World Cup Second Round - England v Ecuador **SPOILERS**

ballistic said:
Carragher was awful in the last game at right back, Ljunberg just destroyed him, will be interesting to see hargreaves there instead
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Beckham didn't go out of his way to help him. I'd rather stick with Carragher given the alternatives and hope that Neville recovers in time for the quarters. Both Robben and Simao will rip our right back to pieces unless Beckham starts pulling his weight.
 
While I'd agree that Carragher had an uncharacteristic poor game vs Sweden, I'd still rather have him in there than Hargreaves.

Against a side like Ecuador I'm not sure if we need 5 in midfield though. While Rooney is strong and can probably hold the ball up, he's also more of a link forward who likes to drop deep and get involved than an out-and-out target man. Crouch is at least scoring goals and I'd be tempted to stick with a 4-4-2, at least until we take the lead.
 
carragher's biggest problem was he was getting too much ball and he is not used to it really - he hurried and launched it or forced the central midfielder to come too deep. hacing hargreaves there is ok but in a sense means paying him last game was a bit redundant. carrick should now get the ball and hopefully him and hargreaves can keep it before gerrard/cole/lamps take over over the half way line.

in all three games we are still to see real pentration by england and real scoring opportunities asides from set plays and long shots. would have hoped lennon did enough to impress in his cameo - at least he could liven it up or play behind the striker. bemuses me that he hasn't used him more.

i have always thought rio and sol to be englands best pairing at the back and this mau give sol a chance to win a place - maybe at terrys ultimate expense. terry is the best premiership defender but he is a recovering def, one that reacts to his mistakes and offensive moves. rio and sol bring out the best in eachother.

just a few thoughts i have been having

still think ashton would have made a difference in this team no doubt - but then i guess any fit striker would have. there's no problem only taking 4 stikers but there is serious problems when 2 are not fit!

in a weird way its best if england do not score first or early - they always seem to worry me too much in that way. against argentina it was nip and tuck and we had to play the whole game, making chances all the time - that's how we need to play
 
dunno bout rooney on his own, he really likes to drop deep, at least with crouch out it will hopefully keep the long balls to a minimum ....

btw has anyone else noticed how many of those excellent long range passes beckham keeps gifting to the opposition?? we will b punished if that continues ....
 
Rio is injured though, which is why he's not featuring, and quite frankly, Sol isn't a patch on what he used to be. Terry is a better defender these days, and deserves to start ahead of him with Rio these days. Trouble is, Rio and Sol works, and Rio and Terry works, but Terry and Sol doesn't, and could be trouble over 90 mins. They both need a faster guy next to them to pick up the slack.
 
Perhaps the main reason Carragher has been dropped from right back is because he's needed as cover for central defence because Sol has hardly played and he was partly to blame for Sweden's second goal. If Rio doesn't start then Carragher will in place of him, at least I hope so - Sol shouldn't even be in the squad really.
 
I don't know why Hargreaves can't play in the same postion as against Sweden. That's his natural position and he was one of the best players on the pitch, why put him at right back?

I know Carragher has a bad game but most of the time he's stable in that position. Rooney is not fit enough to go a full game up front on his own, I would at least have Crouch with him and mix it up a bit with long and short balls, generally the south americans don't like long balls and crosses into the box.

I can see a very frustrating England game ahead if we play with 5-4-1 :rolleyes:
 
England will win comfortably. Those who understand football will say that Beckham, who created all of England's goals and other decent chances, had a good game. Everyone else will say that he was terrible, blame him for Equador's sole shot on goal, a throw in that Joe Cole conceded in the top left hand corner of the pitch, France qualifying for the second round and the war in Iraq. They will then demand that Sven shows the courage to drop him for the next round. Same as usual really.
 
TomHark said:
England will win comfortably. Those who understand football will say that Beckham, who created all of England's goals and other decent chances, had a good game. Everyone else will say that he was terrible, blame him for Equador's sole shot on goal, a throw in that Joe Cole conceded in the top left hand corner of the pitch, France qualifying for the second round and the war in Iraq. They will then demand that Sven shows the courage to drop him for the next round. Same as usual really.
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why do some people back beckham so much? he's been distinctly average for the last 4 years, can no longer run, dribble past players, defend, shoot like he used to or in fact do anything other than 50 yard long balls which Gerrard has been critisicing him for and lampard and gerrard can pass 30-40 yards anyway. This guy is the worst player in the team.
 
