World Cup Qatar

[Day]

10 minutes ago, Bris Vegas said:

I’ve been impressed with Grealish. He is the best ball-carrier in the team.

Just seems a waste of a place in the squad, can't one of the coaches carry the balls out for training?

[TuffLuff]

16 minutes ago, SSD said:

If there's any manager who picks favourites it's Gareth Southgate. There's no way Phillips should be near the squad, hasn't kicked a ball for six months. Just shows as well the manager doesn't pick talent who play in Europe. Bellingham I guess is the exception but you'd have to be a bit dense not to take him.

Unfortunately for England,  at international level he provides a role little others can do. He’s not an outstanding footballer but he’s proven to be very, very good at breaking up play and getting the ball to the better players, without really letting the occasion get to him either. It’s a basic job, but that player is vital at international level. Presumably he will get little game time anyway, but I do see why you’d put him.

Edited November 10, 2022 by TuffLuff

[TuffLuff]

I think the notable thing from England’s perspective is that we’ve got a real lack of players playing regularly for top sides. Tomori seems the big exclusion, I think most would be happy to swap him and Coady, but if you took Gallagher out then who replaces him? It’s quite hard to think of any inspired replacements. 

Also whilst I’m not too bothered about Ben Chilwell, we have a real lack of depth on that left hand side still. We are 1 Luke Shaw niggling injury away from Trent Alexander Arnold one side and having to put an in form Trippier out of position.

[Premier ram]

3 hours ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Yet Maguire will still get in despite only 3 league starts this season.

Maguire, Stones, Coady, Dier and White as the CB options then?

Coady and Dier going and Fikayo isnt   

 

                                             

[littleover ram]

I think Tomori paid for having two bad performances v Chelsea. Although Abraham isn’t in so maybe Southgate doesn’t rate Italian football.

it’s the same with all England managers though. When the new manager comes in after the World Cup they’ll pick a fresh squad based on form and fitness and then refuse to drop their favourites for the next 4 years 

[Ghost of Clough]

2 hours ago, Rammy03 said:

Only surprise is Gallagher really

Tomori > Coady & Maguire
Ward-Prowse > Gallagher
Toney > Rashford

In my opinion, Sterling has been poor this season and has struggled to make an impact for England for a while now. Problem is, all our other wingers have been pretty poor too. He gets in by default. Similar for Grealish. Who else is there that is showing any kind of form right now?

[Bris Vegas]

1 hour ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Tomori > Coady & Maguire
Ward-Prowse > Gallagher
Toney > Rashford

In my opinion, Sterling has been poor this season and has struggled to make an impact for England for a while now. Problem is, all our other wingers have been pretty poor too. He gets in by default. Similar for Grealish. Who else is there that is showing any kind of form right now?

I think it goes to show the genius of Guardiola, or the strength of City’s squad, that Sterling managed to hit 15-20 goals in all competitions almost every season for the past five years or so.

He looks crap in a Chelsea shirt.

I thought Sterling was our best player at Euro 2020 though. Right now I’m more excited about Saka who has been brilliant for Arsenal.

Foden is another who is brilliant for City but meh in an England shirt. I noticed Sancho isn’t there. Is he injured? Not that he deserves to go.

 

 

[Zag zig]

6 hours ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Yet Maguire will still get in despite only 3 league starts this season.

Maguire, Stones, Coady, Dier and White as the CB options then?

Never mind the 3 games, watching the Germany game you could hear the gasps in the ground at his c*** ups, Southgate should have done him a favour and left him out, but everyone knew he wouldn’t.

Instead Maguire is now a scapegoat ready and waiting to happen. 

[Eddie]

All a bit 'Meh' really.

Perhaps I'll find some enthusiasm once the T20 world cup has finished, but somehow, I doubt it.

I've made Christmas Puddings today, so the World Cup is basically already over.

[Sparkle]

Not overly impressed with that squad - that bit that Southgate said about only picking players who play regularly and are in form is utter nonsense looking at those selections 

[TigerTedd]

7 hours ago, Rammy03 said:

It'll be this

Pickford, Pope, Ramsdale, Walker, Tripper, Trent, Maguire, Stones, Dier, Coady, White, Mings, Shaw, Rice, Henderson, Phillips, Bellingham, Mount, Maddison, Grealish, Foden, Saka, Sterling, Rashford, Wilson, Kane

Ooo, close. Mings for Gallagher. 

[Rammy03]

1 hour ago, Sparkle said:

Not overly impressed with that squad - that bit that Southgate said about only picking players who play regularly and are in form is utter nonsense looking at those selections 

I don't see anything wrong with it. I can't think of anyone other than Tomori who should definitely be there. He has picked form players such as Maddison and Wilson who haven't featured much previously. But he has also picked players who are in England squads regularly and have been good for us in previous tournaments. This is necessary to maintain the chemistry of the squad. 

