FIFA World Cup 2026: England Tournament Thread [R]

Discussion in 'England' started by BarryfromEastenders, Apr 2, 2026.

  1. roverman

    roverman Member+

    Dec 22, 2001
    The amount of hyperbole over a warm up game on social media Is nuts. Everyone on here realises its a glorified kick about but England fans are going mental not realising this game has no bearing on the actual tournament. I couldn't give a shit about the performance or result
     
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  2. Regis Prograis

    Regis Prograis Member+

    Tottenham Hotspur
    Feb 8, 2020
    I’m sure you’ll be the first one moaning on here, if we turn up again at Croatia and look like a bunch of strangers, because if the team we thinks he starts that game does. The whole left and right side has barely played together, the back 4 has virtually never played together and Bellingham and Kane haven’t played together in ages, but at least he gave some minutes to Quansah!
     
  3. roverman

    roverman Member+

    Dec 22, 2001
    I think it's mad that getting sent off in a friendly affects your status at the world cup. Leao got sent off for Portugal and if he gets a three match ban he could miss the first two group games. Surely common sense means that getting sent off in a friendly the ban should start after the world cup. Its a bit unfair
     
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  4. Steve Page

    Steve Page Member+

    Oct 30, 2013
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Social media is dominated by "look at me" nonsense. Lots of clueless people saying what they think will impress or annoy others. The post above yours shows the benefit that social media can provide by highlighting the togetherness of the squad welcoming young Rio into the fold. Overall social media has degraded our world. I could go into a long rant but much of it would be off topic. People will be vehemently and massively wrong on the internet, it is best to try to ignore them.
     
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  5. Crawleybus

    Crawleybus Member+

    Oct 18, 2013
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Yes of course you are right, I see what you're getting at but I assume Kane and Bellingham play with each other every time they train behind closed doors. I assume that the training sessions are extremely professional and I assume that the team that will be playing Croatia has been playing together behind closed doors, doing things 'differently' to how they've been done historically might not be a bad thing considering how things have gone in past tournaments. Time will tell i guess.
     
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  6. Andre99

    Andre99 Member+

    Liverpool
    England
    Jul 12, 2021
    Tuchels plan of having Henderson grounding Bellingham is working. Bellingham has behaved so well that Tuchel made him captain of the second-halfers.
     
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  7. Regis Prograis

    Regis Prograis Member+

    Tottenham Hotspur
    Feb 8, 2020
    Im repeating myself so this will be my last post on the matter, If doing things differently is not using the friendlies (the only competitive playing time these players have) to build relationships, chemistry and understanding then I fundamentally disagree with his approach. Like I said I don’t care about the performances or result, and I could have accepted the two 11s he played in this match if he wouldn’t have completely wasted the March camp by calling up 30 odd players, and starting the likes of Tomori who had no chance of making the World Cup squad.
     
  8. AJ123

    AJ123 Member+

    Man Utd
    England
    Feb 17, 2018
    Makes you proud to be English

     
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  9. Andre99

    Andre99 Member+

    Liverpool
    England
    Jul 12, 2021
    Tuchel is taking risks here, by not taking the easy route ie playing the best eleven in the friendlies.
    Now if things go south, people will jump to conclusions and say this was obviously going to happen, because Tuchel wasted the friendlies. Even if there is no way of knowing if anything would be different if Tuchel did something else with the friendlies.

    Previous England managers did not take such risks. Eg the Gerrard and Lampard thing. If Sven or Capello only picked one of them, and things still went badly, people would immediatly pinpont this to Sven or Capello being an idiot for not starting both. Same with Rooney in 2006 and 2016, if Rooney was not used, England could have still lost to Portugal and Iceland, with the only difference being that the manager was an idiot that did not use Rooney.
     
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  10. BarryfromEastenders

    Staff Member

    Jul 6, 2008
    There are seven of the twenty outfield players that I have concerns about.

    Henderson and Burn - Pretty much obvious by now that these two struggle at international level at this point in their careers. That is as kind as I can put it. I wouldn’t want either playing any part in the finals.

    James and Stones - Fitness. Maybe we get lucky here but it is a worry. It wouldn’t be as much of a concern if the squad picked catered towards their inclusion but it did not.

