The Official Euro 2020 thread....
Discussion
Can't see one started so thought I'd kick off (arf!).....
Gareth Southgate names his 33-man England squad which will be trimmed down to 23 players by June 1st.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57239842
Think one or two players are very lucky to be in there and a couple are unlucky not to be, particularly Patrick Bamford whose season's figures are more impressive than either DCL or Watkins, both of whom I'd take as well to be honest.
Gareth Southgate names his 33-man England squad which will be trimmed down to 23 players by June 1st.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57239842
Think one or two players are very lucky to be in there and a couple are unlucky not to be, particularly Patrick Bamford whose season's figures are more impressive than either DCL or Watkins, both of whom I'd take as well to be honest.
Pommy said:
Challo said:
GTO-3R said:
Lots of rumours that TAA isn’t in the final squad. If he’s not then Southgate should be sacked on the spot imo. He’s not had his best season but he offers so much to the team.
Does that mean James, Walker and Trippier go instead? I would think he wants to play 3-5-2 and they can all play wing back. TAA is fantastic going forward but not a wing back.
I would have taken Watkins ahead of Calvert-Lewin and Ward-Prowse ahead of Phillips, the rest is probably much of a muchness.
Nine of England's twelve goals at WC2018 came from set pieces so we leave the best set-piece taker in the Premier League at home. And can't wait to see him pick the woeful Sterling against Croatia.
And WTF is Lingard playing tomorrow night v Austria when he's not in the squad? We should be nailing down the starting XI now, not playing unwanted players.
Anyhoo... v Croatia, I think he will go for
Pickford
Walker Stones Maguire
Trent Rice Henderson Shaw
Foden Kane Sterling
I would have picked....
Pickford
Walker Stones Maguire
Trent Rice Bellingham Chilwell
Foden Kane Grealish
Nine of England's twelve goals at WC2018 came from set pieces so we leave the best set-piece taker in the Premier League at home. And can't wait to see him pick the woeful Sterling against Croatia.
And WTF is Lingard playing tomorrow night v Austria when he's not in the squad? We should be nailing down the starting XI now, not playing unwanted players.
Anyhoo... v Croatia, I think he will go for
Pickford
Walker Stones Maguire
Trent Rice Henderson Shaw
Foden Kane Sterling
I would have picked....
Pickford
Walker Stones Maguire
Trent Rice Bellingham Chilwell
Foden Kane Grealish
GloverMart said:
The team's out then, what's your best guess as to the formation.
I think this is 4-2-3-1.
Pickford
Trent - Coady - Mings - Trippier
Rice - Bellingham
Saka - Lingard - Grealish
Kane
Or Saka might be part of a three man midfield with three up front maybe.
Official teamsheet suggests.....I think this is 4-2-3-1.
Pickford
Trent - Coady - Mings - Trippier
Rice - Bellingham
Saka - Lingard - Grealish
Kane
Or Saka might be part of a three man midfield with three up front maybe.
Pickford
Trent - Coady - Mings - Trippier
Grealish - Rice - Bellingham
Lingard - Kane - Saka
The Hypno-Toad said:
Impressive: Grealish, Saka
Steady: Trippier, Trent,
Poor: Rice, Calvert-Lewin, Godfrey, Kane
Still worried about Pickford.
Looks like Trent might be in serious trouble there. With the number of right backs he has already picked, Lingard in after all? Ward-Prowse?
Should be JWP for me. His ability at corners and free kicks is arguably the best in the Premier League; we had a couple of FK's tonight that came to nothing. He rarely wastes one, is steady on the ball and is experienced with over 320 games now.Steady: Trippier, Trent,
Poor: Rice, Calvert-Lewin, Godfrey, Kane
Still worried about Pickford.
Looks like Trent might be in serious trouble there. With the number of right backs he has already picked, Lingard in after all? Ward-Prowse?
Brave Fart said:
Challo said:
You would have to take another centre mid. If Henderson is doubtful your leaving yourself paper thin in centre mid
Agreed. Looking at the centre midfield options:
- Henderson - not played for months, it's an extraordinary risk taking him; Southgate just said he (Hendo) was uncomfortable this morning and had to be scanned
- Rice - only recently returned from injury, missed some training this week, Southgate just said
- Phillips - also had a slight niggle recently, and Leeds play a completely different way to England
- Bellingham - promising player, but he's very inexperienced
Have already expressed my views on JWP so won't repeat them but one thing I'd say, JWP can play as a DM or an AM if needs be and with Rice's form wobbly, Henderson injured and now Trent (who can play DM as mentioned by Southgate) all struggling, JWP has to be the replacement. While I conceded that Lingard has done well, we have fewer DM's than we do AM's or strikers. Lingard's not going to get in ahead of Grealish, Foden, Mount and probably even Saka & Sterling so why bring him?