I have to agree. Beckham is not playing well and he knows it. If Beckham is not performing (other than the odd set piece) he should not start. FACT. Give his place to someone who will be hungry, have more energy, is more skillful, faster. That player is Lennon.

Gerrard and Lampard can do what Beckham does @ free-kicks and corners, they can also pass as well too. Lennon will put their left back under pressure and stop him from getting forward, something Beckham didn't do against Sweden.

As for reports of Carrick starting in midfield and Hargreaves dropping to right back in place of Carragher, well, WTF?! IMO thats weakening the team. Hargreaves is not a right back, this was evident against Belarus, and should start in midfield, leaving Carragher at right back. If Sven is going 4-1-4-1/4-5-1 the team should be:

|--------------Robinson-----------------|

|-Carragher---Rio/Sol---Terry----A.Cole-|

|-------------Hargreaves---------------|

|-Lennon---Gerrard--Lampard---J.Cole---|

|--------------Rooney------------------|


Personally I would go like this against Ecuador.

4-4-2 Because it's what we know.

|--------------Robinson-----------------|

|-Carragher---Rio/Sol---Terry----A.Cole-|

|-Lennon---Gerrard--Lampard---J.Cole---|

|--------Walcott-----Rooney------------|

That's never gonna happen though because Sven is a numpty.
 
I can see why Sven has picked the team as he has - he likes to be able to change formation without using subs.Great in theory,almost always **** in practice -too much confusion.
 
even Geoff Hurst thinks Beckham should be dropped

Sir Geoff Hurst believes England should drop captain David Beckham for Sunday's second-round clash with Ecuador in Stuttgart.

England's 1966 final hat-trick hero wants Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon to be picked ahead of Beckham on the right flank. Hurst told the London Evening Standard: "David Beckham has been a great captain and servant for England but I thought young Aaron Lennon was a breath of fresh air when he came on as a substitute against Trinidad and Tobago.

"At this level of the game you need pace and the ability to beat defenders and he has both. I would keep Owen Hargreaves as the holding player and have four across the middle. My four would be Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Lennon."
 
So Hargreaves has his best game in an England shirt, added some resilience to our midfield so Sven shoves him in right back? I really don't understand what Sven is thinking :(.
 
I dont like the look of the formation at all, rooney up front on his own, the lad will be puffing and panting by half time, i just hope the weather isnt as hot, the temp for sun is up and down at the moment.

I hope we see wallcot and lennon at some point.
 
I hope Ecuador do go through, purely to put a stop to the tedious "back to the England camp" moments in every bloody match. I dont know how much more of Garth Crooks i can take!
 
ballistic said:
even Geoff Hurst thinks Beckham should be dropped

Sir Geoff Hurst believes England should drop captain David Beckham for Sunday's second-round clash with Ecuador in Stuttgart.

England's 1966 final hat-trick hero wants Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon to be picked ahead of Beckham on the right flank. Hurst told the London Evening Standard: "David Beckham has been a great captain and servant for England but I thought young Aaron Lennon was a breath of fresh air when he came on as a substitute against Trinidad and Tobago.

"At this level of the game you need pace and the ability to beat defenders and he has both. I would keep Owen Hargreaves as the holding player and have four across the middle. My four would be Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Lennon."
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Yeah drop your captain in the middle of the world cup is the thing to do. Amazing how much rubbish these former players talk. Lennon did ok but it was only Trinidad and Tobago. Also he came on right near the end so their players were tired anyway. Lennon is one for the future but Beckham isn't doing as bad as some are making it out, ok so he made a mistake against Sweden but John Terry (who is suppose to be Englands best CB) made a far worse mistake right at the end but nobody is slating him. Also imo Lampard has been far worse than Beckham. Does that guy not realise as a midfielder passing is an option, every chance he gets he shoots and misses. He might have a good shot but a CM should have much more to their game.
 
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