World Cup Group B (England, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Sweden) **SPOILERS**
- Thread starter Big Kev
- Start date
A few thoughts in the cold light of day!
Lennon made a huge difference - he needs to start.
Owen is dreadfully out of form - on the bench, then bring him on if we need him.
Crouch did what he was supposed to do - won some headers and scored a goal.
Gerrard needs more freedom to come forward and probably should be captain.
Beckham is pretty ineffectual and not a strong enough personality to captain the team.
The defence looks a bit creaky - Ferdinand especially: Terry was a rock though.
Lampard and Gerrard aren't combining well at all.
The introduction of Rooney seemed to inspire the team - they actually started running rather than walking.
What I'd do (with my huge experience of international football management
)
Put Owen on the bench, play Rooney and Crouch from the start. If that doesn't work, sub Owen for Crouch.
Play Lennon from the start, then if that wide play doesn't work bring on Lampard to play more though the middle.
Get the team to make short passes, and to actually GO FORWARD with the ball rather than either lobbing it up in the air ALL THE TIME or passing backwards at a walk.
Not sure how Mclaren got the job instead of me really
Lennon made a huge difference - he needs to start.
Owen is dreadfully out of form - on the bench, then bring him on if we need him.
Crouch did what he was supposed to do - won some headers and scored a goal.
Gerrard needs more freedom to come forward and probably should be captain.
Beckham is pretty ineffectual and not a strong enough personality to captain the team.
The defence looks a bit creaky - Ferdinand especially: Terry was a rock though.
Lampard and Gerrard aren't combining well at all.
The introduction of Rooney seemed to inspire the team - they actually started running rather than walking.
What I'd do (with my huge experience of international football management
)Put Owen on the bench, play Rooney and Crouch from the start. If that doesn't work, sub Owen for Crouch.
Play Lennon from the start, then if that wide play doesn't work bring on Lampard to play more though the middle.
Get the team to make short passes, and to actually GO FORWARD with the ball rather than either lobbing it up in the air ALL THE TIME or passing backwards at a walk.
Not sure how Mclaren got the job instead of me really
In my opinion Crouch was playing much worse than Owen before the Rooney substitution, at least when the ball was played to Owen's feet he looked like he knew what he was doing, unlike Crouch who looks awkward and doesn't seem to want to use his size to his advantage. I'm just worried that after the Crouch goal, it will be some sort of justification for keeping him in the starting 11.
Seeing as we're already in the second round I'd give Owen a chance to win his place back, give him balls on the ground, not stupid brainless long balls, and let him try and do what he's good at.
Was anyone else pleased when we got the first goal, but disappointed that it was Crouch?
Seeing as we're already in the second round I'd give Owen a chance to win his place back, give him balls on the ground, not stupid brainless long balls, and let him try and do what he's good at.
Was anyone else pleased when we got the first goal, but disappointed that it was Crouch?
A wins a win, but we're not dominating the midfield as I had hoped with arguably 2 of the worlds greatest central midfielders.
My theory is apart from Lampard and Gerrard not used to playing with each other (not sure they can use that one for much longer) is the fact at both their respective league clubs, they are both really given a free role to bomb forward at any given opportunity. Where as for England they are having to take turns covering when the other goes forward, this immedietly puts another responsibility on the two, having to watch closely what the other is doing. With the introduction of a holding midfielder, I forsee both of them causing havok bombing forward at the same time.
Who is sacrificed to incorporate a holding player is another matter though, with Owen still lacking sharpness I'd say we should keep starting him. However if we dropped Owen and let Crouch go up front on his own, Owen off the bench would be a potent sub at around 60 minutes.
My theory is apart from Lampard and Gerrard not used to playing with each other (not sure they can use that one for much longer) is the fact at both their respective league clubs, they are both really given a free role to bomb forward at any given opportunity. Where as for England they are having to take turns covering when the other goes forward, this immedietly puts another responsibility on the two, having to watch closely what the other is doing. With the introduction of a holding midfielder, I forsee both of them causing havok bombing forward at the same time.
Who is sacrificed to incorporate a holding player is another matter though, with Owen still lacking sharpness I'd say we should keep starting him. However if we dropped Owen and let Crouch go up front on his own, Owen off the bench would be a potent sub at around 60 minutes.
