This is the best we've played in years

Valencia terrible miss there. Should've scored. Awful defending

Rooney scores....but we should drop him

Scoring a tap-in from a yard out is hardly enough reason for people to change their opinions of him.

Team looks better going forward today, but shits themselves every time an Ecuador player runs at them with the ball. The defending has been way below par. On the bright side, Chamberlain has looked good. Wish Barkley's decision making was better.

B-Mac wrote:Rooney scores....but we should drop him

Good to see he is getting his fitness back. But he should still not play as a 10. Better tonight at LF than he was against Peru.

2 goalscorers should always be starting imo. Can't have just Sturridge starting.

Goal Lambert.

Ross Barkley ffs!!!!

Good play by Barkley. Just needs a more consistent end product.

come to pre-friendly thread

Thoughts then?


Getting pretty clear of who will potentially start and who won't. Some points

-Rooney looks a bit more sharper but still needs another match.
-Wilshere needed the 80 minutes to build his fitness and sharpness. Was ok but had to defend too much for lampard. Hopefully his injury isn't bad. Like Rooney he needs another match
-Lambert can be a good 3rd choice Striker. Nice goal by him
-Lampard is not a DM
-We have shit defenders in every position.
-Oxlade was MOTM and hopefully his injury isn't bad either
-Milner lol
-Shaw is too inexperienced. If only there was a LB who was arguably the best LB in the PL last season and has experience to play against the best teams across Europe. If only...


Anyways against Honduras, I'd like a team which is potentially going to start against Italy. Maybe this


-----------------------Hart-------------------------
Johnson-------Cahill----------Jagielka---------Baines
--------------Gerrard------Henderson---------------
Sterling----------------Lallana----------------Rooney
----------------------Sturridge----------------------

RG, that for me is probably the starting line up for the world cup. The only position for grabs between Ox and Sterling.


Except hopefully that's not the formation.

I just think Wilshere would be more useful on the big stage due to his technical skills and his ability to retain possession.

England need a more definitive style and need to work on every facet of that style. It's clear England aren't the best with possession and the players who may improve the possession just aren't the final product yet. The side has pace and dribbling ability now, so a counter-attacking style would be more suited. If only England had a better manager like Klopp who could concoct something like that.

The main positive is that we had better fluidity going forward, which I think had a lot to do with Barkley's and Chamberlain's ability to go past players with the ball, and their ability to exploit space. So it's typical that Chamberlain gets injured.

Defensively we still look a mess, though. The back four looked terrified whenever they were ran at, and they didn't get an awful lot of protection, either. The Lampard-Wilshere duo looked sluggish; whether that's down to a lack of fitness/mobility or just the conditions playing a part I don't know. Either way, I'd like to see Hodgson try a 4-3-3 against Honduras and see if the additional midfielder can help protect the back four a bit more. Our defence simply lacks the talent and organisation to keep out attacks on their own.

Having seen Johnson and Milner at right back, I genuinely think we may be better off using Jones or Smalling there. We'd lose something going forward, but at least they're sort-of competent defenders, and since Shaw or Baines are bound to go forward that'd give us the option of having an auxiliary back three to cover for that.

Failing that, then just go with a "we'll just score more than you" approach. At least the World Cup would be more fun that way.

Roy Hodgson on Oxlade-Chamberlain : "We have our fears there might be some ligament damage"

ffs, I hope he's okay

Sterling is a mong for that tackle.

Reckless tackle for a friendly match. He could have seriously injured Valencia and had him miss the WC.

I can see why Valencia reacted like that.

I think that England is one of the teams that could really benefit from a traditional 4 - 4 - 2 diamond.


Then you can make the most of super subs like Barkley, Sterling and Oxlade if he's healthy.

So cruel on the Ox if he's going to miss the tournament. Garrick and Cleverley are the midfielders on stand-by, I don't think they'd get any minutes if either got called up.

El Cujo wrote:I think that England is one of the teams that could really benefit from a traditional 4 - 4 - 2 diamond.

Johnson - Cahill - Jagielka - Baines
Gerrard
Henderson - Wilshere
Lallana
Sturridge - Rooney

Then you can make the most of super subs like Barkley, Sterling and Oxlade if he's healthy.

I totally agree with this. I think young/inexperienced players like Raheem, Barkley or Ox can perform better coming off the bench.

Sky Sports News ‏@SkySportsNews

Sky Sources: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ruled out for 10 days to 3 weeks with knee injury #SSN

Ox is our best winger, losing him is a big loss. I hope Woy Gambles and keeps in in the squad and doesn't replace him with Carrick or Cleverly.

So he's definitely missing Italy match?

That was against a pressing team. Now against park the bus teams yesterday the mids were Lampard and wilshire . The later just passes it to CB and runs forward to the hole--->play making? . Lampard is no stranger to that technique but yesterday he didnt do yet his overall ineptitude as a CM was visible. England need a center midfielder, after scholes i dont think they even had one good CM. Carrick is decent and their best hope.

Yesterday's team was experimental and many of the players were playing for match Fitness.

I still like Carrick, regardless of what kind of season he and Utd have had. He, like Busquets will always suffer if the structure isnt right because he needs to it in place so he can make the difference.

Though, Gerrard has that place on lock now so its pointless talking about it.

I dont buy the Rodgers talk (which I am sure was just one of those things coaches say for various reasons) that he is the "best holding midfielder around".