England National football team thread

[Epic]

Fan sets up petition to ban Manchester United's Tom Cleverley from England's World Cup, gets 7,000 signatures - ESPN FC

Nearly pissed myself laughing.

 

[P Squared]

Whaat, I know he's been playing bad but this is just ridiculous. Way to dent a players confidence.

Its just like some of those United 'fans' abusing Cleverley on twitter for not playing well, couple years back they were calling him the next scholes. So fickle.

 

[War]

BBC Sport - Roy Hodgson recruits psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters for England

 

[El Loco]

BBC Sport - Roy Hodgson recruits psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters for England

Looks like somebody might have to consult him already after this:
Petition | Ban Tom Cleverley from the World Cup squad

Just read the most popular of the reasons for signing it. Struggling to breath.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Looks like somebody might have to consult him already after this:
Petition | Ban Tom Cleverley from the World Cup squad

Just read the most popular of the reasons for signing it. Struggling to breath.

Morons.

 

[War]

The game IMO was further confirmation that England need to play 4-4-2 (diamond). Its the best formation to avoid to allow Rooney & Sturridge to play in their preferred striker roles.

Hodgson needs to cut of his love affair with Smalling - not playing that well in a shaky United team. Our defensive back-up options behind Jageilka/Cahill is certainly a bit shaky. When Jones is fit he will be back-up, the next choice should be either Michael Dawson or Steven Caulker.

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

Johnson--------Jagielka-----------Cahill-----------Baines

------------------------------Gerrard-------------------------------

--------Henderson/Barkley-----------------Lallana-----------

------------------------------Wilshere-------------------------------

-------------------Sturridge-----------------Rooney---------------

 

[War]

Bayern Munich v Arsenal: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shows up Mesut Ozil?s failings in dazzling display - Telegraph

Whether ENG actually perform to potential in Brazil is to be seen, but with the The Ox performing like this, plus Lallana, Barkley, Wilshere around - ENG won't be short of highly technical players in the mid-field area this time around.

 

[Skater]

Bayern Munich v Arsenal: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shows up Mesut Ozil?s failings in dazzling display - Telegraph

Whether ENG actually perform to potential in Brazil is to be seen, but with the The Ox performing like this, plus Lallana, Barkley, Wilshere around - ENG won't be short of highly technical players in the mid-field area this time around.

And together that midfield might just be better than the Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, Scholes generation.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

And together that midfield might just be better than the Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, Scholes generation.

Yep - another 'Golden Generation'....

 

[War]

And together that midfield might just be better than the Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, Scholes generation.

Well it won't take much to be better than Beckham ha.

But to date Lallana is clear standout of the lot, while The Ox, Barkley, Henderson, Sterling, Townsend all of pace and skill - Lallana has that continental playmaker/triquartista flavour to him. I could already envision him playing in the "hole" as the supply line to Rooney & Sturridge.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

oh come on, beckham was massively under-rated for you guys. as a scot who hoped you'd get beat every time I watched you I remember Beckham popping up and saving you more times than anyone else. the gerard, beckham, lampard, scholes midfield ended up being less than the sum of its parts though. not bad players but badly utilised and they never struck a balance.

one thing england should benefit from these days though is the evolution of the inside out wingers that play to cut in, should go some way to alleviating the problems they've had on the left midfield. I've seen Oxlade-Chamberlain operate effectively down the left.

 

[War]

oh come on, beckham was massively under-rated for you guys. as a scot who hoped you'd get beat every time I watched you I remember Beckham popping up and saving you more times than anyone else. the gerard, beckham, lampard, scholes midfield ended up being less than the sum of its parts though. not bad players but badly utilised and they never struck a balance.

one thing england should benefit from these days though is the evolution of the inside out wingers that play to cut in, should go some way to alleviating the problems they've had on the left midfield. I've seen Oxlade-Chamberlain operate effectively down the left.

I have full appreciation for Becks. That comment was just in jest for me, but he certainly wasn't no supremely skilled player, we all know that.

He certainly did great things for ENG & certainly was superbly committed to the national side despite reaching mega cele status. He was one player who the media couldn't accuse of not "caring" about ENG.

The way he sacrificed his MLS career just to get a EURO contract & was willing to travel from LA to Milan for a few months just so that he could prove Capello he was still good enough to play in 2010 W-Cup was legendary.


On the future ENG wingers, well yea of course looking ahead of EURO 16, they will have an abundance of guys who can play as dangerous inverted wingers. Its just right now for Brazil in the starting line-up, ENG IMO will be better off playing the 4-4-2 diamond for two simple reasons:

- Allowing Rooney/Strurrigde to play in the preferred striker roles instead of being sacrificed as winger.

- Having a lot of bodies in mid-field

 

[SpitfiresKent]

but he certainly wasn't no supremely skilled player, we all know that.

Skill as in Ronaldo/Messi type step overs, flicks and tricks or Skill as in Passing, crossing, tackling etc..?

 

[War]

BBC Sport - World Cup 100 days: England's Group D opponents assessed

BBC Sport - Cesare Prandelli: England have improved since Euro 2012

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World Cup 2014: James Milner is dependable, not boring, and Roy Hodgson needs those who won?t let him down - Telegraph

I would not take Milner to the world cup, despite the well noted hardworking versatile traits that he has. Along with the fact that he gets some unwarranted criticism at times.

There is too much better and more exciting young mid-fielders and wingers available.

 

[El Loco]

Reckon Fabian Delph deserves at least a look in from Roy for the squad to Brazil.