England Senior National Team General Discussion Thread

Watching motd and Traoré just did Walker for pace. I know Traoré is fast as ******** but a few years ago no one would have done that to Walker. Probably the begining of the end for Walker at the top level.

 

Great game from from Saka

 

Amazing race pic.twitter.com/0jiLO2lvmY

— slbsn (@slbsn) October 5, 2024

Had several yards on him and had a running start. Quite obviously shot to smithereens unfortunately.

 

Surely you'd agree that he's performing at a world-class level? I'll give you that we can't yet know whether he'll maintain it for the whole season.

 

Je dirai à mes gosses que c’était Messi pic.twitter.com/WlZ4XkgewM

— Dimé (@Cuervo_dimeh) October 5, 2024

 

‘Mikel Arteta: "Don't forget about Bukayo Saka's age".
"There are the stats and you cannot get away from that and what he’s doing at his age is unbelievable".’

"We feel really well informed with the squad that we've selected." 👊

More from our interim head coach ahead of October camp… pic.twitter.com/5OVncOPx3w

— England (@England) October 5, 2024

‘Pep Guardiola on Kyle Walker set to reach 400 PL appearances: "I don’t have any doubts about his physicality. He can play whenever!".
"I’m happy he’s back in the national team, and this milestone is unbelievable. His win rate is not spectacular, it’s superior".’

 

Tyrone Mings took a significant step on his road to recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury by starting a game for Aston Villa's U21 side on Saturday. (Mail on Sunday)

Pick Cole Palmer in his best position — no matter who has to make way

Lee Carsley must not be afraid to make tough calls for England, even if that leaves Bellingham, Foden and Saka potentially fighting for one spot | ✍️ Martin Samuel

Read more ⬇️https://t.co/bltfoiAJEH

— Times Sport (@TimesSport) October 6, 2024

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Lee Carsley must not be afraid to make tough calls for England, even if that leaves three of Europe’s finest talents – Bellingham, Foden and Saka – potentially fighting for one spot

No doubt Lee Carsley was talking general qualities when he listed Cole Palmer among the players that could fill in for England at left back. The interim head coach has already played Rico Lewis and Levi Colwill there and, asked about the problem position, he then threw in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bukayo Saka — and the man who has 50 goal involvements since joining Chelsea, five more than Vinícius Júnior, who is increasingly fancied to win the Ballon d’Or with Rodri now injured.

And managers say things they don’t always mean. Carsley was merely flagging up Palmer’s versatility, because he is an exceptional talent. The best of this new generation have that gift. Think of how many roles Jude Bellingham can play, or the way Phil Foden could be deployed anywhere across Manchester City’s forward line. Yet that’s also the problem. They make it look too easy, these young men. And at the highest level it’s never easy.

So, yes, Foden can start right forward, left forward, No 10, even as a false nine. But he’s not equally effective in each of those positions. He is better in some, struggles against the best opponents in others. The same with Saka. Technically, he can play right wingback, left wingback, either flank, even through the middle. But there is a reason we always know to find him on the right for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta certainly believes he has a best position, as selfless as he is prepared to be for the team. The only reason Arsenal would play him anywhere else is if they suffered an injury crisis.

So while Carsley was actually praising Palmer, there is still a small measure of worry that he was even on his radar when making that list. Palmer’s record suggests he has to play against Greece and Finland in this international break, but that shouldn’t mean just getting him on the field. That was Gareth Southgate’s solution to his conundrum in the summer and, despite progress to the European Championship final, England didn’t play well.

If picking Palmer is a priority, let it be a genuine one. Palmer plays his best position and go from there. If that is behind Kane, it creates a potential problem for Foden or Bellingham. If that is to the right of centre then difficult decisions have to be made around Saka. And if Carsley wants a player familiar with the left, that is none of that quartet: it’s Anthony Gordon. If Palmer is being deployed at ten, three of the finest talents in European football are now fighting for the one forward space remaining, on the right. And that’s Saka’s strength. So, right now, there is no position in the front four for Bellingham or Foden, which at first glance appears insane.

Yet Bellingham can move into midfield beside Declan Rice — although that instantly edges out Angel Gomes, who was previously considered Carsley’s big idea. And there’s still no Foden. This is the reigning Footballer of the Year. Last season the most exciting player in the first team to win the title four seasons in succession. And he’s dropped?

Yes, he’s dropped, if Carsley’s England is to achieve the balance that Southgate’s lacked. And it will be argued that, of course, this is how a head coach should behave: he should select the best team, which isn’t always just the best players. Sir Alf Ramsey picked Geoff Hurst over Jimmy Greaves, didn’t he? And look what happened? But Ramsey didn’t, actually. He picked Greaves and then Greaves got injured and by the time he returned Hurst was in form and thriving. Ramsey, for all his supposed stubbornness, found great footballers as irresistible as most managers. It would have taken blood like ice to have dropped Greaves from the very start of the World Cup. Equally, towards the end of his time as England manager, Glenn Hoddle was leaning towards ditching Teddy Sheringham for Dion Dublin. Never did it, though. Never put that one to a public vote.

