The one time sturridge is in the position he should be he scores, no point playing him out wide he's predictable cutting inside, he needs to be central. Walker deserves credit he was arguably our best player again eating up the ground, looking like a top class attacking full back
UEFA Euro 2016 Group B ** spoilers** (England, Slovakia, Russia, Wales)
- Thread starter Cosimo
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100% Agree. Sterling has played his last minutes in this tournament.
Walker on the first two games is the best right back in the tournament. Up and down that wing and full pelt. Providing plenty of options. Maybe needs to work a bit more on the defensive side, but promising player.
Llanna was doing just as well IMO - without those 2 players England would have been totally crushed.
Are people really, really blind enough to not see that one, Roy doesn't control the team and two, pundits are paid to hype players. They are now saying stuff like Rooney looks like he's played there forever, they are saying he's brilliant, he was absolutely awful. I also like they are playing his shot in slow motion to hide the fact that he tried a really basic pass into the far corner. The keeper randomly threw himself at it rather than walk over and pick it up.
MOTM tonight, dictating the play, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck and driving everyone forwards....
THese people are literally paid to talk up Rooney because he's worth a lot of money to the FA, he plays because he's worth a lot of money to the FA.
For 15+ years England picks all the most popular players from the biggest teams and starts them in systems that don't work, playing poorly and even if those players are horribly out of form then the manager gets the blame, we get a completely different manager but exactly the same strange popular players get into the team in similarly compromised systems to fit the big names in. This is either a complete coincidence, or the manager is basically a well paid figure head for the FA who chose the majority of the squad/starting lineups.
A post of complete and utter tosh!
LEADER
SHREK!
Some people are impossible to please, the serial whingers are out in force again!
We haven't played badly in either game.
We've dominated both games completely and utterly.
We were unlucky not to win the last one.
We are top of the group.
Both Russia and Wales were set up to defend, frustrate and counter. Wales once in front were all just defend and frustrate.
Yes Roy does some odd things, but at least he's learnt that Kane can't take a corner, maybe he's finally figured out that Sterling is pants... but I've seen enough to be pretty confident we'll beat Slovakia and finish top.
And seriously, some people just have this Rooney hatred ingrained, if you stick a different name on the back of that shirt he'd get a totally different review on the same performance.
We haven't played badly in either game.
We've dominated both games completely and utterly.
We were unlucky not to win the last one.
We are top of the group.
Both Russia and Wales were set up to defend, frustrate and counter. Wales once in front were all just defend and frustrate.
Yes Roy does some odd things, but at least he's learnt that Kane can't take a corner, maybe he's finally figured out that Sterling is pants... but I've seen enough to be pretty confident we'll beat Slovakia and finish top.
And seriously, some people just have this Rooney hatred ingrained, if you stick a different name on the back of that shirt he'd get a totally different review on the same performance.
Soldato
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Yeah, people go mad over playmakers like Kroos, Pirlo, Xavi, etc. I'm not suggesting Rooney is as good as any of them, but he's by no means embarrassed himself in that midfield role. He might slow play down a bit, but that's not always a bad thing. Keeping possession and controlling the flow of the game are hugely important and I think he does that well. Plus he's easily the best corner taker we've got, his set piece deliveries were way better than Kane.
Have to admit his corners were pretty solidly put today wasn't through any fault of his they didn't go in.
I argued for Rooney to be excluded from the squad pre-tournament but I have to say I think he's been pretty good. I don't think he's the best player on our pitch by any stretch but he kept the ball well and put delivered some good balls. I think he clearly deserves his place in the starting line-up.
Soldato
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We don't have a central midfielder with a passing range as good as Rooney, so for that reason alone he should play.
Dier, Rooney and Alli is a good combination I think. Bit of everything.
Dier, Rooney and Alli is a good combination I think. Bit of everything.
It is bland and ambivalent football. We score goals through luck rather than design. Our chance creation is really low and though we have bucket loads of possession we don't look dangerous. Lots of ponderous gentle probing rather than incisive attacks.
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What passing range? the majority of passes he makes are simple sideways and backwards passes to players in wide open space, even players like Shelvey play far more purposeful and penetrative passes to strikers.
The last time we had a good attacking threat was the Germany game when he was absent, 10 man Portugal, Russia and Wales we've struggled to create more than a couple of chances, it's like watching Manchester United who as it happens have something in common.
Llalana was a waste of space in the 1st game, there was only one way his performances could have gone from there
edit - didnt see the match , but sounds like England deserved the result , the highlights make it look like we nearly conceeded a 2nd after Sturridge scored (Bale header)
Slovakia game may well be the hardest of the group (even though they appeared to tire after about 70 mins in their game yesterday) - or at least England will make it hard for themselves.
I cant see anything other than a Wales win vs Russia, so while England qualify with a draw only a win will really do without getting a horrendous last 16 draw.
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We've not played well in either game. We were dominant vs Russia without creating many (any?) clear chances to score and today I disagree, we did play badly. Sterling chance aside, how many clear chances did we create today? I can honestly say I can't think of 1. Vardy scored from a 1 in 1000 incident and Sturridge creates something out of nothing in the last seconds.
Just because we're up against **** sides and naturally will be the more dominant side, it doesn't mean we played well/didn't play badly.
Hodgson's tactics today was to stick a couple of strikers on and hope for the best. There was no structure to how we played and no clear game plan and it showed. Despite playing against a far inferior side we struggled to create any chances and couldn't even manage a sustained period of pressure where we had the ball and pinned them back.
The midfield is a real issue. Dier can defend but he doesn't have the ability to get on the ball and control a game and while Rooney does have the ability, I'm far from convinced he knows how to play the role. As I said during the game, the fact that we ended with 2 strikers in the wide roles didn't help matters. Nobody knew what to do - Vardy couldn't run in behind because Wales were sat so deep & Sturridge was too often picking the ball up on the half way line.
Not that it'll happen but I'd like to see us play a diamond in midfield with Wilshere sitting then 2 of Henderson, Milner or Alli either side of him and Lallana behind Sturridge and Kane.
It's actually set not too bad, Winner group B plays 3rd place of A/C/D, nothing of note in there. Runner up B plays Runner up F Hungary or maybe Portugal if they don't pick it up