Only one or two come out of that 45 with any credit. JWP for his set pieces and general "not giving the ball away needlessly", Johnstone's done okay with his routine saves and um, that's about it.
The national dinner lady isn't having a great game; two dives and a lot of running into cul-de-sacs. One good run created a chance but other than that, not much else IMO.
The national dinner lady isn't having a great game; two dives and a lot of running into cul-de-sacs. One good run created a chance but other than that, not much else IMO.
He didn't give Lingard and Watkins very long tonight so I wonder whether that was because he knows they aren't going.
Depressing to hear Ashley Cole after the game saying he'd play Rashford and Sterling alongside Kane v Croatia. Neither of them should be anywhere near starting next Sunday.
Depressing to hear Ashley Cole after the game saying he'd play Rashford and Sterling alongside Kane v Croatia. Neither of them should be anywhere near starting next Sunday.
unident said:
What England isn’t and never really has been in living memory is a good team.
Excuse me chopping up your post, unident, but this bit is spot on. The moment we learn that the best 11 players don't always make the best team will be the day we start playing properly and have a chance to win stuff. Look at the days we had Gerrard & Lampard and successive managers shoe horned them in because they were the best 2 midfielders out there. And Scholes, wasn't he played out wide left or something at one point? Players that were world beaters at their clubs were suddenly playing like panel beaters because they were being played out of position. Words almost fail me.
I have nothing against Ben White, in fact you can make a case for him being in the squad ahead of Mings but to give JWP the chance of getting on to the plane, for him to then take that chance and create opportunities through his set pieces for others, and still he doesn't pick him?
I want no excuses from Southgate whenever we get knocked out as to players being out of position, overcooked, undercooked, long seasons etc. He has passed up the chance of picking arguably the best set piece taker in the Prem, someone who has played 320 games at the age of 26, rarely injure, captain at his club and who can actually take a pen (Hendo, you t
t) to replace him with someone who made their debut last Wednesday.
I have nothing against Ben White, in fact you can make a case for him being in the squad ahead of Mings but to give JWP the chance of getting on to the plane, for him to then take that chance and create opportunities through his set pieces for others, and still he doesn't pick him?
I want no excuses from Southgate whenever we get knocked out as to players being out of position, overcooked, undercooked, long seasons etc. He has passed up the chance of picking arguably the best set piece taker in the Prem, someone who has played 320 games at the age of 26, rarely injure, captain at his club and who can actually take a pen (Hendo, you t
t) to replace him with someone who made their debut last Wednesday.Brave Fart said:
Challo said:
If he has picked him because he can also play as a holding midfielder, then Southgate needs his head looking at. White plays as a CB and has played all season for Brighton at CB. This will be the same issue we had with Dier.
I agree on your point about warm up games. If we start with 5 at the back against Croatia you have to think what is the point.
Completely agree. If Southgate wants a good holding midfielder, JWP's your man. To take White as cover for Maguire tells you that Maguire isn't fit in the first place.I agree on your point about warm up games. If we start with 5 at the back against Croatia you have to think what is the point.
Surely the right thing to do is to remove Henderson and Maguire from the squad ("sorry lads, we can't include unfit players") and replace them with JWP and White?
As for the Croatia game, we'll play a back five - Southgate will tell the wing backs to be cautious - with Henderson/Phillips and Rice holding. Effectively a back seven, passing the ball backwards and sideways to each other, leading to a drab 0-0 draw. In fact, I can see three draws in the group stage with us playing exactly the same boring way right through. Ah well, good to have low expectations perhaps.
Henderson showed himself up yesterday, pulling rank on DCL. Hopefully Southgate will put him back in his box today at training..... a shame as I genuinely think Henderson is under rated but that was nothing short of an arrogant stunt yesterday. I did like Roy Keane's take on Henderson yesterday though...
https://twitter.com/FootyAccums/status/14015689523...
Edited by GloverMart on Monday 7th June 12:07
ChocolateFrog said:
Dracoro said:
Ben White is used to playing in back 3. Is better than Mings (who isn't!) too.
But I suspect a main reason is that he can also play holding centre midfield (which he did the other day before TAA got injured).
Personally, I think Southgate should have got rid of Mings too and put in someone like JWP.
The main issue England have is poor preparation. The last game or two before the competition, we should be pretty much playing with final 11 (I understand Ctiy/Chelsea players couldn't play but still..) in the formation preferred (back 3, but the last game playing back 4), we've had last few years to "practice" which formation he wants. The last game should be fine tuning, not experimenting..
Also, selecting a few injured/unfit players isn't wise either. I'd understand one if it was a Messi/Ronaldo quality player that worth gambling on, but not someone like Maguire (we may be knocked out before he is ready, and if we do get through you wouldn't want to change the defensive setup that late, so why bother!) Also, there are others of decent quality (Tarkowrski, Dunk, Webster etc.) all of which are not injured and fit.
