Well it's one week until England's first game at the Euros, I don't know if it's just me but there doesn't seem to be the usual hype and fanfare that there usually is leading up to us being in a big tournament. What are we expecting from England? Are we there to make up the numbers or have we got a chance to get the later stages and be in with a chance of winning it?
I believe! I always fall for this same trap. More excited for this than the last World Cup, but if my head rules my heart, I'm expecting Quarter Finals at best.
I think the lack of hype can probably put down to the fact that historically people have built up their expectations only to have them destroyed by inept performances and poor management. I believe we have the talent available but feel that tactically our management are lacking. Not sure how far we will go as the way we played against Germany and the aggression and ball shown in that game could take us to the semi, that is if we can bring it to the fore and management does not shackle our players by playing them in unaccustomed positions with weird instructions.
A few weeks ago I was of the opinion that there was no reason that we couldn't get to the later stages which would put us in with a shout of winning it but I'm a little less sure we will get that far after the friendlies. The front three didn't look to work well together the other day and I'm not sure that Roys got enough about him to drop one of them. We shouldn't struggle to get out of the group stages and really should be getting to the quarters if we go any further than that we'll have done well. But I'm sure by next Saturday night I'll of been sucked in to believe that we'll win it.
Expecting us to get out the group, win one knockout game, then get beat off Italy or Belgium or the like.
Hope that's the case mate but it is a bit concerning that the system he used the other day worked so poorly, particularly the forwards which should be our strongest area.
I think the lacklustre performances in the last few friendlies have lowered peoples expectations..Hopefully the lack of the usual hype and expectation will mean that we do well for a change..
I've got nothing against Rooney but that match in Germany was the best I've seen us play in a long time. We didn't just win we deserved to win, away to one of the best teams in the world. We aren't brilliant but if we can play like that then anything is a possibility (though not a probability). As for Rooney, I'd go win that team against Germany as much as possible. Dier, Alli, Kane, Vardy, etc all playing in the correct positions for them after a season in which they have excelled - none of that is the fault of Rooney and when picked (as he will be) he will do his best for England but with the current players we have I just feel his inclusion makes us less than the sum of our parts.
We didn't take control of that game until Germany had taken off their best defender as well as Muller and Reus, IIRC. Too much has been said about that game, it was a friendly and that's all it was. We looked awful against Australia without Rooney on the pitch, Australia ffs, a team we should be whipping 5 or 6 past in 2nd gear. You know nowt, ya daft Guava.
I genuinely thought we were the better team in the first half and were unlucky to be losing (injured keeper professionally capitalised upon). At the beginning of the second half it was nip and tuck but when Germany went further ahead they looked likely to push on but then didn't. It was only a friendly but off the top of my head pretty much every big German player I can think of was playing and it was in Germany. To come back and win against them (and it's not like they don't want to beat us too - though I think they're less petty about the fixture than we are) was impressive. We were guff against Australia but no worse than most of the games I've seen in the England play - it's nothing personal against Rooney and I expect him to play and hope he does brilliantly, I just think fitting him in pushes other players out of position and "trying to fit our best players in to the team simply anywhere on the pitch" whilst ignoring the balance of the team is the exact mistake England have been making for many tournaments now. Ya dumb Gooseberry.
Last week I said I saw nothing in the current England squad to get excited about. Blunham and Tel both disagreed with me and now it seems Geoff Hurst does too. He's said that he thinks this is the most exciting squad since 1966. Now, I'm prepared to entertain the possibility that the current squad is more exciting than the one for the last World Cup and the last Euros but Sir Geoff must be having a laugh if he thinks this squad is more exciting than the 1970, 1986, 1990, 1996, and 2002 squads. Surely all of those sides had more potential and more truly world class players than this current one.
