Credit to Mexico, they came to play. They caused us immense problems in the first half but Vela is extremely lightweight for a starting striker imo. Crouch's goal was offside. It resulted from an excellent Gerrard cross to Rooney whose header was unfortunately right at the Keeper. Baines is still a rookie at this level. He got a lesson that International Football requires a sharp learning curve. He had a bit of a shocker but it is better to do that now than in the World Cup. This is exactly why he is getting extra experience in these games. Capello can analyse Baines' mistakes in this match and show Baines how best to avoid them in future games. I thought Walcott did OK. He offered penetration down the right and looked fit and willing to take players on. OK his final crosses were usually cut out but he put the Mexicans on the back foot, something that no-one else really did in the first half. Lennon is still better at this time and should start ahead of Walcott but both should be on the plane. Good to see King's knees did not fall off during the match. Crouch did well to set him up for his goal. Crouch remains a handfull in set-piece scenarios. A Johnson had a welcome debut. He should had have a penalty when his shirt was tugged. He should play more against Japan. I would take him to SA instead of SWP. Carragher's return was pretty much unremarkable. No scary moments at all and nothing really to write about. Glen Johnson scored a beauty with his weaker foot. That lifted the England side and deflated the Mexicans. From that point onwards England looked more solid and aggressive. This was probably due to the half-time reorganization. Gerrard and Lennon were both denied clear goal-scoring opportunities which in a competitive match would have resulted in a Mexican Red Card. Carrick disappeared in this match. It left us horribly exposed in the first half. He was simply a non-factor when he needed to be stepping up and proving his worth to Capello. Was eclipsed by Huddlestone! Both Keeper's did well, especially Hart although the England team were playing much better in the second half. A nice run-out for the team and Capello will have learned a few things. I will fell a lot better if Barry is deemed fit though.
Also hand-ball kidz... ...Playing football is very much like making love to a beautiful woman kidz... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtoyLPROLZI"]YouTube- Fast Show - Swiss Toni[/ame]
Agreed. We looked to have a bit of a soft centre at some points almost like when we had McSven in charge.
Pretty dull game for the most part, but is was never likely to be anything other. I'm sure Capello's got something out of it and the players will benefit from some game time together. Major plus is that no-one got crocked.
I don't think the French will be there to hold your hands and help ya out this time. Aguirre knows what he needs to do, fix that defense.
Just got done watching it, nice performance by England in the second half. Lennon scares me. Not meaning to troll, I just wanted to see the impression you guys had of the game, and see if it was anywhere close to mine. It was: a bit shaky in the first half. Very good in the second. I know it is difficult because you guys aren't used to being able to, but you should trust Capello. He's about the best there is. Lennon terrorizing our LB is already giving me nightmares. Makes me wish Beckham was healthy, I think we could deal with him much easier. You guys got to see what Mexico is about. Nice possession and passing going forward. Trouble defending set pieces. If they convert their chances, they can be very dangerous. And they get a bit chippy if/when they get behind. Group A should be interesting, I could see anyone advancing. Lastly, on the whole 5-0 thing, only 2 guys on that team will likely see the pitch in SA: Holden (Bolton) and maybe Ching. Peace, stay healthy and see you on the 12th!
Yeah, well what happened in 1812? If we beat England It'll be because we want it more. It's gonna be tough without Charlie Davies, though. There's no shame in a 3-1 victory over Mexico, You beat them worse than that, too.
How old are you? 12? So if you win is because you wanted to, but if you lose it's because Charlie Davies isn't playing? Wow... just wow...
Pretty much the concensus feeling in here as well about the match. Good analysis. Yes, see you June 12th..
I'd like to remind everyone now that the match has ended, to keep the posts thread-related to the match please.
No, I'm saying that if we win it's because it's a really big match for us and it's really important. I imagine that this will be just be a normal World Cup pool match for England. We'll be overmatched either way, especially with Davies out. There's a huge talent dropoff between Davies and our third best striker. I wouldn't be surprised if we moved Donavan up at some point.
Good game from both sides. A couple points though: -Certain question's about England's depth have arised. -Mexico's defenders are very good on 1v1s, which was evident on a few occasions with Walcott and Rooney and for the most part, tackles were well timed although some of our players got a bit edgy during parts of the game. -Carrick was dissapointing. -Everyone asking for a PK on the Adam Johnson play needs to go back to the beginning of the game where King pulled Franco's shirt in the box and nothing was called. Same exact play. -Crouch was offsides on his goal. -England's game picked up considerably with the inclusion of Defoe. He dropped deep at points and disorganized the Mexican D. He should have a good WC, probably worth four or five goals through out the tourney.
There is alwas a chance but England are too face paced on the ball and a attacking team, I just see a repeat happening again of last friendly you can expect to see more of a game like The Netherlands.
