I've posted this on the Mouserwatch thread as well. It bears the duplication........ http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/tom-davies-england-snub-looks-13712672 "Freedom."
I read the article with audio disabled. I assume that given the article was about an Everton player the audio version contains loads of boos.
Never let the truth (Davies is failing to perform in a poor Everton side & Shelvey is a brain dead twat of average ability) get in the way of the 'we are persecuted' Mouser narrative!!
Like Barcelona today, maybe they should go on strike.............no, no, that's going to be hard to spot in the current circumstances. Perhaps a T shirt?......................"Tom and Dick.....not Harry"
For some reason, he's not playing as much this season which is not the time to call up a young player. He is a bit fiery and he's also very English. He plays at a very high tempo, always looking to move the ball forward, very fast. He tries the little flick and takes chances with his passing. His game is what makes the PL such a popular spectator experience. That's great when you're going to get the ball back in 30 seconds or less. It's more of a problem when the opposition aren't so cavalier with it. I wouldn't say that he protects the ball for his team and provides an ability to keep possession, which is a large part of the game in international football. That inability is, partly, why England never look like getting anywhere near the final stages of big tournaments. It afflicts Tottenham in Europe as well. We often look a lot more controlled when Winks is on the pitch and that's probably why Southgate is very keen on him. He knows from seeing him come through the international youth teams that he can dictate the shape and pace of a game and that's very desirable. Mauricio Pochettino doesn't get much wrong with young players and he really believes in 'Winksy' and I think Southgate is right to do so too. As a nation, we don't support our national team above our club loyalties anymore. So, our boy is going to be getting it in the neck from deluded Geordies, Mousers, Spammers and the rest. Still, if that lot had their way, we'd be building our team around players that are regulars for mid-table, mediocre sides that have no understanding of how to manage a game or themselves. Next, it'll be Andy Carroll for a recall.
I like Davies and I think that he'd probably be a better choice than a lot of those in the squad, to be honest. It might be better for him to stay in the U21s, actually play some football and get some more experience, though. He seems like more of an attacking midfielder than Winks, to me, so I'm not sure why they're being compared. Probably just because they're midfielders and one got a late call-up because of injuries and the other didn't. People comparing either to Shelvey or Noble are missing obvious issues with both and I'm pretty sure that they're aware of them, too. The former has serious temperament problems and his form's very up and down. The latter's just not good enough and he's lucky to still be getting picked regularly for West Ham. He's not that old, but his powers appear to be seriously on the wane already, which is rather worrying.
Agree with all that. I would say though that scousers and the rest will probably be unaware of Winks' game. The way Pochettino is bringing him through means he hasn't been thrust into the limelight, so in many ways I can understand the surprise at his call-up. We know it is deserved but I understand why others don't.
Looking at the options is a pretty scary exercise. Players like Lingard, Oxlade-Chamberpot and Sturridge have no business in being in a national set-up at this stage in their careers. None of them are playing well and are actually hardly playing at all. Add in that there's also Henderson, Jake Livermore, Aaron Cresswell and Chris Smalling in the 'talent pool' and it won't be long before anyone playing reasonably consistently at a good level, in any position, is going to get a chance. I'd have little problem in playing Davies, off the bench, ahead of Lingard or Oxlade-Chamberlain, if he was getting regular football with Everton and playing well. However, he's looking at playing in the 3 behind Harry Kane and currently those spots will have to go to Dele, Rashford and Sterling. As you say, right now, he's better off playing some football because he's not getting it at club level.
Henderson and Livermore are playing regularly and doing well at teams in the top half of the table, though. Smalling and Lingard are getting game time at one of the top clubs, but have weaker arguments, in my opinion. Cresswell probably sneaks in by being in a weak position. The injury pull outs have probably made the squad more balanced, but Southgate's still picked four keepers. Five centre-halves plus Dier when you're playing Slovenia and Lithuania is still excessive. Sturridge and Defoe plus Rashford is also unnecessary and unbalanced. When would you want all of them on the pitch together? The Liverpool man's form and fitness should eliminate him. An additional winger or a different style of forward should've been picked.
I'm not sure that Henderson's playing all that well. By marriage, I am related to a couple of Mousers, who attend games regularly, they aren't too impressed. A lot of his game was about his athleticism. Since he had problems with plantar fasciitis, he's diminished as a player and playing in a Klopp team means that he's lacking in positional discipline and awareness to counter his physical decline. For me, he doesn't look like a top level international player but right now, he's the only option given Wilshire and Lallana's absence and young Harry's lack of experience.
I hadn't particularly noticed his physical decline and put it down to the general issues with Liverpool, to be honest. I'll pay more attention to him the next time that I watch him play, which will probably be Thursday. If he is struggling to adjust though, then it might be a good idea to leave him out. Picking a box-to-box midfielder and a holding one together limits England's creativity, in my opinion. I think that pairing him with a Carrick or Alonso type would get the best out of him and I don't think Southgate has that option. The other alternative would be to play with good width and he's not picked the right players for that. Redmond and Antonio could've been selected, if he was going down that path.
I'd like to see Lallana and Eric Dier in tandem. Central defence isn't our best area and we need a dedicated holding player as we're going to have full backs that get forward at every opportunity. What we need desperately is a playmaker. I have an inkling that Lallana has played deeper for Liverpool and looked good at it. He's a Santi Cazorla type player, good off both feet and has good vision and athleticism. If he can get his fitness sorted, I see him as our playmaker. With pace from Walker, Danny Rose, Sterling and Rashford, we need someone with the skills to make a yard and move the ball effectively off both feet. Harry Winks to come on when we're 3 - 0 up [I wish].
Liverpool seem to be suffering from Europey legs. The cure may be crashing out at the group stages. I like Lallana Dier but think Dier Winks may be at least as good.
Lloris wants to play up front, apparently: Bonus Sissoko holding off his international teammate in a completely legitimate manner. Possibly...
