England vs Sweden

[SpookyFrank]

On paper, our potential team for Brazil does look good. But then we always do this, and it always goes wrong

Hart

Kyle Walker
Gary Cahill
Chris Smalling
Ryan Bertrand

Oxlade Chamberlain
Henderson
Wiltshire
Walcott

Rooney
Welbeck

I'm not having a bloke called Jordan playing for England. If we're not going to have any standards why fucking bother eh?

 

[SpookyFrank]

Will Walcott start against Ukriane? He linked really well with Wellbeck in exactly the way that Milner didn't. With Rooney available again you have the basis for a really effective counter-attacking apporach - Theo's pace, Rooney's vision and control and Wellbeck's finishing.
Who plays on the left though? Young's been shite, not sure the consistantly medicore milner can play there. Downing? Midfield cupboard looking a bit bare - er ... bring back gareth barry?

Has to be Walcott and Downing I reckon. I've never seen the point of James Milner. As for central midfield Parker and Gerrard isn't ideal but looking at the squad it's the best we're gonna get.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

On paper, our potential team for Brazil does look good. But then we always do this, and it always goes wrong

Hart

Kyle Walker
Gary Cahill
Chris Smalling
Ryan Bertrand

Oxlade Chamberlain
Henderson
Wiltshire
Walcott

Rooney
Welbeck

That's not a bad team, but it's still a million miles behind what the likes of Spain and Germany will be putting out. I've just had a look at the Spain team for this Championship and Xavi is the only player in the entire squad (at 32 now) who's likely the be too old to play, and most of them will be around for 2 or 3 more major championships. And they've got young players coming through who aren't close to the team yet but are already better than the likes of Bertrand or Henderson will ever be.

 

[Badgers]

Just seen the 'Walcott Shrug'

 

[Voley]

I know I shouldn't do this but with Walcott at his best, the emergence of Wellbeck and if Rooney is in form England have the potential to have quite a potent attack.

That's the difficult bit, I think. He doesn't seem to maintain consistency. It's weird, he'll be anonymous for ages then be absolutely blinding and score a hat-trick. I hope last night was the start of him finding a run of long-term form, though. Those three up front could be great for us.

 

[Kaka Tim]

That's not a bad team, but it's still a million miles behind what the likes of Spain and Germany will be putting out. I've just had a look at the Spain team for this Championship and Xavi is the only player in the entire squad (at 32 now) who's likely the be too old to play, and most of them will be around for 2 or 3 more major championships. And they've got young players coming through who aren't close to the team yet but are already better than the likes of Bertrand or Henderson will ever be.

But by England standards its potentailly pretty good.
On paper the German team are not as good as Spain - or Argentina - in the skill stakes but they are joint favourites to win the Euros and will likely be there or there abouts at the next world cup.

I'm quite liking Roy Hodgsons old school approach. We dont play continental football - and numerous attempts to 'update' Englands way of playing have falied. We should keep it simple and play to our strengths. That doesn't mean aimless hoofball (have England ever jsut played like that?) but fast, pressing, attacking football like the players play for their clubs. At least that way we would fail better.

England at these Euros have given me more entertainment than at the last two world cups combined.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

England at these Euros have given me more entertainment than at the last two world cups combined.

Yep. Agree totally with your post. They're going to lose the ball too often, and won't get it back as easily as they would in the EPL, but I thought England were great going forward last night. Refreshing to see it.

 

[Idaho]

I agree. Direct, pacey, aggressive football is what we play best and is the most exciting kind to watch.

 

[gabi]

Henderson in brazil?? Seriously? Why?

 

[ruffneck23]

A good win, watched the highlights again this morning, we still got a lot of work to do before meeting the bigger boys ,

 

[friedaweed]

They did all right Sweden didn't they

 

[revol68]

I agree. Direct, pacey, aggressive football is what we play best and is the most exciting kind to watch.

but is there any reason why this has mean being unable to make more than 4 passes without some clown pumping an aimless ball up the field in hope rather than expectation.

The top english club teams don't do it so I don't know why the national team revert to it.

 

[Lo Siento.]

but is there any reason why this has mean being unable to make more than 4 passes without some clown pumping an aimless ball up the field in hope rather than expectation.

The top english club teams don't do it so I don't know why the national team revert to it.

I've wondered the same thing for many years. Manchester United twice and Liverpool once managed to be champions of Europe with teams principally built on British and Irish players, that didn't knock aimless through balls forward on a regular basis, how England play is a bit of an anomaly really.

Anyway, the Spanish papers were rather talking England up after Sweden, which I suppose is a good sign

 

[littlebabyjesus]

tbf the lead-up to the final goal involved a fair few passes in a row. They can do it.

