The England Thread

[Marty]

The City and Chelsea players will make a difference but it definitely doesn't feel like anything is coming home right now. Playing players he has no intention of taking makes no sense at all. Fair enough he's looking for someone to take instead of Alexander-Arnold but he should be well aware of everybody's capabilities by now. It seems like he was trying to placate these players he's leaving behind by giving them minutes where he should be putting a team out full of players who are about to enter the actual tournament.

It's as if Southgate's so confident about this upcoming tournament that he's looking ahead to 2022.

Which is ... bold. And ludicrous.

 

[easley91]

Should've won this a lot more than 1-0, and most other days would have. Decent performance.

But we are no closer to finding out how they're going to line up against Croatia, the way these warm up games have been handled makes no sense to me.

Romania had a few decent chances though. If it wasn't for Johnstone they could have had two or three. Thankfully that defensive partnership won't be starting in the Euros, because they have zero time to generate chemistry.

 

[mpickard2087]

Two waste of time games where we've learned fuck all, and I don't think anyone has truly impressed. Add in fitness doubts, players just joining the camp, and we're really limping our way into the tournament.

 

[DiamondLites]

You can hear the gears grinding in Cole’s mind as he bumbles his way through a sentence

 

[LSUY]

Should've won this a lot more than 1-0, and most other days would have. Decent performance.

But we are no closer to finding out how they're going to line up against Croatia, the way these warm up games have been handled makes no sense to me.

Southgate seems to be expecting that the second the tournament starts it will just come together and his starting XI will gel immediately.

 

[PCozzie]

Absolutely none-the-wiser as to how we are likely to start next week against Croatia. So many players look out of touch. I dunno, maybe we'll do an Italy and actually grow into a tournament rather than smash some Caribbean Island 6-0 in the first match before losing to Denmark (or someone) in the quarters.

 

[Humbolt]

Henderson is a half fit, very average player. He shouldn't be anywhere near this England team. In fact, I probably wouldn't even let him watch the game on telly in case his mediocrity spread to psychically to the team... Yeah he fluked a couple of club trophies on the back of some much better players, but that doesn't mean he should be playing for England. What does he really offer? I'm pretty certain we can find someone to pass the ball sideways five yards...

 

[Thewobbler]

We will be better when we start. Some big players to come back in.

 

[Jamturk]

Grealish has to start he has the swagger of a Gazza, the X factor.

 

[hughy]

Here we go...

My team for Croatia:

Pickford

Walker - Coady - Stones - Chilwell

Rice - Mount

Sancho - Foden - Grealish

Kane

​

What I think Southgate will pick:

Pickford

Walker - Coady - Stones

James - Henderson - Rice - Chilwell

Sancho - Kane - Rashford

​

I hope to god he resists playing Henderson and Rashford, but I doubt he will.

 

[richard_gleeson]

Here we go...

My team for Croatia:

Pickford

Walker - Coady - Stones - Chilwell

Rice - Mount

Sancho - Foden - Grealish

Kane

​

What I think Southgate will pick:

Pickford

Walker - Coady - Stones

James - Henderson - Rice - Chilwell

Sancho - Kane - Rashford

​

I hope to god he resists playing Henderson and Rashford, but I doubt he will.

He will play Sterling

 

[mark87]

What the...

 

[jondesouza]

Here we go...

My team for Croatia:

Pickford

Walker - Coady - Stones - Chilwell

Rice - Mount

Sancho - Foden - Grealish

Kane
​

I'd go

Pickford

Walker - Coady - Stones - Chilwell

Rice - Bellingham

Foden - Mount - Grealish

Kane​

 

['O Zio]

Two waste of time games where we've learned fuck all, and I don't think anyone has truly impressed. Add in fitness doubts, players just joining the camp, and we're really limping our way into the tournament.

This. There's probably an argument that we've done more harm than good with these games.

There was no opportunity to get the team playing together because of all the absentees so it's basically been like an England B team and an England C team, with a few random players who aren't even in the squad thrown in to make up the numbers. So there's no obvious getting used to playing with each other benefit

Then when you consider the wear and tear that comes from playing games, plus the obvious injury to TAA, I'm left scratching my head as to what we wanted to achieve with these games?

If anything giving the players a bit of a rest after the over-crowded year they've all had would've done us more good.

 

[bubble07]

If maguire won't be fit for group games and Southgate insists on taking in he has to bring in white as trents replacement

Cant play 3 group games with stones as the only decent centre back who I think has been made to look good because of dias

Mings has too many errors in him. Coady can't play in a 4 so it has to be white

Although Ward-Prowse could really be a game changer

 

[bubble07]

I'd go

Pickford

Walker - Coady - Stones - Chilwell

Rice - Bellingham

Foden - Mount - Grealish

Kane​

Think it's a tad too attacking so I'd go Henderson or Phillips for jude

 

[bubble07]

Also how funny will it be when we play a back 3 v Croatia yet didn't play that formation once in these 2 games

 

[PCozzie]

This. There's probably an argument that we've done more harm than good with these games.

There was no opportunity to get the team playing together because of all the absentees so it's basically been like an England B team and an England C team, with a few random players who aren't even in the squad thrown in to make up the numbers. So there's no obvious getting used to playing with each other benefit

Then when you consider the wear and tear that comes from playing games, plus the obvious injury to TAA, I'm left scratching my head as to what we wanted to achieve with these games?

If anything giving the players a bit of a rest after the over-crowded year they've all had would've done us more good.

Not sure it's been a complete negative. Apart from the games being arranged well before either Chelsea or City were in the UCL final, there are at least two players (Rashford, Grealish) desperately in need of minutes. I thought Grealish was creaking like a rusty gate against Austria, and if that had been his performance against Croatia next week then we'd have been playing with 10. By the end of today he did look as though he was much nearer 100%.

Also we can now see that Johnson is in decent nick with the gloves (though he's no better than Pickford with his feet). Sancho needed to run off some illness, and it's confirmed that Henderson must never be allowed near the penalty spot.

Accept that it wasn't exactly inspiring stuff though.

 

[Legacy]

"Jordan Henderson is in the squad because he's a leader and a positive influence."

Henderson steals the penalty from the striker that wins the penalty and could do with a confidence boost going into his first major international tournament for his own selfish gain. Then misses penalty.

What a leader.

 

[spursfan77]

Watching England is awful. Why is Southgate still in a job? The obsession with two defensively minded midfielders no matter the opponent.

At least it means he's not at spurs......

yet