Wall of text incoming... I've just watched the match and to be frank it leaves more questions than answers with one game to go until the World Cup. In the first half Mexico bossed the game with their superior possession and created several very good opportunities. For them to go in behind at the break was a travesty but one of their own making as they gave away a freebie corner, twice failed to bother marking the attacking players and missed several good chances. The King header was a good set piece move and they can have little complaint about the Crouch offside handball(?) given their non-existent attempt at defending. Green made a couple of good saves although the shots were lacking conviction with one a relatively routine stop to his right and the other was weakly hit straight at him. After some positional and personnel changes by Capello at the break England came into the game more and caught Mexico with a quick counter attack that effectively ended the game. It was a great finish from Johnson. England had a few good spells, attacking interchanges and counter attacks but, like the first half, Mexico had the general advantage. However this time around they struggled with their final ball and despite having the advantage in terms of possession and territory could not trouble Hart. As the game wore on and substitutions were made things got a bit ragged with England having more luck on the counter attack which led to some questionable challenges from the Mexican team. Green was his usual mixed self with a few good stops, one bad spill, being caught out of position by the Salcido shot that hit the post and then being beaten at his near post by Franco for the Mexican goal. Hart, by contrast, had little to do. Ferdinand did fine and looked comfortable. King got his goal and aside from a few shaky moments slotted in well. Their combination is very good because they can do it all and are very comfortable with bringing the ball out of defence. Baines was pretty rank and Johnson, goal aside, flattered to deceive. Mexico made good use of the flanks and created a lot of problems for the full backs who were caught out defensively time and again while doing little offensively with the exception of the goal by Johnson and a few good attacking runs. Ashley Cole will solve one of the problems but Johnson needs to do more. He is in the side for his attacking runs and crossing but he showed little of it. It might be in part due to fitness but he needs to provide a consistent attacking threat to make up for his defensive lapses. In their defence Gerrard generally went roaming and left Baines exposed. Mexico actively looked to move the ball back to the right wing once Gerrard came inside and it worked for them. Walcott needs to track back more to support Johnson. It would not surprise me if Johnson was initially holding back in part because he knew he would leave a large gap behind him to be exploited as Walcott was staying too far forward. Salcido was involved in the game far too much. Carrick tried to hold his position defensively but with Mexico always having men in space they found it easy to bypass him particularly as Milner was harassing and often leaving Carrick isolated. What Milner did well was to release early balls from deep (on the deck). It enabled England to get the ball forward quickly to give their attacking players added time and space on the ball before Mexico could pull back. If he is to play centrally and can be consistent in playing these balls he will add another dimension to the attack and effectively replace the need for Carrick, who has had an average season. I have long discussed the role that Carrick could play if utilised correctly but he is simply not playing well enough overall and his confidence is shot. He is effectively in the side for his defensive positioning and little else. If Barry is fit Carrick should definitely be left at home. Gerrard looked his best when moved centrally at half time and his link up play with Rooney when he bombed forward was very interesting. Walcott was his usual inconsistent self. He clearly caused them problems but he did not do enough overall to merit starting. Lennon can equally cause problems by being direct with his pace but he is also more consistent. Adam Johnson is playing with confidence and without fear. He must go to the World Cup. Rooney did fine but does not look 100% yet. Crouch got an assist and a goal but I maintain that he cannot form a cohesive partnership with Rooney because of their styles of play. Crouch likes to drop off to receive the ball which is precisely where Rooney is expected to operate. It often leads to an inability of England to hold onto the ball in the final third in order to bring others into the game. Heskey worked well because he pushed forward to create room for Rooney, was strong enough to hold the ball up and is a better option than Crouch to knock balls down to others. Defoe linked up well initially but as the game got ragged his impact declined. Pass marks to Huddlestone and Carragher but in terms of impact they did not do much.
and aguirre said he still has doubts on the keeper, says he has full trust on all 3 He will continue to rotate the keepers, which means, next game it will be either Ochoa or Michel, but more than likely, Michel.
you spazzos are still pulling the alphabet excuse? Mexico was also missing many of its first team choices, but the players were representing Mexico, and that makes them "A" teamers. The same goes for the English, you were the better team because you scored more goals. It doesn't matter if Mexico was more attractive and had more possession, boring, as boring as they are considering they are a world power in football, scored more goals, therefore deserved to win. There is no need to pull the chelsea excuse, and claim it was a B team. It wasn't. And I'll bet anything that same style will be used by Capello in the world cup. I have no doubt England will kill the U.S. in the WC, but it will be a very boring game, with England being a defensive team and the U.S. being an ultra-bonkering team.
I dont doubt the backup options ,just that particular arrangement made no sense whatsoever. We were all scratching our heads when the starting 11 came up.