Off Topic International Break Thread

Wait ‘til he has to do a best goals of the year compilation!
They’ve not scored since March (not from open play)- over 8 hours without a goal.
Might have to settle for “best near misses”.

 

This comes as a surprise to me. You've been one of his most vocal supporters on here. Seen enough to change your mind?

 

We didn't win or come close to winning anything when we had Gerrard, Scholes, Beckham, Lampard, Hargreaves and Joe Cole in the same squad, so this theory doesn't hold much water I'm afraid.

 

"Too forrin"

 

The Brexit Freedoms Bill should put paid to her and her sort.
Coming over here and taking our jobs….
Who do they think they are?

 

My impression is that Pochettino creates a family feeling in his squad and that's the opposite of International management. Revie famously did that at Leeds then failed as England manager because the nature of the job prevents that method. Ramsey was quite aloof and nobodys mate and he did quite well, but who knows, Pochettino is easily capable of working this out and adjusting to the job.

 

How to play football in a hot climate. I wonder if that one will ever be worked out ...

 

Terry Venables and Bobby Robson did pretty well, being 'one of the lads'. Fabio Cappello was a dictator and dreadful at the same time. Ron Greenwood was just really disappointing.

There's no magic formula...unless being a good coach, putting round pegs in round holes, not picking players in terrible form and not employing a style of play that doesn't suit the players you've got, is considered a magic formula.

Unless Southgate walks, he'll be in charge for the WC and we'll underperform...possibly, badly so.

 

Only Scholes was able to play that role but he was never picked to play it. The others brought different qualities more suited to English club football. More blood and guts. Gerrard was a great all round player but didn’t play the role either.
International tournament football - often played in hot conditions with 2 games per week- suits teams who can keep the ball and tire the opposition. Whenever England come up against teams who are able to do this, we are second best. Italy controlled the game from the second half onwards in the Euros final, despite having an inferior team overall, ditto Croatia in the World Cup

 

Gerrard could play that role. I believe even Pirlo himself said that Gerrard played that role. But as you say, while Scholes was shoe-horned into a left wing position, Gerrard was more often than not deployed as a box to box midfielder rather than the role you're describing.

Your second point is very interesting and I 100% agree. The words 'game management' have been absent from England performances in every major tournament as far back as I can remember.

 

Don't need to coach. They get coached at club level and the manager only has his team for a few days . The manager needs to manage.
Why would a player need to play out of position when you have so many players to choose from ?
At club level , one may have injuries but at national level just pick another player who plays naturally in that position.

 

Even with the air con in the grounds, the conditions will be increasingly energy sapping in Qatar as games progress. So although there will be a time and place to play a PL style game, there will be times to consolidate and manage the game as you say - especially if leading with not long to go.
Have we players who can be deployed to do that?
Have we ever been able to do that?

 

Arguably in 1970 when the England team was thought to be stronger than in 1966. The Mexico world cup in torrid conditions with England having had special training conditions at altitude (Mexico is at 10,000 feet IIRC) and wore a light weight kit. All very new at the time. They played in a slower controlled manner, to combat the conditions, which overall worked well despite close losses to W.Germany and Brazil.

 

Like it , can you imagine the fall out

 

1
Hungary 10points
2
Italy 8 points
3
Germany 6points
4
England 2points played 5 won 0 drawn 2 lost 3

How is he still the Manager?

 

I get what you're saying and why...but it sounds exactly like Sven Goran Eriksen. He picked the 11 he thought were the best players available...and turned the whole into less than the parts had to offer.

The problem is worse now, in that City, Liverpool Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, United, who supply the majority of the squad, all play radically different styles of football. The England manager needs to choose a method of playing which suits the best of our talent and is capable of being easily and quickly understood by sufficient of the rest and pick those players who will be able to do the jobs asked of them to a sufficient standard, rather than feeling compelled to pick the biggest talents.

No more Saka at LWB bollocks.

 

I still think he’s done a very good job but since the euros, it’s been so so poor and just feels like the natural end for him. I really hope I’m wrong and England surprise everyone at the World Cup but I just think it will be a difficult tournament and I feel England won’t do anywhere near as well as previously.

 

Kulusevski being astonishingly good again in creating Sweden's goal last night.

What were Juve thinking?

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-62995496

"The World Cup is expected to attract more than one million visitors, but by March Qatar only had 30,000 hotel rooms, 80% of which had already been booked by Fifa for football teams, officials, and sponsors."