 

[Lo Siento.]

tbf the lead-up to the final goal involved a fair few passes in a row. They can do it.

actually what surprised me against Sweden was easily England were muscled out of the game in the period after half-time rather than the poverty of the passing...

 

[Lo Siento.]

I'd also add that I don't remember any of the three decent England teams of life time (Italia '90, Euro '96 and France '98) seeming "technically limited" or being long ball teams at all

 

[butchersapron]

England were a long ball team 1990-2 and that's it. Never have been apart from then.

 

[Lo Siento.]

England were a long ball team 1990-2 and that's it. Never have been apart from then.

a Graham Taylor thing?

 

[Kaka Tim]

I'd also add that I don't remember any of the three decent England teams of life time (Italia '90, Euro '96 and France '98) seeming "technically limited" or being long ball teams at all

Yes - but they still played direct, agressive, attacking football - rather then trying to emulate the possession based, slower paced appraoch of Spain, Italy, france etc. And whilst they had gifted players - people stil considered England technically 'inferior' to the other leading teams of the time.

 

[butchersapron]

a Graham Taylor thing?

Yep.

 

[Lo Siento.]

Yes - but they still played direct, agressive, attacking football - rather then trying to emulate the possession based, slower paced appraoch of Spain, Italy, france etc. And whilst they had gifted players - people stil considered England technically 'inferior' to the other leading teams of the time.

Certainly true about the style. But of the '98 midfield - Ince, Scholes, Beckham, McManaman - all of them were as technically proficient as the best Europe, three of them proved it by playing at the highest level in Italy and Spain, and one of them is Paul Scholes...

 

[Idaho]

England were a long ball team 1990-2 and that's it. Never have been apart from then.

As a deliberate tactic - yes. But as a default they resort to when tired or feeling unconfident, they have pumped it upfield for as long as I've watched them (unlike the last two games).

 

[pocketscience]

actually what surprised me against Sweden was easily England were muscled out of the game in the period after half-time rather than the poverty of the passing...

tbf England have done well not to get too boisterous. Going into the knock-out stage with half the squad on yellow cards, or worst still getting any reds has contributed to our downfall in recent tournaments iirc.
Ref's tend to be over-proportionally hard on us in the early stages (of tournaments and individual games) because they know how harder challenges are tolerated in the PL. They try to keep a lid on by dishing out early cards but.
We certainly can't afford to give the Spains, Italys and Germanys so much room in midfield, so we're going to have to get stuck in regardless if/when we meet them.
IMO Until now Hodgeson and the team have done well to get by the French & Swedes without using that weapon in the artillery.

 

[butchersapron]

UEFA get their revenge:

Proceedings opened against English FA

UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against the Football Association of England (FA) for the inappropriate behaviour of their supporters – attempted invasion of the field of play – at the UEFA EURO 2012 Group D match against Sweden in Kyiv on Friday.

 

[AverageJoe]

UEFA get their revenge:

Proceedings opened against English FA

Fuck you UEFA. I'm pretty sure that you have bigger issues to worry about than an "attempted" pitch invasion ffs

 

[twistedAM]

Has to be Walcott and Downing I reckon. I've never seen the point of James Milner. As for central midfield Parker and Gerrard isn't ideal but looking at the squad it's the best we're gonna get.

I do see the point of Milner. Would be better in the middle instead of Parker.

As for Downing

 

[twistedAM]

Fuck you UEFA. I'm pretty sure that you have bigger issues to worry about than an "attempted" pitch invasion ffs

It's a rule. Let's hope UEFA investigate ALL crowd complaints and give the Russians, Croatians and Spanish a good kicking over racist elements.

I don't see it though. In a Europa Cup game last year, Man City got a larger fine for coming onto the field late than Porto (or it might have been S Lisbon) for their fans being racist.

 

[ruffneck23]

I do see the point of Milner. Would be better in the middle instead of Parker.

As for Downing

To be fair tho milner has a rubbish game on Friday, and look eat happened when he was subbed !

 

[twistedAM]

To be fair tho milner has a rubbish game on Friday, and look eat happened when he was subbed !

Milner did what he was told to do on Friday; lots of tracking back to compensate for Johnson's runs. Once they went 2-1 down Walcott was always going to be more effective than him or at least a risk worth taking..
Jimmy's got more stamina than Parker so I was a bit disappointed they didn't move him into the middle.

 

[ruffneck23]

Hmm I'd have to disagree with you ( along with about 200 people in the pub with me watching the game) it just seemed everything he tried didn't work.

But you're swaying me with the Walcott point