Been mixed so far against Peru. Fantastic strike from Sturridge and in the final third we're looking very promising, the trouble is the players behind them haven't been good enough. Our front 4 seem to have been told to get themselves back to the halfway line when we haven't got the ball but our best moments are coming when we win back the ball quickly and with the way the lack of quality in defensive areas we really need to be limiting their attacks by not standing off. Hart's been very good though, can't understand why people don't rate him, we'd be losing if he hadn't pulled off some great saves.
We lack clever footballers who are confident on the ball. We have had only a few in living memory. We can do the running and the pressing and occasionally some individual skill, but can't control the game with decent possession and accurate passing. All these players who succeed at club level rely on foreign players to run the game. We don't have enough good players in key positions and probably never will.
I don't think it's that at all, we just lacked 6 players infront of Hart that could actually break up the game and not get shown up by an experimental Peru side. I didn't think we looked like we were trying to control the play and dominate possession at all so I don't see how it's valid. There's plenty of exciting attacking players that can play for England but the trouble is an attacking 4 becomes 3 when you have to carry Welbeck all game.
The pace of the game was slow tonight on a mild London evening, I shudder to think how slow it will be in the heat of Brazil.
I struggle to see what Henderson offers the England side, he runs around a lot and passes the ball 10 yards sideways but he is neither really a true AM or DM, I can see him being totally lost against the better teams and his high energy game will see him blowing after an hour in the heat of Brazil.
Not all players can move from league football to international level and play in a different team unit, style of play, slower paced game and that's why most fans are idiotic for saying Carrick shouldn't be picked because he had a crap season, but Henderson should go because hes had a good season. Carrick could play crap all year but still be better suited to international football then someone like Henderson. Huddlestone (as we all know) is another who should be picked. Italy are going to play with this England team and if Pirlo plays he will mock England (once again).
Spot on lads. There seems to be a culture in England where we all want the players most on form for their clubs to play for England when in a lot of other countries club form isn't as important as the managers go for the best team rather than the best individuals. Carrick has never let England down but for some reason an average season for Man Utd meant he lost his place in the squad.
I wouldn't be surprised if there's more to the Carrick situation. We know he turned down a place on the reserve list before and I half remember there being a rumour that he said he'd rather have a long holiday instead of sitting on the bench for a World Cup but I migh be wrong on that.
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Assou-Ekotto has made the final cut for the Cameroon squad. Wonder what the situation will be with him under Pochettino?
Well done to our ex Manager (Sherwood), not just for his superb win rate but helping Bentaleb win a place in Brazil.
Spurs 7 (Lloris, Paulinho, Assou-Ekotto, Bentaleb, Vertonghen, Dembele, Chadli) West Ham 1 (Armero) But unlike Wet Spam fans with their small club mentality and desperation to find some kind of achievment at that pointless little club of theirs, our fans won't be wearing a t-shirt with that emblazoned all over it...
If Belgium win the world cup then we can say we played our part. Be Beautiful to see Chadli score the winner in the world cup final against Brazil.
It would be an even bigger margin if Walker and Townsend weren't crocked. Then again, there's plenty of other amusing comparisons when it comes to player who made their respective World Cup squads, for example... Wet Spam 1 (Armero) Wigan Athletic 3 (Beausejour, Garcia, Espinoza)
Massimo Luongo has made the cut for the Aussie squad. Not our player anymore, I know, but it's nice to see one of our academy players doing well. Also, as Armero isn't actually a West Ham player and he was only on loan, that means Swindon have more players at the World Cup than West Ham.