Match Day Thread World Cup Watch

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I think that's even harsh on totti and del peiro.

I think alli could be a great box to box player, really strong but i think he has been fed a lot of bullshit and pushed forward by poch. It is ego.

Fabregas I agree very soft in midfield and seems only interested in standing with hands on hips looking back while others work. Wenger taught him this IMO. Barca couldn't beat it out of him!

It really shows what a young player is taught as good habits early stays with him forever.

Nah fabregas tries. It's just his fault that he's too much of a pussy.

Same problem as Juan Mata who would never be a cm either
 
Nah fabregas tries. It's just his fault that he's too much of a pussy.

Same problem as Juan Mata who would never be a cm either

I would never have called mata a midfielder ever. He was always a no 10 in spain even... him and silva are very similar imo

Fabregas imo could have been but whether wenger might say he made a call OR that as resources got tight at arsenal (self inflicted) that everything went through fabregas.. who knows. we do know wenger made him a quasi forward and spain played him as one as well.
 
I would never have called mata a midfielder ever. He was always a no 10 in spain even... him and silva are very similar imo

Fabregas imo could have been but whether wenger might say he made a call OR that as resources got tight at arsenal (self inflicted) that everything went through fabregas.. who knows. we do know wenger made him a quasi forward and spain played him as one as well.

Exactly, Fabregas is more a number 10 as he's never had the intensity/physicality or stamina to be like scholes or KDB.

Silva is a far better 10 than those 2 though but as far as 10's go those 2 aren't bad.
 
Exactly, Fabregas is more a number 10 as he's never had the intensity/physicality or stamina to be like scholes or KDB.

Silva is a far better 10 than those 2 though but as far as 10's go those 2 aren't bad.

scholes couldn't talke for toffee. ferguson moved him back and he never got it.

i always felt he was "looked after" by refs in england and then in europe he would get yelows and even reds

I just think young lads need to be made do the work.
 
I've not seen any outstanding players for England. At a push I'd say Trippier has been the best and the most consistent. Maguire, Rose, Loftus-Cheek, have been awful. Pickford not really been tested much but when he has been he looks distinctly average - he's too short for a keeper and doesn't look fit.

Casillas - 185cm

Pickford - 185cm

Is size that important for a great keeper?
 
Casillas - 185cm

Pickford - 185cm

Is size that important for a great keeper?

we had this argument about a year ago :P. (well i did with someone)

I did say he was weak in the air hahaha.

As for your argument:

How many "Great" small keepers are there against "Great" big keepers. Think there in is your answer.

As for Casillas, i don't even think he was that good. Just that he played for Real and came through their academy. I would direct the same argument to Valdes. Both good enough keepers but both not great. Just happened to play in far better teams.

Casillas was always great at pulling off worldies but was protected by playing in dominant teams/protected by refs when the ball comes into the box (symptomatic of foreign leagues)
 
It's shocking that our players haven't progressed technically when this deficiency was identified years ago. The fact that Wilshere is the only one that offers something different is poor in terms of talent coming through. Do the academies just focus on pace and power and not technical skillful play?

How do they expect England to win the World Cup if we look petrified on the ball when facing the worlds top sides. Even against a second string Belgium side, the players were inadequate at keeping the ball.

As you said, Henderson is like the rest, a basic hard working English midfielder. He looks good at Liverpool because of the quality foreign players surrounding him and Klopp maximising him. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Keita and Fabinho move into your midfield and how it impacts him.

Outs not England that develop the players, it's the club's. Why would they give a **** about England winning the world cup?
 
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we had this argument about a year ago :p. (well i did with someone)

I did say he was weak in the air hahaha.

As for your argument:

How many "Great" small keepers are there against "Great" big keepers. Think there in is your answer.

As for Casillas, i don't even think he was that good. Just that he played for Real and came through their academy. I would direct the same argument to Valdes. Both good enough keepers but both not great. Just happened to play in far better teams.

Casillas was always great at pulling off worldies but was protected by playing in dominant teams/protected by refs when the ball comes into the box (symptomatic of foreign leagues)

I found casillas a "streaky" keeper. he'd block stuff and it'd go anywhere. frankly he was ok but never for me in the bracket of legendary keeper.

I would say valdes wasn't as good as casillas.
 
Casillas - 185cm

Pickford - 185cm

Is size that important for a great keeper?

3 things.

1. depends on league. If you are short in england you are up against it. In europe you are not even allowd jump near a goalie. so catching corners is out as a skill.

2. Situations where height is vital. penaltys? yes if you can reach corners you are more dangerous as an opponent than a guy you only need put the ball in corner and he has zero chance. free kicks. it is somewhat important to go full stretch for saves int corners.

3. situations where height is not important. getting low to ground for shots and 1 on 1s. rushing out to clear. passing etc.

For me if you are good enough a keeper you can make height less of a facotr.

Buffon was 191 cm.

thats 6cm or 2.5 inches taller than cassilas

neuer 195cms

david seaman 1.87.

de gea 192cms

and so forth and so on and i could post ****e keepers like james or like cabellero.
 
