England Senior National Team General Discussion Thread

Yellow card for Phillips - another sign that the 18 months of limited playing has made him very very rusty.

 

Its why i said i didnt want Newcastle to go anywhere near him when we were heavily linked. Predicted exactly this

 

I didn't think Phillips looked to bad when he came on.

 

Gareth Southgate appears on the big screen at Villa Park and is unanimously booed.#AVFC

— Jacob Tanswell (@J_Tanswell) February 11, 2024

 

The Denmark match is going to the toughest group match the Euros for sure.

 

Ajax lost 3-1 today in Henderson first match as captain.

 

Maguire looking his old self

 

They lost 3-2 and Henderson wasn't captain, Berghaus was. But correct otherwise.

 

I think that's got more to do with the circumstances in which he left Villa when he played for them rather than peoples' disapproval of him as England manager.

 

It's to do with his refusal to pick Jack Grealish when he was at villa I think

 

It is but it plays into Villa’s fans reactions whenever Watkins and Konsa are not selected.

 

Mainoo maybe not doing as well. One of his weaker performances so far.

 

Konsa was in the last squad and Watkins has been in the last few on the spin. I don't think the few inflammatory comments you see on social media are that widely representative of a stadium of 40k people.

 

Luke Shaw subbed off at half time.

 

Mainoo has looked very comfortable in possession

 

Looked great on the ball. There's been a lot of space in United's midfield off the ball at times but that's what happens you have a team that has barely any possession retention and is forced to defend transition after transition.

This is what I mean when I say I'd like to see him in a more structured setup with better personnel, rather than playing alongside Casemiro and Bruno who both treat the ball like a bomb.

 

I think he'll look great alongside rice and Bellingham. Much better players than the United midfield

 

I don’t think we will see a change in the Man United midfield until next season where Cassmiro (And Mount) might leave.

 

How do you manage to bring Mount into everything?

He's barely kicked a ball this season due to injury, he's not part of the midfield issues we're talking about. It's also not likely United sell him before he's even had a chance to prove himself there.

 

🚨 JUST IN: Erik ten Hag says that Luke Shaw was taken off at half-time as a "precautionary" measure. #mufc [bbc] pic.twitter.com/UXZtPzeCzD

— UtdXclusive (@UtdXclusive) February 11, 2024

Outstanding today, H 💪#MUFC || #AVLMUN pic.twitter.com/BaxRTknZ8N

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 11, 2024

 

18 year old Kobbie Mainoo Vs Aston villa 👏https://t.co/3J8OZjUVCq

— Kobbie Mainoo Fans (@KobbeMainoo) February 12, 2024

Looking at the United forums the hype is starting to die down a bit and they're noticing that he's often quite poor off the ball, albeit with many eye-catching moments on it. Personally I do think his cumbersomeness is an issue in this regard.

I'm not knocking him as such, I just don't think the hype helps. He's still doing very well overall and I wouldn't object to him being called up with the state of Phillips and Henderson right now. It would be interesting to see him in a midfield with Rice and Bellingham.

 

I have a feeling Southgate will call him up but personally I think it's a bit too early

 

He’ll improve off the ball as he gets older. It doesn’t help that he is playing alongside Casemiro, who looks finished physically.

 

Really? I think he's made a massive difference to the side since he's come back. He made 9 tackles yesterday which is a lot. He's past his best granted but I'm not sure he's finished.

Mainoo should improve off the ball, I agree with you there.

 

I think Southgate might well choose him or Jones to be called up to balance the issues Phillips and Henderson have. It won’t be as controversial selecting both of them if someone new is given a call up as well even if as it stands Gallagher does not deserve to dropped but both of those kept.

Kobbie Mainoo’s game by numbers vs. Everton:

100% tackles won
83% pass accuracy
57 touches
34/41 passes completed
5 duels won
3 ball recoveries
2/3 dribbles completed
2 long balls completed
2 interceptions
1 clearance
1 block

Brilliant, brilliant Premier League debut. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/9if6yFFfwr

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 26, 2023