England Senior Team General Discussion Thread

I don't think we have alot to fear this summer. There's no outstanding team right now. All the big nations are struggling to stand out at the moment. Belgium look very laboured. Germany are just about getting by. France aren't performing brilliantly. Portugal are underpar. I wouldn’t swap our attacking players for anyone else's. If Declan Rice can find a suitable partner our midfield will look pretty decent. Rice has really stepped up this season and was excellent yesterday

 

Lewandowski out of the game on Wednesday.

 

Find it worrying that Southgate picks two defensive midfielders against Albania.

Just feel he stifles our creativity.

Rice has really grown on me and should be our first choice DM. Phillips or any other dm should definitely not play along side him. I don't mind someone like Bellingham as he has more to his game, same with ward prowse.

Was impressed with mount as well who has also grown on me.

 

I don’t think even Southgate thinks that Rice and Phillips is the ideal partnership.

I suspect what we’re moving towards is Rice+Henderson/Bellingham+Mount but Henderson is injured and Southgate clearly wants to ease Jude in (as he does most young players.)

 

If Lewandoski is out will we see 4-3-3 again then?

 

Grealish still has a lot to offer this starting XI.

 

I'd love to see

Sterling kane rashford
Foden grealish
Rice

Imagine the creativity there. I don't like foden out on the wing even though I know city play him there too I feel he is best getting into pockets behind the front players.

Rice would need to be disciplined and just sit in front of the back 4. Attack is the best form of defense and with those attacking players like foden and grealish we could play a front foot possession based style and really punish teams.

Southgate would never do that in a million years though as he is defensive minded.

 

Which managers have won tournaments playing formations as attacking as that? Or even name me one top manager playing a team as attacking as that?

Go back to fantasy football.

 

Well could look at it as 4 1 4 1

Kane

Sterling grealish foden rashford

Rice

When they have the ball we revert to 5 on midfield

 

Which fullbacks are you playing then?

 

I don't think any manager would play a central midfield with both Foden and Grealish. Grealish I don't think has played central midfield this season, and Guardiola has already said Foden needs to learn more before he plays there.

I think sometimes our fans forget other teams have very good players too. We won't go into games against Portugal, France, Germany thinking we can take them on with two thirds of our midfields being wide players who don't play centrally for their club for good reason. That's not a Southgate thing. No manager would do that.

 

Maybe its just me but I don't see foden and grealish as 'wide players' I seem them as complete midfielders who can play centrally.

I understand why people would see my team as gung ho though but I'd still like to see how it would go.

I honestly feel its worth a shot as if we go with a Southgate defensive line up against any decent nation we will lose. This has already been proven many times

 

I've got Brazil 1970 and Hungary at the 52 Olympics.
It's a classic W-M attack though. Couple of creative inside forwards supporting a front three. It worked in the 30s.

 

England on Twitter: "Introducing your @bt_uk Player of the Match... @_DeclanRice https://t.co/MNoAf3YmwT" / Twitter

 

I actually don't mind the three at the back at all, the only thing that bothers me are the personnel.

I would use something like this, so that we can overload the midfield when we need to and feel our way into the game. If we need more firepower we still have Rashford, Sterling and Sancho on the bench.

Pope
Stones Coady Maguire
Trippier Mount Rice Shaw
Foden Grealish
Kane​

 

So, dropping Mount then?

 

If it's done right, it's fine. But with Henderson & Rice in midfield and Sterling & Rashford playing wide it just doesn't work. It needs a balance in midfield to support the forwards and inside forwards so the wing backs can provide the width. Your team is far more realistic for that formation than Southgate would put out.
It's also not the best fomation for the players we have available.

 

Lewa out !
if true , massive loss for them .

But they have some good backups like Piatek

 

Southgate truly has the luck of the devil !!

 

Poland don't have a muller gnabry sane in their team so getting the ball to lewondovski would have been problematic anyway

 

To back up my case. All of his goals bar v Germany and Portugal have come against minnows. Wish is proof that against these teams u don't need world class players around u to score. To score against the Englands Germanys France Brazil Spain etc on a regular basis u need teammates that can supply the ammunition

 

I’d of thought it will be Milik to start, obviously not the class of lewandowski, but a very good player.