I'm intrigued as to why the Chelsea and City players couldn't play?But I suspect a main reason is that he can also play holding centre midfield (which he did the other day before TAA got injured).
Personally, I think Southgate should have got rid of Mings too and put in someone like JWP.
The main issue England have is poor preparation. The last game or two before the competition, we should be pretty much playing with final 11 (I understand Ctiy/Chelsea players couldn't play but still..) in the formation preferred (back 3, but the last game playing back 4), we've had last few years to "practice" which formation he wants. The last game should be fine tuning, not experimenting..
Also, selecting a few injured/unfit players isn't wise either. I'd understand one if it was a Messi/Ronaldo quality player that worth gambling on, but not someone like Maguire (we may be knocked out before he is ready, and if we do get through you wouldn't want to change the defensive setup that late, so why bother!) Also, there are others of decent quality (Tarkowrski, Dunk, Webster etc.) all of which are not injured and fit.
They're capable of playing 2, if not 3 games a week.
They should have joined straight up with the squad if they want to be an England player, if not take yourself out of contention.
He then jokes about the dropped players having a chance to make him look silly (and let's get it right, whe he said that, he was on about Lingard, Watkins and JWP). One of them, JWP, makes him look silly by having a good hour in the final friendly so Southgate selects one of the others instead.
It's a farce.
aeropilot said:
ElectricSoup said:
I have a ticket to Wembley next Friday, confirmed as one of the lucky ones still allowed to go, and I'm double jabbed. Don't h8 on me, my bruvvers. 
I'm half Scottish, so its a win-win result for me 
A good time to pay tribute to a few people, methinks.
Firstly, Anthony Taylor. Easy to shout & bawl at refs for getting stuff wrong but he handled the whole thing brilliantly. His training for this sort of thing would have kicked into gear but he spotted the seriousness and acted right away. Well played ref...
Next, Simon Kjaer, the Danish captain. Made sure he hadn't swallowed his tongue and got him into the recovery position, could well have saved his life.
The rest of the Danish team, led by Kasper Schmeichel, forming a shield around him to prevent folk watching and to give the medics a chance to work on Eriksen without the gaze of the crowd on them. Schmeichel is a class act, his actions before after the Leicester owner's Top's helicopter crash and also at the FA Cup Final show him to be an unbelievable human being. His consoling of Eriksen's partner too, wow.
And the medics. Everyone turns out to a football match hoping they'll never be needed. Having watched thousands of matches over 50 years, I've seen many players stretchered off with broken legs or head wounds etc, none of them would have thought this would have happened today yet they were on there like a shot and saved his life.
There is a time and a place for apportioning negative thoughts towards the TV companies for showing stuff in too much detail but this is neither the time nor the place. Right now, let's just hope and pray that a 29-year-old bloke with a partner + two young children makes a 100% recovery from a horrible, horrible event.
Firstly, Anthony Taylor. Easy to shout & bawl at refs for getting stuff wrong but he handled the whole thing brilliantly. His training for this sort of thing would have kicked into gear but he spotted the seriousness and acted right away. Well played ref...
Next, Simon Kjaer, the Danish captain. Made sure he hadn't swallowed his tongue and got him into the recovery position, could well have saved his life.
The rest of the Danish team, led by Kasper Schmeichel, forming a shield around him to prevent folk watching and to give the medics a chance to work on Eriksen without the gaze of the crowd on them. Schmeichel is a class act, his actions before after the Leicester owner's Top's helicopter crash and also at the FA Cup Final show him to be an unbelievable human being. His consoling of Eriksen's partner too, wow.
And the medics. Everyone turns out to a football match hoping they'll never be needed. Having watched thousands of matches over 50 years, I've seen many players stretchered off with broken legs or head wounds etc, none of them would have thought this would have happened today yet they were on there like a shot and saved his life.
There is a time and a place for apportioning negative thoughts towards the TV companies for showing stuff in too much detail but this is neither the time nor the place. Right now, let's just hope and pray that a 29-year-old bloke with a partner + two young children makes a 100% recovery from a horrible, horrible event.
Driver101 said:
Eric Mc said:
There are two specific incidences where a player who is physically standing in an offside position will be deemed NOT to be offside-
1. The ball came to the offside player having been played by a defender (as in the situation tonight).
2. The offside player receives the ball from a throw in.
Them’s the rules.
The defender has to deliberately play the ball. 1. The ball came to the offside player having been played by a defender (as in the situation tonight).
2. The offside player receives the ball from a throw in.
Them’s the rules.
He was panicked into playing the ball and the outcome wasn't what he intended.
Is that deliberate?
mattyn1 said:
juice said:
Hope she's doing OK 
Thanks.... but no she isn’t ..... probably life changing for her but not life threatening but still pretty bad. Just say I am glad I am not female! Gassing Station | Football | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff