England National football team thread

War

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Thread to discuss all things related to the national side. Since sometimes i think not enough discussion about it happens in the football season thread.

I shall start off by attempting :lol to suggest what could be England's best playing XI at the moment, since as most know the team has alot of problems.

So IMO this is what i think the best XI & squad of 23 should be like for the next friendly presuming all are fit:

---------------------------------Hart-------------------------------------

Richards---------------Ferdinand------------Terry-------------------A Cole

Walcott/A Johsnon------Parker-----------Wilshire-------------Gerrard------

-------------------------Rooney------------------------------------------

------------------------------Caroll---------------------------------------

GK: Foster, Green/Steven Harper

DEF: Jaigelka, Dawson, Baines/Gibbs

MID: Walcott/A Johnson, Lennon, Milner, Lampard, Barry/Carrick

STR: Defoe, Zamora/Bent
 

Lee1981

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Even as chelsea fan i must say john terry should be no where near an england shirt, he is well past his best as he has been proving at chelsea for the past 3 years, to slow and to injury prone now.
 

War

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Even as chelsea fan i must say john terry should be no where near an england shirt, he is well past his best as he has been proving at chelsea for the past 3 years, to slow and to injury prone now.

Well yes he is certainly passed his best. Quick strikers can certainly embarass him now.

Buit do you think Jaigelka or Dawson have done enough to displace him yet as Ferdinand's parter for England?
 
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Dr. Pepper

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I agree that Terry, and Ferdinand for that matter, are past their primes, but England don't have much better. In terms of technique and quality there's no one else near the level of those two.

Considering England are going through this "transition" and bringing in the youngsters, they need leaders to guide them through, and those two are truly excellent leaders.

Don't think Parker should be in the centre with Wilshere tbh. It's hardly much different to Lampard/Gerrard - they can't afford to play someone like Parker as he would leave to much space, thus leading us back to the "holding midfielder" argument.

I'd say play Wilshere alongside either Milner or Carrick, both players who are very good positionally and whilst neither are genuine holders, are both intelligent enough (carrick especially) to fulfill a central midfield role.

Carroll has obviously had an excellent season but the problem with playing him is that the team becomes too one dimensional, and if the wide players are Gerrard and Johnson/Walcott, it won't be continuous crossing available. Rooney has played his best when he's accompanied by a technical pivot - but unfortunately England don't really have a player like that - maybe Kevin Davies the way he's been playing under Coyle, but that's a longshot and he's quite old.
 
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Ollie_H

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Tell ya what, if we had a 'home nations squad' we would be sorted. Bring in Fletcher to partner Wilshere from up north and then get Bale in on the left.

I'd have to agree with Mani on the fact with Carrol making the team incredibly one dimensional. I would love to have him in the side as he adds a serious physical element to the side, which you would expect the English players to have but a lot seem to get out muscled by opposition defenders. We saw it against France that he will put his body on the line for 50-50 balls and lets be honest, you wouldn't wanna go up against him.

I think he could work if you played him as a Target Man or a Poacher and knocking things back to Rooney. Rooney would have to be given a roaming role for it to work though of course, much like a Trequartista.

Could see England playing a sort of 4-2-3-1.

Joe Hart
Richards - Terry - Ferdinand - A Cole
------ Milner ----- Wilshere -----
Johnson ------ Rooney --------- Walcott
---------------Carrol.

I don't have the greatest football knowledge in the world so excuse a few decisions, but I'm not a fan of the way Capello plays. He's too rigid in his style, if you want to get the best out of some these players he needs to allow some people to roam and do things. In my side, Milner would be sitting back in a more holding role and Wilshere exploiting some space and distributing. You have sheer pace on the wings and Rooney not playing as deep as he is there, but off Carrol.
 

Dr. Pepper

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I think Carroll should be a plan B like how Spain have Llorente, France have Remy/Hourau etc. Plan B's are important - we saw how Brazil just completely crumbled in the world cup when their near perfect tactics weren't working when Melo got sent off, and didn't have any other options.

As for Capello's "rigidity" - let's not forget the whole of the world cup qualifying campaign where Capello created a fluid, interchangeable 4-4-2 with players moving into intelligent positions. Unfortunately for some reason or another, the players forgot all that and turned into an awful flat 4-4-2 with no creativity, or even passing ability!
 

War

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Don't think Parker should be in the centre with Wilshere tbh. It's hardly much different to Lampard/Gerrard - they can't afford to play someone like Parker as he would leave to much space, thus leading us back to the "holding midfielder" argument.

Well as we have sligtly debated before. I think Parker is the best option we have to play as a potential holding mid-fielder watching @ west ham this season. I honestly think he has the discipline to play that role @ a level required for international football TBH


I'd say play Wilshere alongside either Milner or Carrick, both players who are very good positionally and whilst neither are genuine holders, are both intelligent enough (carrick especially) to fulfill a central midfield role.

Maybe Carrick since he seems to be playing better for United this year. But not Milner, dont think @ international level he is good enough to play centrally just yet. Still very much a wing option.


Carroll has obviously had an excellent season but the problem with playing him is that the team becomes too one dimensional, and if the wide players are Gerrard and Johnson/Walcott, it won't be continuous crossing available. Rooney has played his best when he's accompanied by a technical pivot - but unfortunately England don't really have a player like that - maybe Kevin Davies the way he's been playing under Coyle, but that's a longshot and he's quite old.