Even mentioning Palmer at left back suggests there is some thought of just accommodating him. Not there, but somewhere. That’s what happened to Foden in Germany. Southgate wanted to play four forwards, with Harry Kane up front, Saka on the right and Bellingham as a No 10. So Foden was accommodated on the left. Did it work for him, or England? Not really. He didn’t look like the player we saw at City all year. And that’s what we risk with Palmer. If he is to be placed in that left-side graveyard slot his effectiveness could be lost. He never plays left for Chelsea. He starts in the middle or, less frequently on the right, looking to come in. One of the weakest parts of his game is crossing. Not a precision pass from wide, which he does well, but the act of getting to the byline and putting the ball in the box. When Carsley talks of the imperative of finding room for Palmer, including him in an XI isn’t the same.

In 2019, Sky Sports asked Yaya Touré to name his best XI from those he had played beside. It’s a nice idea. Barcelona, City, Ivory Coast — who would be the strongest central defensive partnership, the best goalscorer, who would he want at full back? The idea was to construct a team. Touré did not do that. He named the greatest players he had played with and fitted these beautiful square pegs into some very round holes.

Thierry Henry ended up at left back. Sergio Agüero was in central midfield, next to Lionel Messi, with Andrés Iniesta holding. The forward line was Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o. And that has been England’s way, to some extent. One of the criticisms aimed at Southgate during the Euros was that he didn’t play a left-sided player on the left. He used it as a way of housing another galactico. If Carsley does the same, what has changed?

For that is also the complication. Whoever is left out is always the player that would have solved every problem had he been picked. At the Euros in the summer, Gordon and Palmer. Yet if those two start and England struggle against Greece, whoever has missed out will be considered crucial. How has Carsley not picked Foden? Why is Bellingham stuck in a deep role? What the hell happened to Gomes? Honeymoon periods for England managers seem to get shorter with each appointment.

Before his first game in charge, against Ireland, there were calls for Carsley to be sacked when he announced he wouldn’t sing the national anthem. The period when this could take place, apparently, was between the last note and the referee’s whistle signalling kick-off. Harsh. Still, if he ever starts Palmer at left back, half-time wouldn’t seem entirely inappropriate.

 

Konsa, Barkley. Waktins, Philogene and Rogers start for Aston Villa. Young is on the bench.
Maguire, Mainoo and Rashford start for Manchester United. There are no English players on the bench.

Colwill, Palmer, Madueke and Sancho start for Chelsea. Adarabioyo is on the bench.
Anderson, Gibbs - White, Ward - Prowse, Yates and Hudson - Odoi start for Nottingham Forest. There are no English players on the bench.

 

Arsenal have pulled Havertz out of the Germany squad with a mysterious knee injury so hopefully they not going to do the same with Rice and/or Saka.

 

I expect saka to pull out because arteta is a cnut

 

Utd should get smashed but because Ten Hag has 9 lives they'll probably win 1-0

 

Think we might see Konsa withdrawn though

 

Konsa off injured,

Can’t see Carsley repalcing him but if he does it be Maguire being brought back or Quansah or Harwood - Bellis promoted from the U21’s.

 

Konsa out injured. Maguire probably straight back into the squad.

 

Looks like a Hamstring

 

Likely Carsley will probably will not bother with a replacement. Or just promote one of the U21’s in Quansah or Harwood - Bellis.

 

He’s bound to call up another unless he’s happy going with just three centre backs which I can’t see happening but you never know but logically it makes sense but logic and the FA doesn’t always go hand in hand.

 

Logically it can only be Maguire if he really meant what he said about him still having a future with the team. Quansah is barely playing which seems to be an important factor for Carsley and I don’t think Harwood - Bellis is ready.

A Wildcard could be someone like Tomori, Tosin, Kilman or Greaves.

 

The linesman on the near side is useless. He didn't give offside. And he hasn't noticed the ball has gone out twice

 

Lee Carsley will no doubt be keeping a close eye on Chelsea today, and this season more broadly. Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Levi Colwill all starting today, all in his squad for this month's games, and all key members of his U21 Euros-winning squad last summer. #CFC

— Dom Smith (@MrDomSmith) October 6, 2024

 

Mainoo is having a good game

 

Harry maguire injured

 

Maguire injuried now.

 

So looks like it won’t be Maguire called up to replace Konsa. He looks in quite a bad way.