England v Egypt

[Marty]

But Brown is just rubbish, there must be better right backs than Brown.

Does Brown even play for Utd first team still?

Not for the first team, but he's had to play a lot this season both at RB and CB because of the injuries they've had.

Who else could have played?
Johnson - injured
Richards - doesn't always start for City
L. Young - retired internationally, shame as he's reliable
....
who else is there? :shrug:

For all Johnson's defensive problems, if he's not fit for the WC we're screwed. All teams will target RB as our weakest point.

 

[Shanks]

Indeed marty.

Tony Hibbedt, Everton's right back, would be a better shout than Brown.

 

[mil1lion]

The defence is the reason we wont win the world cup.

 

[Phantom]

I'd say Barry has cemented the place, over Carrick.

I just don't understand why, for me Carrick would be the first name in the midfield. There is nobody in CM that has the passing ability of carrick or reads the game as well. Barry is a fine player but just doesnt match Carrick, Stevie G gives the ball away so often trying the spectacular or just being selfish.

When fully fit my midfield would be:

Cole Carrick Lampard Lennon

with

Milner Barry Gerrard Young as the subs/backups

I went with Lampard ahead of Gerrard purely on goals as it still appears that Heskey will be first choice and that leaves too much reliance on Rooney to score for my liking.

Lampards record for chelsea : 310 games 95 goals, england 76 games, 20 goals.

Gerrard for pool 356 games 77 goals, england 78 games and 16 goals

 

[MrWoolley]

I actually like the Carrick/Barry combo in centre midfield. They compliment eachother well I think.

 

[haxman]

Bridge? He's a LB....

I take it you meant Barry.

 

[mil1lion]

Ideally, England need to line up like Spurs. A 4-4-2 formation, with one winger and one midfielder in from the left. I think Gerrard can play that role ok. The only trouble is, we really need an attacking fullback to make it work. We dont have any other player like Cole to play that role. So hopefully Cole can make it back in time. It's a shame Bale isn't English really.

As for the centre midfield, i think it's a case of having one physical defensive midfielder (Barry), alongside a passer (Lampard or Carrick). I think on recent form it would have to be Carrick. Simply because Lampard is not the same player for England as he is for Chelsea. In fact, i would go as far tosay that Lampard hasn't queite looked the same since he lost his mum.

I'm sure Capello knows his first eleven now. Maybe with the exception of right midfield and a partner for Rooney. I'm sure Crouch has given him a headache now, because i'm sure he was set on having Heskey up top. He will probably be sweating on Lennons injury aswell, because he is the only right winger who has really impressed over the past year for England.

 

[Phantom]

Bridge? He's a LB....

I take it you meant Barry.

What is worse is that I made the mistake twice

 

[Shanks]

I still don't think either Gerrard and Lampard can play effectively in the same team.

Personally, I'd start with Lampard over Gerrard, thats something I never thought I would say, but for the team balance, Lampard and Barry as centre midfield partnership, with more attack minded wingers on both left and right would be ideal.

Lennon on the right (if fit), and Joe Cole or Ashley Young on the left.

Leaving Rooney up front to be paired with Heskey/Crouch.

Although they could try playing Rooney on his own and have Gerrard in a free role ..... although I'm sure it's been tried before.

We need to sort out the full backs though, as painful as it is AShley Cole is one of the best LB's in the world, he is very much needed for us to have a chance of the WC.

Areas of concern for me are goalkeeper, RB and LB.


It was shouting at to give Hart a go in goal for his country last night....

 

[donny1013]

Sadly I think Joe Cole is going to have to have an unbelievable end to his season or he will miss out. The fact that he has pretty much had the same pitch time since recovering from injury as Walnutt who somehow got in the squad and started last night says to me Capello doesn't fancy him.

 

[Shanks]

True Donny, but honestly, wtf was Walcott doing there?

He looked rubbish.

Which is a shame, because he is so quick, he could be a massive danger.

 

[DJS]

Gary Neville's still kicking about if we need a right back... :lol:

Leighton Baines could do a good job as an alternate attacking left back, he always been quite attack-minded.

Agreed don't like to see Gerrard and Lampard in midfield together.

