International Football thread

[budgetmeansbudget]

And another example of why Stones is overrated.

Faffs about on the ball too much.

[st_brendy]

And another example of why Stones is overrated.

Faffs about on the ball too much.

Which is why he needs to get away from Martinez as soon as possible. Needs a manager who will get hold of him and tell him when to play safe, whilst keeping him as a ball playing defender.

[Aidan11]

Germany are stuffing Italy 4-0.

[mikesiva]

Narsingh scores...2-1.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Get off Milner you tw@t.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Milner is captain for the Holland game!!!

Win percentage with Milner in the side - 63%

Win percentage without Milner in the side - 47%

In the last two games.

Win percentage with Milner in the side - 0%

Win percentage without Milner in the side - 100%

Win percentage with Milner as captain - 0%

And 1 goal in 58 appearances.

[sussexpob]

Ill take this result as the practical joke it represents.

Danny Drinkwater and James Milner representing the best England has to offer?

[budgetmeansbudget]

Any friendly result that distances Milner from the starting eleven is a good one for me.

Dullest interview afterwards, the man is all round dull, he should be playing in grey.

Did I say I didn't rate Milner?

[sussexpob]

With good reason. He was useful a couple of years ago, but now he is pretty terrible

[Durhamfootman]

Just watched the highlights. Couldn't have been more different from Sat night. It took them half an hour to even wake up in the first half and they were slow out out of the blocks in the second half too.

Hard to know if it was the change in personnel or a change in team tactics that produced such a dull uninspiring performance, but it was like watching England of old, which is a shame.

Sturridge just kept giving the ball away, which seems normal actually. In fact his best contribution on the nght was when he left the ball for Lallana in the build up to the England goal.... a very well worked goal, I might add. It worries me that Lallana still hasn't scored an England goal, there seem to be hints of desperation creeping into his game with lots of speculative long range efforts when better options are available (not the goal though). In fact there are lots of long range shots these days, so perhaps this is symptomatic of so many places in the final 23 being still up for grabs.

Both goals conceded were unfortunate/unlucky, but that shouldn't detract from what was a pretty modest effort from the England boys last night

[budgetmeansbudget]

I think the two results have been beneficial in that two different line ups and formations have produced two completely different performances and results. So Woy should have a much clearer idea in his head about what his best starting line up actually is.

Trouble is, he's still got players like Rooney, Wilshere and the like muddying the waters, plus there's likely to be an injury or two to key players before the end of the season. I still can't get past the feeling that he will go into the tournament with a conservative approach and go too much to his tried and tested players from the past as opposed to the form players. I hope I'm wrong.

[sussexpob]

England's midfield were terrible last night. The fact Drinkwater won man of the match for tackling lots is the sort of ridiculous paper hype that usually forces managers to make bad decisions based on pressure created from very bad punditry. Drinkwater was terrible, and the reason he had to tackle so much was because his ball playing skill was tested so much, England lost the ball a lot in the centre. At one point he run in a circle because he seemed unable to pass. With the ball coming so slowly to the attacking phases of play, no wonder England could not do anything.

Lallana I thought had an ok game, but I agree he was trying hard. At least there was some dynamism in his play last night, however misguided that dynamism was. Lallana is direct and quick, and without that, that 11 would probably not have ever had a shot.

Milner doesnt have the legs anymore to get up the pitch, and has no technical ability at all. At one point he was sat just in front of Kyle Walker, who was trying to make a run to assist him, and didnt move. All night Walker tried to stretch the play only for Milner to stand there like a stone.

Ross Barkley? Lacks the touch to play at the top of the diamond, at one point he fell over trying to control an easy ball and was forced into a slide tackle to win it back......

Hard to judge Sturridge and Vardy because the midfield might as well not have been there.

[sussexpob]

I did notice a poll in the BBC website that suggested (at the time of the game) that only 4% of people felt Wayne Rooney should play. The worry about this team for me is Roy Hodgson himself, I think the Germany game proves that with a few people tweaked in positions (say Lallana, Rose to come out as I am not sure we have a fit and viable alternative for Henderson and will have to live with it), we have a young core squad that plays well together.

Yet Roy loves a few boys that have no right to be in the side. If he goes with his heart instead of his head, I think England's chances fade to nothing. He has to look at these last two games and make the right decisions on selection.

Be ballsy. Sack Rooney off. Sack Milner off. Dont even think about Wilshere.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Be ballsy. Sack Rooney off. Sack Milner off.

I think with Woy it's more likely he'll be replacing the "a" in sack with a "u".

[sussexpob]

Be ballsy. Sack Rooney off. Sack Milner off.

I think with Woy it's more likely he'll be replacing the "a" in sack with a "u".

He does love Milner and Rooney.... Oxlade-Chamberlain too... I expect all to play