I found casillas a "streaky" keeper. he'd block stuff and it'd go anywhere. frankly he was ok but never for me in the bracket of legendary keeper.

I would say valdes wasn't as good as casillas.

Definitely a blocker but from what i saw of casillas he pulled off worldies and would flap at anything being crossed in.

Valdes was always pretty ****e relative to Casillas but was lucky he was a barca product
 
Outs not England that develop the players, it's the club's. Why would they give a **** about England winning the world cup?

Then it's about time we changed our footballing structure to improve and support homegrown players like Germany, Spain and France have. If they can produce universally top class talent at a consistent basis, then we should as well with our money and resources.
 
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Then it's about time we changed our footballing structure to improve and support homegrown players like Germany, Spain and France have. If they can produce universally top class talent at a consistent basis, then we should as well with our money and resources.

I get your point but Germany just got bombed out and Spain are on a downward spiral. Italy and Holland didn't even qualify.

I also think people need to accept that other countries (consider to not be the top nations) are getting better all the time.
 
I get your point but Germany just got bombed out and Spain are on a downward spiral. Italy and Holland didn't even qualify.

I also think people need to accept that other countries (consider to not be the top nations) are getting better all the time.

I don't think that is down to the quality of players, as they clearly have an abundance of them. They just need a shake up at Management level and bring in fresh faces into the squad, sometimes dragging on with the same old things can create a stale environment.

But i agree, other nations are getting better, playing more efficient systems with better players.
 
3 things.

1. depends on league. If you are short in england you are up against it. In europe you are not even allowd jump near a goalie. so catching corners is out as a skill.

2. Situations where height is vital. penaltys? yes if you can reach corners you are more dangerous as an opponent than a guy you only need put the ball in corner and he has zero chance. free kicks. it is somewhat important to go full stretch for saves int corners.

3. situations where height is not important. getting low to ground for shots and 1 on 1s. rushing out to clear. passing etc.

For me if you are good enough a keeper you can make height less of a facotr.

Buffon was 191 cm.

thats 6cm or 2.5 inches taller than cassilas

neuer 195cms

david seaman 1.87.

de gea 192cms

and so forth and so on and i could post ****e keepers like james or like cabellero.

Pickford isn’t the finished article by far, he has less PL and top flight experience than Butland. Has no CL experience.

But the backing of the manager and staff at England and is talked of highly by ex pros.
Like DDG he has weaknesses at the most ment, but he is improving all the time.

David Seaman - our last good keeper had a height advantage over Pickford, but As a big guy in my opinion was less mobile.

Pros and cons with height, it’s about technique, positioning and being able to read the game and command the box.
 
Pickford isn’t the finished article by far, he has less PL and top flight experience than Butland. Has no CL experience.

But the backing of the manager and staff at England and is talked of highly by ex pros.
Like DDG he has weaknesses at the most ment, but he is improving all the time.

David Seaman - our last good keeper had a height advantage over Pickford, but As a big guy in my opinion was less mobile.

Pros and cons with height, it’s about technique, positioning and being able to read the game and command the box.

You are talking about a total of an inch between seaman and pickford.

Seaman in the 1990s and early 1990s compared to 2000s was completely different keeper

For me totdays keeper doesn't need to be massive. He needs to command and deal with things in the air but theres another entire half of the game where height is irrelevant.


but pickford can't reach the corners so if england go to pens he is boned <ok>

just getting that said now.
 
You are talking about a total of an inch between seaman and pickford.

Seaman in the 1990s and early 1990s compared to 2000s was completely different keeper

For me totdays keeper doesn't need to be massive. He needs to command and deal with things in the air but theres another entire half of the game where height is irrelevant.


but pickford can't reach the corners so if england go to pens he is boned <ok>

just getting that said now.

have to disagree about short keepers and disadvantage on pens.

For me the best pen keepers were those who were decisive and can spring fast.

For all their height i don't think Petr Cech was ever good at it or even Buffon was decent.

I remember Reina being great at them and he's tiny by comparisson but because he had such a quick spring he got to them if he went the right way
 
You are talking about a total of an inch between seaman and pickford.

Seaman in the 1990s and early 1990s compared to 2000s was completely different keeper

For me totdays keeper doesn't need to be massive. He needs to command and deal with things in the air but theres another entire half of the game where height is irrelevant.


but pickford can't reach the corners so if england go to pens he is boned <ok>

just getting that said now.

Getting the ball into the corner is easier said than done. Just look at 90% of English takers in the last 30 years
 
You are talking about a total of an inch between seaman and pickford.

Seaman in the 1990s and early 1990s compared to 2000s was completely different keeper

For me totdays keeper doesn't need to be massive. He needs to command and deal with things in the air but theres another entire half of the game where height is irrelevant.


but pickford can't reach the corners so if england go to pens he is boned <ok>

just getting that said now.

Didn't Reina have a good penalty record for us?