Off Topic International Break Thread

...oh, and Jamie Donley made his international debut this evening

 

...and I just saw the stats for Cyprus vs San Marino

70% vs 30% possession
26 shots to 5
11 shots on target to 2

Kudos to the Sammarinese keeper, as he singlehandedly kept the score down to 2-0

 

Job done. Nothing spectacular but Tuchel’s only test will be the World Cup next year, everything else is ‘practice’

 

So....Romero plays 95 minutes for Argentina in their win against Uruguay. Lucky for him that Postecoglou rested him after 60 last weekend against Fulham, cos that turned out well...

 

I think he's feeling better...

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Do they have another game in the next few days?

 

Probably....so don't expect him to be fit for us on his return...

 

They play again on Wednesday. It alright though, as it's only Brazil.

 

Useful practice, though. I think he's got time to work out the issues that Southgate had.
Gary fixed the divided dressing room and gave England some cohesion.
If Tuchel can keep that, sort out the mentality and work out a few kinks, then he'll have done well.
The lack of creativity and the Bellingham/Foden problem are two of the major ones, in my opinion.

 

Interesting to see if he plays the full 90 then too.

If he does and doesn’t pick up an injury then he should be fine for Spurs after getting much needed minutes. If he plays the full game again but comes back and doesn’t play 90mins for Spurs then it would be very bizarre.

 

Wales playing Brennan Johnson as a lone forward

Uh oh...

 

...and then Gentle Ben shows him how it's done with a thumping header

 

What was wrong with Bergvall, he was due to start for Sweden but he's not even made the bench , injury or illness ?

 

Illness. He's got the flu or something.

 

Tuchel had said he wants England to mirror the best bits of the PL - high pace and intensity, playing with rhythm, carrying the ball forward quickly, putting in crosses etc.
But the World Cup will be played in generally hot and humid conditions. The better technical teams will do what they always do - play at a slow tempo, keep possession, pass the ball around and have England chasing about until they tire. The conditions won’t suit a PL style game - certainly not for 90 minutes.
Tuchel has some good technical players available to him. Perhaps he can look at how to get the best out of Foden and Palmer and others who can keep and pass the ball better instead.

 

Aren't the best bits of the PL unchecked capitalism and turning a blind eye to murderous regimes if it gets you a sniff of Champions League football?

 

Sounds like Southgate football, **** that. Go for it Thomas, be a hero. e.g. Mexico 1970 at 10.000 feet. Despite the issues of altitude and high temperature, the finals largely produced attacking football which created an average goals per game record not since bettered by any subsequent World Cup Finals.

 

Scotchland v Greece is on the iPlayer, for our friends from the North.

 

@Spurf he’s calling our adopted country Scotchland again. Have a word with him

 

And BBC2