level, in that they actually play second tier football for their jobs.
Last played for England in 2013 and then switched in 2016. I blame Moyes.
Bearing in mind that Iceland did very well at the last Euros and knocked England out with those Championship players in their squad.
They have done brilliantly no question but that has nothing to do with the point I made. It isn’t the best England squad but there are no second tier players in the entire squad. Most play at a very high level for their day jobs.
Ah, I see.
No nonsense.
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Their forward line frightening
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