[fuentga]

Folks..I dont mean to challenge here but over the years I have noticed that England has not developed a #10 playmaker along the lines of a Pele, Zico, Maradona, Valderrama, 0rtega, Del Piero, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ron Gaucho, Juninho Paulisto, Figo, Z.Z. etc..

It seems from the outside that England tends to punish creative players..Rix, Hoddle, Waddle, Alan Hudson, Rodney Marsch, LeTessier..etc..

The closest they have come to a true #10 is Gazza in recent memory..I always laugh when I see that England wants Scholes to be the playmaker..he does not have the visison or the skills to play in that position..

In Latin America they seem to grow them on trees..see Pablo Aimar, Saviola, Tevez, among others..

So, what is going on?..Can this explain the lack of major success at the WC since '66?

[ursula]

I think I'll move this over to the England forum....there just may be more of a response there...

[appoo]

I'm not sure what number Paul Scholes wears but I always thought he was one of the best playmakers in the world. And he has a great understudy in Owen Hargraeves. I mean, us Americans have a #10 in Reyna and a future playmaker in Kyle Martino, but i'd rather have Scholes and Hargraeves than Reyna and Martino

[sinner78]

Ever heard of Joe Cole???

[Belgian guy]

Cole is good, but he has never proven himself on the highest level (world cup, champions league). Sven seems to see him as a wildcard he can put on when things aren't going Englands way, rather than a starter on the nr 10 position. But let's face it, this isn't really a problem that only England has, is it? A greatly talented side as the Dutch don't have a real nr. 10 either, Ballack comes close, but tells the people himself he doesn't consider himself to be a nr. 10, so neither do the Germans. According to me only 3 sides in Europe have real old fashion nr. ten, namely Portugal with Rui Costa, France with Zidane and Italy with Totti. Raul could do it, but his position in the Spanish NT seems to be more of a support striker. So it is hardly a shame for a nation not to produce a great nr. 10, considering that according to me right now only about 10-15 guys are good enough to pull it of succesfully on the highest level...

[Prenn]

Also the concept of a continental style #10 in English football is a bit off, In England the #10 is a striker. The playmaker is usually a central midfielder these days, they used to be wingers but not anymore.

Saying England doesn't have a '#10' is akin to saying that Italy don't have any wingers.

[Clan]

Originally posted by Prenn
Also the concept of a continental style #10 in English football is a bit off, In England the #10 is a striker. The playmaker is usually a central midfielder these days, they used to be wingers but not anymore.

Saying England doesn't have a '#10' is akin to saying that Italy don't have any wingers.

I was just about to say that the current European Footballer of the year is an excellent #10...

[SJFC4ever]

Well that is the point exactly. In "British" (I say British because there is no #10 concept in Scotland either) football, Owen is given the #10 shirt. On the continent, he would be given the #9, because he is a goal-getter who plays on the shoulder of the last defender.

Using the continental definition of #10, Scholes is by far the closest England has. Yet he is rarely used there.

There would be an argument for playing two wingers and no #10 if England had good wingers on each side. Yet they only have Beckham on the right (and even he likes to come inside), and nothing on the left.

What would make more sense is a 4-3-1-2 with Scholes as the 1. I understand they used this in the second half against Slovakia, and it worked pretty well then.

[Doctor Stamen]

In time, Matt Jansen may be a sort of 'Number 10', that the original poster was reffering to. I think that the current crop of players would find it a bit difficult to play in a system with a No. 10 in the Figo, Rivaldo etc. mould.

[sydtheeagle]

Originally posted by fuentga
I always laugh when I see that England wants Scholes to be the playmaker..he does not have the visison or the skills to play in that position..

I always laugh when I see people call a Champions League Winning, triple medal holding, multi-premiership title winning fulcrum of perhaps the best domestic team ever produced in England, who has consistently scored and made goals at international level and whom people who actually know something about football consider one of England's few truly world class players, somehow lacking in vision.