Post Euro 2012 team

There's a difference though. All Arsenal players i mentioned have european and england experience, Caulker (to my knowledge) hasn't played a game outside of the UK.

 

Caulker isn't a bad shout, neither is Ryan Bennett for that matter. I'd love to be able to pick who I wanted from wherever I wanted without any pressure. Unfortunately there are percieved elites and players that can't play because of where they play or have played their football. Mentality is huge in international football. You can be technically the best player in the world, but if you can't handle the pressure and be able to play your natural game under it, you'll be pants. Chamberlain handles pressure superbly and that sets him out from a lot of other young players. Bale was the same.

 

Haha, so? You Gooners make me laugh with stuff you come up with sometimes. If Caulker had played against Olympiakos would that make the slightest difference to his ability to become a top player? Luke Chadwick has European experience, it doesn't mean anything.

As for England experience, so did Bothroyd and Nugent, they're still ****. And Walcott has never played at either level as a lone striker so your point doesn't really stand up. Then there's Gibbs who impressed so much in his first 2 games that he hasn't played for England in the two years since.

Caulker has played outside of the UK for England under 19s and 21s, by the way

 

Why is Rodwell rated so highly? He is hardly a starter for Everton. Every time, I see him and I do not see what he does that well. Wilshere's only problem is the injury issue, based on talent he alongside Rooney is the most talented English player. Gibbs, did well for us this season, I thought. Again, like Wilshere it's an issue with injuries and he needs a solid season where he plays 30 plus games. Unlike the the kid at Chelsea, Gibbs does not have the issue of trying to get in the team ahead of a world class player.

 

Would cool the engines on Bennett. He's only just made his first appearance for the u21 & has played 8 times at Premier League level, including being fairly brutally dealt with by Tevez and Aguero at Carrow Rd!

 

The international youth setup isn't a reflection of the best youth around. The U21 is basically an extension of the senior team principles of not giving a **** until the players play for a high-profile club and the levels below that, there are so many players in the pool and lots of good players slip under the radar. Norwich paid £3m for Bennett and Peterborough fans will tell you why. Both him and Caulker will be in and around after 2014.

 

4-2-3-1

Hart

Walker - Cahill - Smalling - Bertrand

Milner - Wilshere

Oxlade-Chamberlein - Rooney - Young

Welbeck

 

What do people think Jake Livermore's potential? From what ive seen he seems to be a great prospect.

 

That looks like a lively team to me, with a better back four. I would say that I'm not doing cartwheels about Milner though - if we're sticking with that defence, I'd perhaps pick Jones ahead of him.

 

Seems slightly off to me on the basis of seeing him play for Grimsby a fair few times - he stood out, but not THAT far in my opinion! We'll see.

 

Today's 21 year olds are tomorrow's household names, so I guess we'll see. Bennett has grown into a good player and he made Peterborough reasonably solid, which is remarkable given their "score one more than you" style. Some players take their time to mature and maybe Bennett is one of those. Speaking of Grimsby, how about Tommy Forecast and Olly Lancashire for England?

 

Funny thread, so many mediocre players mentioned: Jagielka, Lescott, Rodwell, Caulker, Jones in the middle, Baines.

Bertrand is nowhere near ready - Gibbs is better than him, Walcott played lots of times for England as a striker for the Under 21s, I want to see him play there for Arsenal and if he must play for England it should be there too. As a winger, don't even bother.

If you are looking to the future there is no better LB in England than Gibbs and no better CM than Wilshere - England should play him as an AM because he drifts past players so easily. Good shout for Livermore, he is calm and composed and keeps the ball moving, I rate him. A Young seems to be the best winger we have, Lennon has all the tools to be the best winger in the country - need to see him be more effective given the positions he gets in. Adam Johnson should get a look in as well as Sturridge who was frightening at the beginning of the season.

I think defensively we have no choice but a Cahill (not a big Cahill fan but best of a mediocre bunch), Jones should be the obvious choice of partner but he cant get in the Man U team in that position. Hart in goal.

 

Take off the red tinted specs for a second, Gibbs is average and only plays because Clichy went to City.

Wilshere has been out for a season and will have to prove himself again at Arsenal before he's back in an England shirt.

English players are averse to big stages. It's endemic. Very few English players outside the old guard are playing week-in-week-out for top 10 clubs. Joe Hart, Glen Johnson, Micah Richards, Phil Jagielka, Tim Cahill, Joleon Lescott, Leighton Baines, Adam Johnson, Ashley Young, Theo Walcott, Stewart Downing, James Milner, Wayne Rooney and Andy Carroll in that lot. Not a whole lot of inspiration there, especially in CM. then there are the young players who play bit parts at the moment and will hopefully establish themselves. Still though, the problem remains that there's not a lot of inspiration in CM. It's a sad state of affairs when we only have one recognised, inspirational midfielder and he's been injured for the last year and we don't even know if he'll come back the same player.

 

??

Pardon me .. I thought this was the England team for the future

If you think Gibbs is average you haven't seen him play much, that is clear and Wilshere will walk into both England and Arsenal teams when he comes back. Clichy was sold because Gibbs is a better player - and he can actually cross the ball.

 

He isn't really that good though is he?

Cole is much much better, and Baines is considerably better than him as well. By the time that those two have gone there'll be someone younger and better than Gibbs.

 

That's probably why he left out older players like Terry and Cole. Although I'm still confused as to why he's got Tim Cahill in there

 

Hart

Walker - Jones - Smalling - Bertrand

Walcott - Wilshere - Cleverley - Young

Welbeck - Rooney

Or something like that.

 

Southampton have a nearly 17 year old called Luke Shaw who is very highly rated and is tipped to be that man. Baines isn't that old though and he'll be around for a few years yet by which time someone else will have proved themselves. I personally rate Baines and he'd be first choice now if it weren't for Cole. He runs the left flank and has a very sweet left foot.

Another one to watch out for is 18 y/o Nick Powell of Crewe. 16 goals from midfield including a magnificent opener at Wembley in the L2 playoff final. Man U are interested in signing him. The lad has remarkable technique and the audacity to use it too.

 

Post 2012, so what we will use in the 2014 World Cup. Much beyond that, we can only guess who the prominent players might be aside from the ones we know about already, most of who will be solid, but not inspirational. There may well be a wonderkid in the wings right now who could burst onto the scene in the next few years and I'd rather not commit to thinking beyond 2014. The first squad after the Euros will be chosen with 2014 in mind and it will comprise of players we already know about. That was really the point of this thread.

 

Yeah, I love Nick Powell.

He's scored enough wonder goals to prove his play off goal wasn't a fluke.