I'd like to see statistics on how many set pieces were wasted, without a John Terry or Rio Ferdinand there's nobody who can win or attack the header. You watch Brazil, Italy etc and Thiago Silva or Chiellini will attack and win the header most of the time. We however have only Rooney at back post attacking a header and he's well below 6ft. Very poor.
FIFA World Cup 2014 - GROUP D [Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy - 14/19/20/24 June] **spoilers**
- Thread starter Cosimo
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Caporegime
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That second goal was more Jagielka's mistake than Gerrard's after watching the highlights on BBC. He went for a ball he was never going to get, realised he wasn't going to get it but had already left a massive gap in the back line for Suarez to run in to.
Been dire defending all round in this competition by us, we haven't conceded a goal yet where you can genuinely say 'That's a good goal' ... just absolutely **** defending for all 4.
Italy 1 - Totally switched off for the corner, Sturridge getting sold for the dummy, no one within 20 yards of the shot. The lad even had chance to roll the ball forward before hitting it, still no one remotely close.
Italy 2 - No cover for Baines, 2 on 1, then he gets turned ridiculously easy. No way near stopping the cross coming in, Cahill caught out by the flight.
Uruguay 1 - 3 players around Cavani and none of them close the ball down. 3 on 1, and the ball still comes into the danger area.
Uruguay 2 - Pants header from Stevie G and Jagielka massively out of position, Cahill could have possibly sensed the danger but I don't really point the finger at him.
Italy 1 - Totally switched off for the corner, Sturridge getting sold for the dummy, no one within 20 yards of the shot. The lad even had chance to roll the ball forward before hitting it, still no one remotely close.
Italy 2 - No cover for Baines, 2 on 1, then he gets turned ridiculously easy. No way near stopping the cross coming in, Cahill caught out by the flight.
Uruguay 1 - 3 players around Cavani and none of them close the ball down. 3 on 1, and the ball still comes into the danger area.
Uruguay 2 - Pants header from Stevie G and Jagielka massively out of position, Cahill could have possibly sensed the danger but I don't really point the finger at him.
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Love him, he was fantastic tonight and I don't blame him for rubbing it in. Sometimes in life you just have to tip your hat at excellence no matter how bitter you are.
Caporegime
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Well that would have been terrible, easy job, picking a crap team.
First off Rooney plays utterly different in every way to Suarez. He isn't as sharp, doesn't finish as well, doesn't look for the same space and absolutely is no where near in the interplay with the front three stakes.
The reason Sturridge/Rooney/Sterling didn't link up well together is Rooney kept slowing attacks down, he was busy chasing someone pointless and then not bursting forwards. The time Sterling played him in behind down the left was one of the only times he made a run like that in either games.
Liverpool have that front three making those runs on every attack, the movement and passing between the THREE of them is what creates that attack, when one of them slows it down, the attack stops. Rooney in there breaks the entire ethos of that attack and should never, ever have been started in that role or in either game.
Lallana likes the counter attacking and interplay style, Lambert isn't fast but is good at being upfront receiving the ball and playing in the wide players as they run behind which could also have worked. Rooney's inability to find the right passes and unwillingness to burst forward wouldn't have worked with those two, it's why despite all the running Sturridge and Sterling did their attacks resulted in very little. The extra man making the run in the box, either creating space or being available for the one-two would be the entire difference.
AS for Gerrard, 13 goals, 13 assists.... Sunderland, West Ham, Norwich, Fulham, Palace, Villa, Stoke, Hull, etc. he got two against Utd... and was genuinely good but Utd weren't, and I think an assist against City, a goal/assist against Everton.
He had some good games but he looked poor on MANY occasions. one of the reasons Liverpool's defence looked weak so often was Gerrard was really very poor there far far too often. The league being utterly **** below 8th meant he put in many performances with incredibly little real defending to do, and got his goals/assists and put in his best performances there.
He wasn't going to play well in these games based off playing well against the bottom 8 and ignoring his poorer games. He was very poor across both games.
Copying the Liverpool attack is fine, but you have to work out why Sterling/Sturridge/Suarez works and put in a similar player, someone who counter attacks, someone always looking to make the run, someone actually capable of making through balls. Rooney is no longer any of those things.
I wouldn't knock Sturridge or any of the forwards for dropping deep, if there was actually any creativity in midfield they wouldn't have to. No pace or range of passing for our forwards to make runs whoever they are. We might as well play Crouch and Carroll.
Jags was terrible, shocked no one has mentioned Terry yet, cahill wasn't much better. Terrible all round, but Suarez is on another planet compared to anyone in England. If he goes I bet Sturridge struggles to get 15 goals next year.
Jags was terrible, shocked no one has mentioned Terry yet, cahill wasn't much better. Terrible all round, but Suarez is on another planet compared to anyone in England. If he goes I bet Sturridge struggles to get 15 goals next year.
Cahill was considerably stronger than Jagielka for me, better in the air, more commanding at the back. It does help that he has pretty good pace to get him out of trouble a lot of the time.
