but Southgate TOLD us we are getting better:omg:
Meh. We'd already qualified, were away from home in a cold, drizzly part of Europe, experimenting with a largely new system while also incorporating some of the young blood coming through. If you were expecting scintillating football then you were always going to be left wanting.
Thought the stand out performer was Harry Winks. Made Jordan Henderson look like the pedestrian operator he truly is.
Meh. We'd already qualified, were away from home in a cold, drizzly part of Europe, experimenting with a largely new system while also incorporating some of the young blood coming through. If you were expecting scintillating football then you were always going to be left wanting.
Thought the stand out performer was Harry Winks. Made Jordan Henderson look like the pedestrian operator he truly is.
Should we be expecting "scintillating football" from England in Russia then? Don't think so.:sad:
Btw,Villanus can be quite pleasant in August/September.Highly recommended.
For a country that's always produced great central midfielders in the past, we have a real lack of them at the moment. When Fabian Delph and Jake Livermore are getting in the squad you know you have problems. Beyond Alli, Dier and Henderson, Southgate really doesn't have much to choose from. If Jack Wilshere is fit I'd take him to Russia. At least we have a few youngsters like Winks, Tom Davies and Chalobah coming through.
Unfortunately I think you're right. Glenn Hoddle had it spot on in my opinion: we need to counter attack. We need to let teams come on to us and then hit them with pace, which we have plenty of.
It also seemed to me that too many players last night weren't prepared to take their man on. They just stopped and went either sideways or backwards. I know it's not always that easy, but in 90 minutes of football there will always be opportunities to do so. It's almost as if they have been told to keep the ball at all costs rather than being a bit braver and being prepared to fail.
That said, there were a lot of players out there with very little experience who are trying to impress in the hope of making it into the squad, and giving the ball away won't do that.
Carlton Palmer, Geoff Thomas....
Agree we have plenty of pace up front but with a donkey like Henderson holding up play in the middle (as he does time and time again) the ball will never reach the front lads quickly enough.
It's a bit unfair to call Henderson a donkey. He's a fantastic footballer. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you should feel it necessary to insult him.
However, you are correct in my opinion that he lacks creativity, but so do a lot of players in our central midfield. Henderson isn't the only one. Ideally we'd have a fired up Barkley or even a Wilshere should be ever be fit.
I've told this many a time. When Hoddle was manager the squad used to practice counter attacking. They practiced a drill where a team had 6 seconds to score or they had to give the ball to the other team. We need to be doing that now.
It's a bit unfair to call Henderson a donkey. He's a fantastic footballer. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you should feel it necessary to insult him.
However, you are correct in my opinion that he lacks creativity, but so do a lot of players in our central midfield. Henderson isn't the only one. Ideally we'd have a fired up Barkley or even a Wilshere should be ever be fit.
I've told this many a time. When Hoddle was manager the squad used to practice counter attacking. They practiced a drill where a team had 6 seconds to score or they had to give the ball to the other team. We need to be doing that now.
Talk of Southgate preferring a 3-4-2-1 formation which I happen to think brings out the best of our best players. Square pegs in square holes, I'd go with the following starting XI on current form:
Butland
Keane - Stones - P. Jones/Cahill
Rose - Winks - Dier - Walker
Alli - Sterling
Kane
Rashford can change games from the bench. As can Lingard. Trippier, Bertrand and Cresswell valid deputees in the wing-back roles. Henderson an option if we need to (drastically) slow the pace of a game down. Sturridge in the squad for comedic value.
Winks as a starter at the top international tourney, surely not. Promising maybe but not up to that standard. How many first team appearance for Spurs to date?