Well no - but as Italy played the diamond - he could at least help with the left sided CM. Once he went off England could not compete in midfield at all.
That 4-4-2 must have been incredibly effective back in the day for the likes of Hog-son and Ferguson to still cling to it so desperately today.
Our 442 is often only a 442 in name. If Roy had Carrick and Scholes Rooney Ox-Milner-Gerrard/Someone Scholes-Carrick Would have been fine against Italy IMO. Milner marking Pirlo, Carrick-Scholes doing what they do, Gerrard tucking in and Ox staying outwide. Of course, that's not the British way.
And Totti wishes he were Panenka Euro 1976 Final.........to win the Tournament 0:14 seconds for the Original Penalty.
That aspect seemed to be lost on Woy DF raised this point a week ago. You can't play rip shit and bust and burn the players out after 30 mins
Which results in players that normally can play 90 needing to leave the pitch. Milner is a necessity in Woy's system. The seemingly abject running he does actually supports the few England attacks and helps maintain defense. I'd be interested to know if it's just burn out that took him out last night. He's normally ran 1 or 2 km more than all the other England players.
Opta Sports @OptaJoe 91% - Danny Welbeck's pass completion rate of 91% at Euro 2012 is level with Mesut Özil and Andrés Iniesta. Prospect. From Opta Sports' Twitter page, retweeted by Ben Hibbs.
But does it state how many passes in relation to the other two? I feel like that might be a rather misleading stat.
Even if he doesnt have as many passes as the other two, its still impressive considering; 1. He's a striker,Strikers usually dont have that kind of completion rate 2. He's playing in an England team that were not the best at keeping, or passing the ball. 3. A combo of the two points above. Until Wayne Rooney came back, he didnt even have as much support. It could also be misleading for Iniesta, considering the style of play [back passes over crosses], he always had support not far from him,
Sucks for Welbeck. He didn't have anyone on the pitch close to his footballing iq in an England kit until Rooney showed up.
Exactly. For a striker to have a 91% pass completion percentage in a team as poor as England's is a very bright statistic. I would love to see what he'd be capable of in this tournament with a team like Portugal. Karloski: How was Rooney rubbish?
@Jitty And it would have worked much better than the shit they put out. England used like the most ancient 442 you could think of. Nothing like the United 442. The closest we get to that is when Valencia plays, but Valencia shuts down an entire flank against anyone but a team that presses like Barca (ie. Spain). Even then, there is far more flexibility in the system, and Scholes-Carrick often play as double pivots.
Still no outstanding young player for the award... Dzagoev shouldn't be awarded this. He also turned 22. Likewise Reus did but he only played on match and would need to play the remaining two and do very well in them. Wellbeck had two good matches, but still not outstanding but he is a nominee. Anyone else?