England Senior Team General Discussion Thread

Tito could be annoying at times but he did have a few good points now and then.

 

Find it bizarre that people begrudge Rice getting ‘so many’ caps. He’s 21 years old, a consistent PL player in a position that we struggle in, has leadership qualities and is never injured.

 

Hes ok with a more creative midfielder

 

Tito was right about Grealish and long before Southgate capped him. Why he was endlessly mocked on here I don't know. I enjoyed reading his views.

 

He was outstanding in the second half. I thought Man Utd dealt with him quite well in the first half, and restricted his influence, but he started moving a bit wider after the break and then found more space to cause problems. His decision making was much improved as well - a more mature performance.

I thought Shaw also had one of his best games for some time, espcially on the attcking side. Always appeared to be availabe and was breaking into the box regularly.

 

The Bruno Fernandes who's scored 75 goals in his last 125 games?

 

I think the issue is when he plays along side Henderson in a midfield two then you end up quite limited. Both are good players, but very similar in how they move the ball around. I think Rice would work best playing with someone like Winks in our current formation.

 

Grealish has taken his game to the next level since lockdown ended. He's become more consistant and directly impacting games. Before then he was often drifting in and out of matches.

It's more to do with the praising of him after fairly average performances, just to justify his previous views. Objective views of his performances are fine, but we were moving into fantasy land at times.

 

Tito will be back next time Grealish completes a dribble. He’s dedicated to trolling this forum but then sits on his pity pot when he gets a bit back. Hard to respect that.

On England, Rice is developing well, already a captain, never injured, his passing is getting more and more impressive and in defensive actions he’s among the best defensive midfielders in the league.

 

Fair enough but most of those were in the Portuguese league.

 

27 in 46 for Man Utd isn't too shabby. Grealish has 36 in his career, and that includes three seasons in the Championship and one in League 1.

I actually think they'd work pretty well in the same team. Grealish to me is more effective playing wider, as he gets more one on ones that way, and Fernandes is great at spreading play and then supporting the attack.

 

Since Bruno signed for United they’ve got more points than any other side in the league. He’s transformed United’s fortunes. His mentality is elite. His head doesn’t drop for a second. As a United fan I wouldn’t swap him for Grealish although I’d like United to sign Grealish.

 

Southgate is right about wanting Grealish to play further up the pitch for England. You want him in the final third, but with a bit of space to run into. Often against Chelsea and in the first half last night he was getting the ball too close to the first man, and stopping to try to beat him. That's ok if you're someone like Adama Traore, who can get to full pace in a step, but Grealish loses some effectiveness like that. Getting the ball to him quickly so he can attack the full back from pace makes him far more effective. That was how he was playing against Palace when he looked unplayable.
Man Utd suffocated him a bit when he was playing more centrally, as they had the two DMs and then the CBs in front of him. He was also dropping deeper to try to find space, and that makes him less effective. Once he started moving a bit wider, he was getting more chances against a more exposed defender and exploiting them.

 

Was it the West Ham game where they left him on the bench to rest him, and looked completely toothless until he came on at half time? Then he created 9 chances just in the second half.

 

Its amazing how hes transformed his career. In Italy he looked average. Well going by the stats then goes to Portugal and reinvents himself

 

Some players suddenly just click. It can be a change of clubs, a slight change of position, a change of manager, or even just getting to a point where they understand their own game better. Look at Lampard and how his goalscoring jumped under Mourinho - his first two seasons at Chelsea he scored 15 in 101 games, then he scored 142 in 7 years.

 

Never seen a better all round English striker than Harry kane since Alan shearer.

 

I would say Kane's passing ability puts him in a tier above even Shearer. His passing has been De Bruyne level this season.

 

I think Mount set the record for key passes in a game this season at 8 the day before and then Bruno did it in 45 minutes. I’m obviously biased but I think Bruno is the best player in the Premier League currently. His impact has been massive. He’s only on £70k a week too!

 

Saka quality again for Arsenal. The kid is special.

Emile Smith-Rowe might be one to keep an eye on too. We're already well stocked on his position at the moment, but he's really turned Arsenal around since coming into the team.

 

Think this lad has the potential to be the best of the lot (English players i mean) he HAS to go to the euros

 

Only ‘problem’ regarding Saka is that he’s playing in different positions for his club compared to England.

I’d still take him as a LB/LWB though

 

What's happened to reece james? Hes not getting in the team at the moment