Shame Terry couldn't have been brought out of retirement, yes he's a grade A bell but him and Cahill have been arguably the best centre half pairing in the Premierleague this season. Jagielka is just the second best we've got of a pretty mediocre bunch.
Goes to show what having someone like Suarez can do for, in my opinion, a pretty average team. 2 chances, 2 shots, 2 goals.
Trouble for England is, over the last 20 years we've been fairly solid at the back without being particularly amazing going forward, just solid all round. Now we're gash at the back and can barely score for toffee. Doesn't bode well, we can only hope the promising young lads we've got coming through can push on and become something special for the Euros.
Shame Terry couldn't have been brought out of retirement, yes he's a grade A bell but him and Cahill have been arguably the best centre half pairing in the Premierleague this season. Jagielka is just the second best we've got of a pretty mediocre bunch.
Goes to show what having someone like Suarez can do for, in my opinion, a pretty average team. 2 chances, 2 shots, 2 goals.
Trouble for England is, over the last 20 years we've been fairly solid at the back without being particularly amazing going forward, just solid all round. Now we're gash at the back and can barely score for toffee. Doesn't bode well, we can only hope the promising young lads we've got coming through can push on and become something special for the Euros.
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I think a fair bit of credit has to goto Uruguay as well. Tactically spot on. Dont man mark, drop the wide men off a good 5 or 10 yrds so that it nullified Johnson and Baines, also stopped any overlapping runs. Pretty much meant England had to play through the middle.
I wrote a long post about why I don't think Suarez will leave and then my phone crashed and lost it all.
Essentially I don't see Liverpool allowing him to go unless they think they can replace him/strengthen the team. For his part he is still willing to pay properly even after trying to leave last year.
He seems very mercenary and is probably out for more money.
Essentially I don't see Liverpool allowing him to go unless they think they can replace him/strengthen the team. For his part he is still willing to pay properly even after trying to leave last year.
He seems very mercenary and is probably out for more money.
I don't know a great deal about what happened last summer, but did anyone of actual merit come in with a formal offer? I know Arsenal did with the ol' £40 million and a penny, but Real/Barca etc?
That's the question, if Real came in with a silly offer would he try and push a deal though? Most probably. In these instances the player holds all the cards unfortunately.
I've got no love for the guy, he does make me laugh with his mannerisms etc but I don't get the whole 'I was vilified' whinging he comes out with, end of the day he gave the media as much ammunition as they could handle, and then some.
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Obviously we hype players. It's the press and morons obviously believe all they read and hear. I KNOW we're only an average football nation but I truly expected us to make the knockout stages.
Nonsense. Liverpool fans aren't England fans. And those that are both are bold enough to know the difference. As an England fan, as well as a Liverpool fan I'm glad it was Suarez that scored and good luck to him. He's taken a load of ***** here and most of it (although some of it's been warranted) has not been merited.
England have been stupendously poor. I can't believe the amount of post I've read saying otherwise. 70% possession etc. We've not been unlucky. We've been utterly crap. Traditional back 4, 2 holding midfielders and a front 4? I mean WTF is that? is it the 1970s? Is he back managing Halmstad?
Chile have shown how to attack when you'd rather not defend. As have Bosnia. Our problem is that we think we can. We'd rather not and we can't. Not well enough anyway. And we can't attack at pace with that fat lump playing.
So who's up for Roy's job?
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We're not an average football nation. We have one of the best leagues on the planet. Some of the best players in that league are English.
It's just an excuse for consistent under-performance. Whilst the FA rake it in and the England manager's position is one of the most highly paid positions in the sport.
He can hardly speka de Englsih. **** me, if they need ammunition, there's plenty about for the other ****s.
Caporegime
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Best league has NOTHING to do with the english squad, and exceptionally few of the best players in the league are English, hardly any in fact.
But they you're saying a front 4 is from the 70's, okay. Real played much of the season in a 4-4-2 and did so in the champs league. 4-3-3 isn't magically better, it's better if you have the tactics and squad to play that way, if you have better wingers and two top strikers 4-4-2 can work exceptionally well.
Holland played a 3-5-2 against Spain and won, that is a front four, and 3 at the back is often seen as very very old fashioned. If it works it works, that is ALL that matters in ANY formation. Anyone who thinks 1 striker is the only possibility is simply deluded.
None of them are playing with a back 4 and 2 holders, and a huge gap inbetween some headless chickens, mostly trying to get a fat lad to score. Which was my point.
You want to argue that Hodgson's tactics were on a par with Holland's or even Spain's? go ahead.
And when did you last see a team play 4-4-2 and it work really well? Against who?
The best teams this tournament are playing with 3 nominal defenders. Two CBs and a deep lying DM. The fullbacks are pushed right on. The best teams have been doing this for years. Barcelona have been playing Mascherano at CB FFS. Or did no-one notice? That's before we even get to the crap served up front.
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