[Ghost of Clough]

1 hour ago, Rammy03 said:

I don't see anything wrong with it. I can't think of anyone other than Tomori who should definitely be there. He has picked form players such as Maddison and Wilson who haven't featured much previously. But he has also picked players who are in England squads regularly and have been good for us in previous tournaments. This is necessary to maintain the chemistry of the squad. 

Toney - 8 goals and 2 assists in 13 league games this season. One of the best penalty takers around...

Tarkowski - having a better season than Coady at Everton

Mee - having an excellent season at Brentford

Ward-Prowse - one of the best performing English CMs this season

[BramcoteRam84]

Amazing how talkshite and other media outlets are trying to make drama out of that squad. In calling up Maddison it’s completely disarmed them (not in any way saying that’s why Southgate has called him up), so they’re back to Maguire v Tomori and when they started banging on about Harvey Elliott theyd really lost it.

Is Tomori unlucky, yes but then in the champs league he was awful so isn’t going to dislodge players who have played for Southgate at two major championships, he’s not done enough.  Toney is unlucky but agree with Wilson and Rashford gives more options. Sterling has been in form but who else do you pick in that area. The discussion areas are all around fringe players, not taking Toney or Tomori will not be definitive in how we do.

From what he had available it’s a decent squad, now it’s down to his tactics and can he get the best out of them, people will say we’re screwed then I’d say semis and a final in his 2 tournaments. Time to get behind the lads and I fully expect England and Southgate to prove the doubters wrong.

[BramcoteRam84]

18 minutes ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Toney - 8 goals and 2 assists in 13 league games this season. One of the best penalty takers around...

Tarkowski - having a better season than Coady at Everton

Mee - having an excellent season at Brentford

Ward-Prowse - one of the best performing English CMs this season

Toney - only a replacement for Kane who if stays fit will play every minute, Wilson and Rashford are backups and Rashford can play wide so better overall balance, yes he’s unlucky.

Tarkowski - agree he’s unlucky but not much in it with Coady it won’t be defining and Southgate says how important coady is around the squad.

Mee - agree but not got experience in the bank

Ward-Prowse - maybe I need to watch him more closely but I don’t get the hype, he’s good at set pieces but what else does he do. Think Loftus-Cheek unlucky but again it won’t be defining because Bellingham will be first choice anyway.

[Ghost of Clough]

37 minutes ago, BramcoteRam84 said:

Toney - only a replacement for Kane who if stays fit will play every minute, Wilson and Rashford are backups and Rashford can play wide so better overall balance, yes he’s unlucky.

Tarkowski - agree he’s unlucky but not much in it with Coady it won’t be defining and Southgate says how important coady is around the squad.

Mee - agree but not got experience in the bank

Ward-Prowse - maybe I need to watch him more closely but I don’t get the hype, he’s good at set pieces but what else does he do. Think Loftus-Cheek unlucky but again it won’t be defining because Bellingham will be first choice anyway.

Toney is the one English player you'd want on the pitch when heading for penalties

[Rammy03]

3 minutes ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Toney is the one English player you'd want on the pitch when heading for penalties

Oh right so he can sub him on just before a penalty shootout and go into it cold, that worked last time didn't it...

[JoetheRam]

8 hours ago, Rammy03 said:

Oh right so he can sub him on just before a penalty shootout and go into it cold, that worked last time didn't it...

Doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do.

Having a guy who converts 96% of all his penalties on the pitch, cold or not (are they not allowed to warm up then?) would seem to me to give you a better chance than whoever else we've taken in his place, unless it's Nathan Ellington.

Overall though the squad pretty much picks itself and people he's left out aren't going to be the reason England don't win it.

[TigerTedd]

2 minutes ago, JoetheRam said:

Doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do.

Having a guy who converts 96% of all his penalties on the pitch, cold or not (are they not allowed to warm up then?) would seem to me to give you a better chance than whoever else we've taken in his place, unless it's Nathan Ellington.

Overall though the squad pretty much picks itself and people he's left out aren't going to be the reason England don't win it.

The contentious choices probably won’t end up getting used anyway. It’s a big squad, and the likes of Connor coady probably won’t even kick a ball, except the last 5 minutes against Iran or something.

Penalty takers? As long as he’s not taking any of the derby squad, they should be fine. 

[BramcoteRam84]

17 hours ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Toney is the one English player you'd want on the pitch when heading for penalties

Disagree regardless of how he takes them. Players who can handle pressure. Kane is lethal from the spot best since shearer when it matters. Has Saka missed a pen since euros? He takes most of them for Arsenal, Rashford I’d also back. Think we’re well stocked for penalty takers. You’d have backed Conor the other night one of the best ball strikers we have, clearly doesn’t like the pressure having also missed against Forest.