Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Id be less inclined to say its racist, simply because we lived in a time when Beckham received an annihilation to his reputation after 1998, and the press have always gone after a fall guy. Yet, there has always been people who have unfairly questioned his performances and attitudes imo, Budget being one of those here. It does seem he gets very little acknowledgement for his achievements compared to others. Why is that, I cant honestly tell you. I am not saying at all that budget is a racist either, I would like that to be strongly put.

I guess his attitude in leaving Liverpool may have made a lot of people judge him.

I guess the difference with Sterling is, others have been build up to be tore down.... Sterling has never really been built up, his abilities were being questioned even when he was a late teenager showing bags of promise.

Hes still only 23!

There is a big difference now though between 98 and 18. With Brexit and Trump and the rise of the alt right i cant help but feel that Sterling is being picked on because of more than his footballing ability. In the current environment its hard not to think that way.

Just my views, but as you say, they are taking aim at arguably England's best young player. Obviously the Sun love to see failure more than success and that's what they deal in.

I quite like the squad. There was no point taking Hart as a number three, just for his (bad) experience. No Wilshere or Shelvey suggests Southgate wants a solid defence with the attack coming mainly from the wings.

My starting XI vs Tunisia would be:

.......................Pickford.....................

..........Walker.....Maguire.........Jones..........

...........henderson...............Dier...........

Arnold......................................Rose

Sterling.................Kane............Rashford

You'd play two wing backs with two wide forwards and no ten?

sussexpob wrote:You'd play two wing backs with two wide forwards and no ten?

Yep. Sterling and rashford won't be wide wide anyhow. I think that's pretty much how Southgate may play it, or go 4-4-2 and get Ali in.

Big world cup for Sterling, Kane and Ali. Chance to enhance their reputations

Gingerfinch wrote: Yep. Sterling and rashford won't be wide wide anyhow. I think that's pretty much how Southgate may play it, or go 4-4-2 and get Ali in.

Such a formation I doubt has been used much, and for a pretty good reason.

From the back up, a three man central defensive system requires not only your defenders to be extremely disciplined and well drilled, but your outside two have to be well above average pace to be able to deal with covering the wing backs, whos main job in such a system is to provide attacking width and defensive cover. Phil Jones is a bumbling powerhouse type defender, but Eden Hazard showed us just how great he was covering space in the open in the cup final.... ie, not very good. Kyle Walker has, and can, play that role well. Is Maguire better than Stones? That central pin in the 3 man system has to be the man with good on the ball ability.

Either way, your suggested team basically has 3 central players out of 7 in it. Again, these systems often require you to high press the ball to give time to the wing backs to get back, but if the ball is in a central area you cant press with cm's if this is the only central players covering a huge gap. Plus, 3-5-2 systems require a target man to hold up the ball and allow the wide men to come into zones, and you really need a ball playing cm in the engine room to allows bring the ball forwards.

I think England would get slaughtered playing like this. Unless you are suggesting a 3-4-3? With 3 cbs, the 2 wing backs being the wide men in the midfield but more conventional wide midfielders, with a spread out forward line of two wider forwards?

Again though, one has to question defensively if England have the men or the tactic genius to drill that into them to make it work.

Think its worth remembering you are asking a lot of the central midfielders in a system like these, and this is where we have our least gifted, least versatile people.

Personally, I think I would go with......

Keeper - open slot. Personally think Butland is the better on previous performance, but Id rotate it in the friendlies with the spot up for grabs.

Walker------- Stones-----Maguire-----Rose

Loftus-Cheek------Dier

Rashford-----Alli-----Sterling

Kane

Full backs are established quality, we know that they can do the job. Centre backs, you cant look past Stones as part of the best defence in the Premier League. Maguire is in there because hes a stable bread and butter choice, while Stones on the outside can play ball on the ground so no need to think about that much.

In the midfielder, as Southgate is brain dead and hasnt taken any ball playing playmakers, you have to play Alli in that advanced role. Loftus-Cheek is your box to box driving force, with Dier dropping back to cover defensively when teams counter. As a unit, you have all of these coming from teams (apart from Rashford) that high press the ball well, and if Southgate doesnt do that when he clearly isnt watching modern football in England, or worse not understanding it. Sterling, Alli and Rashford are all mobile and pretty fit, so should be looking especially against the worst teams in the group to really put the press on the opposition in their own territory and look to recycle lost balls in the advanced third of the field. I doubt many Tunisian or Panama defenders have technical ability playing out from the back to cope with such a ferocious high press. Even Premier League teams struggle against City and Spurs.

Sterling and Rashford then both play with the overlapping full backs, and both are capable of cutting inside and causing problems on the ground with ball at feet, and with the quality of their delivery.

Kane obviously is a no brainer, but I like the energy Vardy brings. As a potential extra time sub late in a game Vardy could be very dangerous, or even if you take the lead and then breaking. Welbeck has developed into a very good defensive winger that presses the ball well. If we get to the latter stages Welbecks better work off the ball could be useful.

Personally I dont want to pick Henderson, I think Id even go to Delph before him, because he just doesnt do much.

sussexpob wrote: you have to play Alli in that advanced role.

I think Southgate will go with Lingard. He's stuck with him throughout the friendlies.

unless, of course, Southgate is holding Alli back (in Brearley fashion) just to fire him up. The biggest thing that Alli has going for him is his understanding (presumably) with Kane at club level... and that is decent reason to pick him, because he undoubtedly has the quality to be successful at international level (assuming he can stay on his blooming feet)

There is an air of Alistair Cook with a point to prove in Raheem Stirling this afternoon. #TenuousCricketLink

To extend that analogy I would say that he is in his 60s and needs to push on for the ton.

That dive looking for the penalty wont have helped his cause.....

This game definitely has a friendly vibe.

I noticed from the highlights that Alli got booed every time he touched the ball. Is there a reason for that?