England Senior Team General Discussion Thread

Slovenia went there for a point. The late goal for Scotland didn't really change anything, as if we hit 19 points it will require either Slovakia or Slovenia to win 4 out of 5 and that isn't going to happen. I can see second place finishing with 16/17 points.

 

Not sure I'm quite with the papers this morning about bigging up the chances of Defoe going to the World Cup if we make it. Ok as it stands with all the injuries but by the time the World Cup comes by we surely have most of our strikers back then.

 

well, I don't think he should be a guaranteed starter just bc he scores goals in the PL. was poor this summer and doesn't have the technique nor the creativity to play in this position at international level IMO.

 

We need 3 more wins and we should be safe to qualify. The only worry is Scotland at Hampden park. Then it's Malta away and home to Slovakia which I think they would need to attack us to remain 2nd.

 

Atm the cupboard is bare for 2 positions, centre forward and centre midfield. Other than Dier, Hendo, Wilshere, Drinkwater not sure who esle we got that can compete at international level

 

Yes, that's a problem. I really hope Will Hughes moves to the Premier League this summer.

 

Tammy Abraham needs to be called up...
I think he could deliver the goods .

 

Your maths is wonky, I'm afraid. If we only get to 19 then Slovakia could catch us with three wins, a draw, and a defeat, or Slovenia with three wins and two draws. For Slovakia, that would be only one point more in the second half of the process than they've achieved in the first, so obviously far from impossible.

 

We've been saying that for nearly four seasons now.

 

Mate, come on... Bit of patience.

 

I'm not looking at it mathematically, more the likelihood of other results. Slovakia won't reach 20 points - they're simply not good enough. They would have to beat us at Wembley as would Slovenia as well in this scenario, and that's assuming they don't cancel each other out in September.

To be honest, we can probably start booking the hotel now. There's no way we fail to qualify from this position.

 

"If we hit 19 points it will require either Slovakia or Slovenia to win 4 out of 5" is clearly looking at it mathematically.

 

OK, then I say, the next season will be a make or break year for him. If he still plays for Derby this time next year we can slowly forget him playing for England I'm afraid. He's been playing in the Championship for ages, he must improve. The best would have been Derby got promoted, but it seems almost impossible now.

 

I was just using a rough statement for what they'd need to do, not completely accurate obviously - I didn't do any analysis of the possible points. Do you really think they'll top 17 points, let alone 19?

 

There's no "do you really think" when I haven't made a prediction. If you want one though...

So far Slovakia have won three of their four games against Slovenia, Lithuania, Scotland, and Malta (they lost against Slovenia). None of those results was unusual, so you can perhaps reasonably expect them to repeat that. They might beat Slovenia and lose to Scotland, say, but a sensible forecast would put them on 18 points. Then you have the game against England. We'll be favourites to win that, and if we do then we'll have made ourselves pretty safe by winning three of our remaining games. If we slip up though - as is always possible - then Slovakia could end up on 21 points. To ensure that that doesn't matter, we need to win three out of the other four games.

Incidentally, if Slovakia doesn't get three more wins, then that may well mean that Slovenia or Scotland has managed three wins themselves. In either case, we'd be a slip-up against that team away from being drawn into a scrap.

None of that is to say that I don't think we'll qualify. Of course I think we will, and hopefully we'll do it comfortably. It just doesn't make sense to think in terms of "two wins and we're done" when so many results go against expectations.

 

I'm just saying that he's been linked to an EPL side I think ever since the 2012-2013 season. I think he was being linked the United in the offseason, but he really should take the leap to the EPL when he gets the chance this summer.

 

We should at the very least get 19 points assuming we beat Malta and Lithuania and to be conservative then 22 because I don't see us losing to Scotland, Slovenia and Slovakia. For my actual opinion I think we win out. Slovenia or Slovakia will have to be more offensive than they were last time and that's how we'll beat them.

 

If Defoe is good enough, he's good enough. Don't be so ageist!
Could be our Roger Milla. Teddy Sheringham went at similar age too.
Defoe also look ten years younger than Rooney, benefit from not smoking or drinking and training well.

 

In all honesty, when that ball came across and there was him and Alli there I was hoping it would fall to him because I was more sure of him putting it away. I'd prefer to see Alli a bit further back in a support to the striker.

Having said that it depends who else we have available. obviously/

 

We always say if you're good enough you're old enough, but it should work both ways. If you're good enough you're young enough too.

 

Yeah, if the other guys available have gone off the boil and he's scoring regularly, (or as regularly as his side create chances for him, anyway), why wouldn't you take him.

 

Ali is not a number ten for Mei would use him as a b2b in a 4 3 3 rather than use the shitty 4231 we seem to love

U can use Barkley in that middle 3

Also, will Hughes is not good enough, I've seen him a few times this year

Just gonna be an average premier league cm

Jwp is a much better talent

 

In all honesty anybody who calls themselves professional footballers should be putting that ball no matter what in that sort of position. Having said that Defoe was in position and did his job. Couldn't be happier for him because he's a good lad and it was great to hear him say he was hoping to represent England over the past several years. Wish other players had that mindset.

 

So Eddie Howe was surprised that Wilshere was left out of the last England squad but he still can't get into the Bournemouth starting eleven.

 

Crucial summer for Wilshere.