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

sussexpob wrote:Australia is a sporting nation that punches above its weight, so I'm sure if it cared that much, it would do something about it

Participation rates of Football in aus are high, but the draw of Aussie Rules football is higher. Much easier to get to a decent level and earn a decent income.

I also think that Australian teams in the A league are not doing enough to grow the game. They are out of touch with suburban football and there are still deep roots along historical identities.

Cristian Volpato is potentially a huge player coming through for Australia but he might also choose to play for Italy.

Good old Sir Gareth

names 5 midfielders, half a dozen attackers and 79 defenders in his squad for the upcoming nations league matches and now only has 4 midfielders because Phillips didn't make today's squad because of an injury picked up after coming on as a run the clock down sub the other night and might require shoulder surgery..... SG will probably call up a defender to replace him

hopeless



incidentally.... Phillips has only played 14 minutes of football this season after his big money move to Man City and now his world cup is at risk.

well.... that was entirely predictable

England lose... again

they fail to score.... again

Strikes me that Sir Gareth is so pendantic in his approach to team selection, that opposition teams probably have a really, really good idea which players they'll be playing against and how they're going to play, before the England plane even lands. Plenty of time to work out how to beat them

I could be wrong, but this is 3 defeats in the winless 5 games and I think England have only managed to score 2 penalties in those 5 matches. I'm sure that's right

Not a good look, really

oh... and they are now relegated to the second division in the Nations league thingy

here's a thought SG.... why not try picking your squad from the players in form and leave the ones who are in such bad nick they can't get a game for their clubs at home. Radical idea, I know

Sir G thinks that tonights performance was a step in the right direction

So that's nice

I only saw the last 20 mins, so presumably for the first 70 mins England were amazing. Must be just my luck, that I missed that

Picks a billion defenders, plays a person who's been a source of ridicule for the last year or so by being consistently a clown.

I think you can sum up Gareth on his picking 3-4-3... like you instantly knew he would switch to the cool tactic of the day for all poor quality sides with bad managers (save Conte) just because he's equally unoriginal and tactically inept.

Playing a back three with Maguire as the outside left CB.... like playing him full stop at the moment is hard enough to believe, as he's been a total clown.... but in a formation that requires quickness and agility over brawn, Italy just exploited that all day.

And why do people think Declan Rice is good? He just does nothing of any use.

And we have to put up with another weekend without any decent football to watch on the telly.

A right stop start Premier league season this is turning out to be. Incorrectly stopped because the Queen dies, stopped 2 weeks later to watch Gareth Southgates attempt to put a team of some of the best paid players in the world together then stopped again for month or more to watch a world cup in a country where it should never have been held in the first place.

Didn't like Southgate when he was appointed, liked him less when he bottled the last world Cup and the Euros, and can't stand him now that he has entered a predictable period in his tenure when he hasn't a clue what to do.

I say sack him now and pay Pep whatever he needs to manage the team during the WC. He won't be doing much else during the forced break after all!

As Sussex says this guy only knows defending and only knows old school defending where defenders are slow, and lump the ball up the pitch as soon as they get it. What on earth is Macguire doing in that 11 last night. Dier Walker Rice Shaw all utterly useless and Pope, although a decent keeper has no ball skills.

The only positive from last night is that Jude Bellingham simply has to start against Iran. He's young, hungry, has masses of ability and actually gives a damn. It probably helps that he will be playing for a lucrative Premier league contract in January.

Just think if we go out at the group stage, we've got to sit through another 3 weeks of this farce of a tournament without any interest before we get back to the Premier league.

What happened to Southgates supposed knighthood in January, Queen probably heard the public and decided no, an OBE is all your good for, and you don't really deserve that. Good to know he thought last night's performance was an improvement, what a uncharasmatic moron.

Southgates managerial records currently reads 2 teams managed. No trophies won, but relegated twice.

I think its the little details you see all over the team that, for me, have always shown Gareth can't manage himself out of a paper bag. I think to myself would literally any side in the top two divisions of British football give him a job? Probably actually, there are some idiot chairman's out there, but its like watching a bad amateur coach. He just seems to pick a formation and a team without really understanding how it all works.

I mean, the 3-4-3 formation sort of accepts you will be ganged up in the centre of midfield.... when Chelsea won the league with it under Conte 6 odd years ago, Kante was a total heat-sinking rocket, and Cesc Fabragas is arguably the best passing midfielder to have ever played in the PL. So with that quality it works.

But Declan Rice passes with the speed of a Glacier melting in summer. And he's not exactly that mobile either, so his defensive play isnt great. Maybe in a 4-5-1 where he's the defensive player in a 3 that just passes to a playmaker he'd be ok, but with a two you simply cant have a person with zero, and I mean zero, attacking intent or ability.

You end up with teams 3 v 2 in the centre, who dont even need to worry about Rice. Double mark the second guy and thats it. Let Rice have all the space in the world to pass backwards.

So regardless of how much quality you have in the final third, if the ball gets jammed 40 yards behind, it doesnt matter.

I mean look at spurs currently - Bentancur and Hojberg are not exactly world class footballers, but they work hard as a 2 and try to get the ball to the forward with minimal fuss.

For me Ward-Prowse is far better than Declan Rice, even if he wants that defensive style midfielder in there.

I've backed Southgate over the last few years but he is now under massive pressure this winter. I missed last night's game, which was a good thing by the sounds of it. The worrying thing for me is our attack. Kane coming deep doesn't help.
Back to not much hope for the world Cup after a couple of years of partial success.

what struck me was him playing Sako as a left wing back

why?

Dier as the central centre back

why?

are there not any English players in the PL who naturally play in those positions? Presumably there can't be, because something as simple as being woefully out of form doesn't appear to be a natural barrier to selection

about three quarters of the squad he picked were defenders, but despite this he chose to play Sako in a defensive position that I'm pretty sure he's never played before

Wales will be champing at the bit to put one over on an England continuing to play these chumps. They'll want to play now before Sir Gareth gets the sack and someone with an ounce of tactical nous gets put in charge. You could replace him with Steve Bruce and it'd be a big step up in tactical acumen

Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell are all we have in that position and they have been injured/not playing for most of the last year.

But you're right Sako looked like a duck out of water, and I reckon his confidence will have taken a bit of a knock after his performance last night.

I can't stand Kyle Walker but he's Southgates first choice on the right meaning that a stack of talented right backs won't get a game or are played out of position.

SG used to play Trippier on the left most of the time and he's in good nick, so he decides to play Sako there instead. Presumably this was some sort of experiment

didn't work, Gareth

True DFM but again not his natural position.

But a dead ball specialist, and worth having him in the side for his free kicks and corner taking.

budgetmeansbudget wrote:True DFM but again not his natural position.

But a dead ball specialist, and worth having him in the side for his free kicks and corner taking.

is that you Sam Allardyce?

I'd play tripper with a back three at present. BUT I would personally play a back four

Things couldn't have gone worse for Macguire, responsible for both German goals, and the first one was embarrassing.