Barry should play anchor, alongside one of them and I'd possibly give Downing a run on the left.

Joe Cole seems out of it and I've not been too keen on Ashley Young on the left, even though he has played there a lot. I'd have him on the right, where he's been switched to by Villa now they have Downing.

I was also thinking this morning about whether Rio should be seen as an automatic choice nowdays (let alone captain) as his form has been pretty shoddy for a while and not sure if him and Terry are always the best partnership.

Although having at one point been blessed in that department we're now looking a bit thin.

 

[donny1013]

True Donny, but honestly, wtf was Walcott doing there?

He looked rubbish.

Which is a shame, because he is so quick, he could be a massive danger.

For the life of me I could not believe he started last night after the way he has performed for Woolwich. He just seems to be one of those players that can do no wrong, however, the masses and even the pundits are starting to come round to the fact that he hasn't actually lived up to his potential.
I read that Wenger is playing him on the right still to get him used to the EPL, but surely he must be used to it by now? I seem him as a forward not a RW he just doesn't seem to have the right abilities for a winger. Agbonlahor first started for Villa as a wideman but as he has shown in his last two season that he is more effective as a CF. When Walnutt has scored for Woolwich and England he has taken the goals very well. I found it hugely dissapointing that Milner who has been in the for of his life this season started on the bench behind him

 

[Shanks]

Good shout on Downing DJS, could be a good option on th eleft.

 

[donny1013]

Thank you Chrissy Waddle, spot on with what he says here:

"People keep saying he's young but Wayne Rooney understood the game at 16, 17," Waddle told The Times. "I've never seen any difference in Walcott since he was at Southampton and broke into the team at a very young age.

"I've never seen him develop. He just doesn't understand the game for me - where to be running, when to run inside a full back, when to just play a one-two. It's all off the cuff.

"I just don't think he's got a football brain and he's going to have problems. Let's be honest, good defenders would catch him offside every time. I just don't know whether he studies the game, learns the game, or what. He's at a great club where they play fantastic football week-in, week-out, and I'm just surprised he's never developed his game.

"I'm surprised Walcott was in the squad. He doesn't play a lot of football, he hasn't done anything. he hasn't done anything for a long time and I think Croatia was a one-off."

 

[mil1lion]

If Spain can use Xavi and Iniesta in the same team, i'd like to think England can use Lampard and Gerrard in the same team.

 

[mike_l]

If Spain can use Xavi and Iniesta in the same team, i'd like to think England can use Lampard and Gerrard in the same team.

I think Xavi and Iniesta have shown themselves to be a cut above the massively overrated Lamperrard, hence why they can play in the same team whilst the other 2 can't.

 

[mil1lion]

Still a similar scenario though. I guess Spain are just better at the more dynamic formations. England always seem to struggle in anything other than the 4-4-2. I'm not sure we could pull off the Barcelona system. Although Rooney seems to be doing the lone striker role well for United this season. Whether we've got the wide players to pull it off though is another matter.

 

[haxman]

I think Xavi and Iniesta have shown themselves to be a cut above the massively overrated Lamperrard, hence why they can play in the same team whilst the other 2 can't.

Hmmm. Massively over-rated, yet has scored more than 19 goals from midfield for 5 seasons running and is on course to do it again.

If we had a Lampard type player in midfield we''d be in the top 4 by now.

 

[beats1]

I think Xavi and Iniesta have shown themselves to be a cut above the massively overrated Lamperrard, hence why they can play in the same team whilst the other 2 can't.

But the difference is xavi likes sit deep in playmaker role and attack the box late and iniesta is normally the one that is playing slighty higher up joining attack when he can in the AM role

whereas gerrard hes playing in the middle most of the time and trying to attack the box through the middle leaving the left back to always go up,

which caused ashley cole to be caught offside a couple of time even though hes thirty yards away from goal
this also makes rooney go to the left and then defoe up front by himself without good is basically like playing with 10 men

Unlike modric, Gerrard hasn't got the vision to exploits holes in the defence and he also makes lampard isolated as he cant attack the box when Gerrard in front

The only way to play them is 4-5-1 with two wide or sit them down and make them work on their partnerships like frings and ballack played during 2006 wc with interchanging between attacking and defending