Soldato
- Joined
- 28 Nov 2005
- Posts
- 13,001
we should play a holding role always...
alternating between lampard and gerrard for attacking midfield.
beckham and lennon is a difficult choice...lennon is class but cant realy cross well.
up front.. sorry crouch.. but owen and rooney will be a more goal scoring partnership
alternating between lampard and gerrard for attacking midfield.
beckham and lennon is a difficult choice...lennon is class but cant realy cross well.
up front.. sorry crouch.. but owen and rooney will be a more goal scoring partnership
I think Sven should show some balls really and play either Gerrard or Lampard and not both. It does not work end of story. If you play a holding midfielder with the two of them then the side looks unbalanced as you have no natural width as Beckham and Joe Cole are not wingers. Plus when Rooney is fit he is also maurading from Midfield down the middle as well
I wouldn't say we should always playing a holding midfielder, as against lesser teams its generally not needed. However getting a system that work for England may invole one so who knows.
Rooney looked good when he first came on, dwindled quite quickly imo. Owen also didn't look anywhere near his best. Of course they are only going to get their sharpness back when they play more, though Owens game is all about confidence bringing him on as a sub will make him more effective in my eyes.
Stag's Sweden game plan:
---------Robbo---------
Carra - Rio - Terry - Cole
--------Carrick---------
--Gerard------Lampard--
Beckham--------Cole----
--------Crouch--------
Ashley C and Gerard providing the width down each flank with Beckham cutting inside.
At 45-60 mins if the game is still level intoduce prefered team for later stages:
---------Robbo-----------
Carra - Rio - Terry - Cole
Beckham-Gerard--Lamps-Cole
-----Owen - Rooney--------
If we're still having trouble breaking them down, I'd take Carra off for Lennon and stick Beckham at RB. Beckham at RB might be a risk, but Lennon showed he can make space for him down the right against T&T.
Rooney looked good when he first came on, dwindled quite quickly imo. Owen also didn't look anywhere near his best. Of course they are only going to get their sharpness back when they play more, though Owens game is all about confidence bringing him on as a sub will make him more effective in my eyes.
Stag's Sweden game plan:
---------Robbo---------
Carra - Rio - Terry - Cole
--------Carrick---------
--Gerard------Lampard--
Beckham--------Cole----
--------Crouch--------
Ashley C and Gerard providing the width down each flank with Beckham cutting inside.
At 45-60 mins if the game is still level intoduce prefered team for later stages:
---------Robbo-----------
Carra - Rio - Terry - Cole
Beckham-Gerard--Lamps-Cole
-----Owen - Rooney--------
If we're still having trouble breaking them down, I'd take Carra off for Lennon and stick Beckham at RB. Beckham at RB might be a risk, but Lennon showed he can make space for him down the right against T&T.
It's alright saying play a holding midfielder, but who? I have serious doubts that Carrick could do the job against the biggest sides, Carragher just isn't forward thinking enough, it didn't work for Beckham, Hargreaves plays/ed there but...
We just don't have a holding midfielder up to the task.
It's also alright saying to start with Lennon, but there's no end product with him on the wings, and unless we have a holding midfielder to allow him to draw players out for Gerrard/Lampard to bomb forward, he won't do the business over the 90.
It's all there on paper, but it's hard to put the pieces together. Kudos to Sven for putting it right, tactically, with the subs though.
(And the irony, that the two most criticised English players scored/made the goal last night...)
We just don't have a holding midfielder up to the task.
It's also alright saying to start with Lennon, but there's no end product with him on the wings, and unless we have a holding midfielder to allow him to draw players out for Gerrard/Lampard to bomb forward, he won't do the business over the 90.
It's all there on paper, but it's hard to put the pieces together. Kudos to Sven for putting it right, tactically, with the subs though.
(And the irony, that the two most criticised English players scored/made the goal last night...)
A holding midfielder doesnt have to be some kind of bruiser though. Its someone who needs tidys up in front of the back four and sets the tempo and pace of the team. At the moment we have nobody who dictates play like this. I think against Sweeden it would be worthwhile trying Carrick there as he can do that job.
Loki said:
At whose expense? I never suggested that the player needed to be a bruiser, but there are qualities that players such as Makelele and Viera have as holding midfielders that our (potential holding mids) don't.
I can't see Carrick breaking up or dictating play at the top level, I can't see him distributing the ball as well as others... But like you say he might come good.
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