The thing with Caroll compared to someone like Davies & Heskey in 4-4-2 formation is that he has potential goal-scoring ability along with physcial ability. Which is what makes the potential Caroll/Rooney partnership exciting since Caroll could do for ENG what Berbatov & RVN does/did for United. Which would bring out the best in Rooney.

----------

I think Carroll should be a plan B like how Spain have Llorente, France have Remy/Hourau etc. Plan B's are important - we saw how Brazil just completely crumbled in the world cup when their near perfect tactics weren't working when Melo got sent off, and didn't have any other options.

Well yes that a fair idea to have Caroll has a plan B. But looking ahead to EURO 2012, Rooney would have to return to the form he was in pre 2010 world cup for United when he played up front on his won. For that to work however.


As for Capello's "rigidity" - let's not forget the whole of the world cup qualifying campaign where Capello created a fluid, interchangeable 4-4-2 with players moving into intelligent positions. Unfortunately for some reason or another, the players forgot all that and turned into an awful flat 4-4-2 with no creativity, or even passing ability!

Indeed. Still dont understand how they played like that during the WC after that formation worked so well in the WCQs.

----------

Tell ya what, if we had a 'home nations squad' we would be sorted. Bring in Fletcher to partner Wilshere from up north and then get Bale in on the left.

Haha ye. Maybe even Hutton @ right-back also, plus we would have Ramsey
as back-up too.
 
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Bevab

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What about Lampard?
 

MasterBlaster76

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Slightly off topic, but Nasser Hussain was talking after the Ashes victory about how Andy Flower treats the men as men, not as schoolboys. Something the current England manager might well be able to learn from. ;)
 

Dr. Pepper

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What about Lampard?

Obviously Lampard is an excellent player, but you just can't play all the big names. That's where both Sven and McClaren failed, and eventually wasted what was a genuinely great era of English footballers.
 

War

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Obviously Lampard is an excellent player, but you just can't play all the big names. That's where both Sven and McClaren failed, and eventually wasted what was a genuinely great era of English footballers.

Indeed. I still cringe everything i remember EURO 2004 where Sven had Scholes playing on the left, just because he could decide who of Lamps,Gerrard, Scholes to leave out :facepalm
 

harrisb

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Is it just me, but I would never play Gerrard and Lampard in the same team, there is only room for one of them in the midfield and Gerrard is IMO much better than Lampard.

I personally can't see England doing well until Capello gives up and somebody (hopefully Redknapp) takes over. We've got loads of potential in the young players that we're producing, but unless the managers start giving them serious time on the pitch, they won't develop into the players that they could be.

Take Kieran Gibbs as an example, he is a great Left-Back, quite capable of doing a good job for Arsenal and Wenger is giving him playing time, but Capello doesn't seem to want to play younger players. The same goes for Wilshere and others.
 

War

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Is it just me, but I would never play Gerrard and Lampard in the same team, there is only room for one of them in the midfield and Gerrard is IMO much better than Lampard.

I personally can't see England doing well until Capello gives up and somebody (hopefully Redknapp) takes over. We've got loads of potential in the young players that we're producing, but unless the managers start giving them serious time on the pitch, they won't develop into the players that they could be.

Take Kieran Gibbs as an example, he is a great Left-Back, quite capable of doing a good job for Arsenal and Wenger is giving him playing time, but Capello doesn't seem to want to play younger players. The same goes for Wilshere and others.

Ye Lamps & Stevie G cant start together ever again. Lampard could even retire with the emergence of Wilshire now.

Redknapp is indeed the manager i think ENG needs, seems perfect for the job. I really hope he accepts it immediately after Capello goes after EURO 2012 & doesn't stay on too much longer @ tottenham.

To be fair to Capello in the situation on Gibbs although Gibbs is indeed very talented. In Ash Cole we have top class left-bacl argubably the best in the world, so Gibbs cant move him just yet.

Plus Gibbs also isn't guaranteed to be # 2 with Leignton Baines playing superbly of late.
 

Dr. Pepper

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The thing with Lampard and Gerrard is that they need a 3rd midfielder to work properly. Gerrard recently has shown to improve his positioning quite a lot and work in a 2 man midfield but before that he needed to be in a 3 man midfield. To play them together you need a holder. At Liverpool under Benitez, Gerrard was afforded the luxary of roaming with Masch (fantastic destroyer) and Alonso (fantastic positioning), and Lampard had Makelele and then Mikel as a holder.

It shouldn't be the job of the national team to give youngsters playing time to develop them - that's the job of the clubs. Once they are ready, then they should be brought in. Ashley Cole is the best left back in the world, and Baines is in the best form of any fullback in the league at the moment so he'd be behind them in the pecking order anyway.

Redknapp has proved himself to be quite an astute tactician this season, even if he doesn't "like tactics". How many times have Spurs come back to win games this season? It's no coincidence, it's because of the decisions that he's made. Having said that, I just don't see him as England manager, I don't know why.
 

ARay

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Take Kieran Gibbs as an example, he is a great Left-Back, quite capable of doing a good job for Arsenal and Wenger is giving him playing time, but Capello doesn't seem to want to play younger players. The same goes for Wilshere and others.

You forget Baines! He definitely is in the form of his life. Playing some of his best football at the moment!
 

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