first of all, i thought it was an absolutely cracking football match, full of excitement. the first half in particular was great, chances at both ends, open play, some abysmal defending but the 2nd was a little more cagey although still action-packed. had i been a neutral i'd have still been sitting on the edge of my seat throughout.
carrick for me was man of the match - i was very surprised to see him taken off, especially for lampard. it was noticeable how fragile we looked when he went off. welbeck was excellent once again - i really can't understand why anyone would criticise him at the moment - he's a good individual talent but he's a great team player, unlike many of his team mates. rooney too had a very good game and is closing in rapidly on sir bobby charlton's goal record.
the major worries for me are in midfield where steven gerrard is nowhere near good enough anymore. i know he scored but he was pretty awful - giving the ball away, always trying to do too much with his passing when a simple option is on, not closing down quick enough - he was extremely poor and his goal has glossed completely over it with itv, probably inevitably, falling into the trap by stating after the game he was 'outstanding' and 'led by example'. no he didn't - he was ****e. this is far from the first time he's been poor for his country. i wouldn't pick him. he should be in the squad, don't get me wrong - he's still one of england's better players - but i wouldn't play him as a first choice and he certainly shouldn't be captain. get wilshere in, get barkley in.
quick word for chris smalling too who, played out of position, played well. made a couple of positional errors early on but settled into the role. and joe hart did well too, made one vital block. pleased for him but pleased for hodgson most of all. no, he isn't particularly charismatic, no he isn't 'arry redknapp, but he's a good coach and you don't get to manage clubs like inter milan if you're crap.
i think, considering this is some way short of a 'great england squad', he's done well to get us to brazil, albeit it wasn't the strongest group - it was still a competitive group. we won't win the world cup any time soon but the main thing is to get there and see what happens. a world cup without england just isn't as enjoyable.
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