    Quansah and Toney - Both selections are third choice (or even fourth choice). Others that would have had more impact could have been picked. With Gordon playing CL level at CF it should have been one of Watkins or Toney. If the plan was for Quansah to step in at RB then that was proven to be an error last night.

    Mainoo - Doesn’t suit the system. Almost plays within himself (Maybe partly because he’s worried about the space he has to cover in the system?) would be more suited to the 10 role but we have numerous options there.
     
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  11. Regis Prograis

    Regis Prograis Member+

    Tottenham Hotspur
    Feb 8, 2020
    He doesn’t have to play his best 11 for 90 mins in a friendly, just play your back four for 45 mins, or your starting right hand side for 30 minutes, or starting left side for 20 minutes or Bellingham and Kane for 10 mins, he did none of these things.
     
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  12. AJ123

    AJ123 Member+

    Man Utd
    England
    Feb 17, 2018
    Very Talksport coded to declare a 17 year old left winger as England’s best right winger after watching him for 45 mimutes.
     
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  13. AJ123

    AJ123 Member+

    Man Utd
    England
    Feb 17, 2018
    Along with the pitch this is just embarrassing for the US. You’d expect this at a youth tournament in a developing country or something.
     
  14. Inter Row Z

    Inter Row Z Member+

    Oldham Athletic
    England
    Mar 26, 2023
    From the training videos we're seeing, I'd say Morgan Rogers is having the biggest impact on Jude. Yes, they're great mates, but with Rogers also looking like a hugely popular presence among the rest of the squad, l think it's having this knock-on effect of bringing out the more relaxed and sociable side of Jude.
     
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  15. BarryfromEastenders

    Staff Member

    Jul 6, 2008
    Tuchel played a Henderson/Garner CM partnership behind a Tomori/Maguire CB partnership in March. This is as preparation for a WC.

    Then in that same week in the next game we had false 9 Foden playing behind Cole Palmer also with Morgan Rogers all trying to get into the same positions. The whole system fell apart very quickly and we learned nothing.

    Now we’ve had a Henderson/Mainoo CM combination and Nico O’Reilly in midfield for a half.

    I don’t know how we will do in the tournament but I’ve never seen such disregard for planning and squad building.

    Who actually comes on at CM after 60 minutes if we have to make a change? We can all guess but we have absolutely no idea on either of the two positions. I don’t think that is acceptable.

    Considering some of the combinations Tuchel has put out that is a concern.
     
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  16. Marcho Gamgee

    Marcho Gamgee Member+

    England
    Apr 25, 2015
    Somewhere in English Arrogance land
    Club:
    Manchester City FC
    Yeah didn’t quite agree with the delivery of that but do agree that Rio should have gone, think I even said so just before the squad announcement.
     
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  17. Fireburn47

    Fireburn47 Member+

    West Ham United
    England
    Nov 5, 2021
    Knowing Tuchel it will be Henderson coming on ahead of Mainoo or James or Stones be shifted to midfield and being replaced in defence by Konsa/Quansah.
     
  18. Andre99

    Andre99 Member+

    Liverpool
    England
    Jul 12, 2021
    He might do something like that against Costa Rica? With the Arsenal players available it is certainly not going to be half and half again. Then there is the behind walls match, which I hope we will no nothing about what he did.
     
  19. Fireburn47

    Fireburn47 Member+

    West Ham United
    England
    Nov 5, 2021
  20. BarryfromEastenders

    Staff Member

    Jul 6, 2008
    That is what you think but it is far from certain. Which is the point.
     
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  21. Fireburn47

    Fireburn47 Member+

    West Ham United
    England
    Nov 5, 2021
    It will leak out about behind closed doors match - the Lionesses did one in 2023 and the media had all the details.
     
  22. Marcho Gamgee

    Marcho Gamgee Member+

    England
    Apr 25, 2015
    Somewhere in English Arrogance land
    Club:
    Manchester City FC
    I honestly presumed it was satire, just someone taking the piss but someone actually did this in the stadium and that no one behind the scenes noticed anything wrong is very impressive. If they can’t get English names right then can’t wait to see the South Korea games…..
     
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  23. Marcho Gamgee

    Marcho Gamgee Member+

    England
    Apr 25, 2015
    Somewhere in English Arrogance land
    Club:
    Manchester City FC
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  24. Andre99

    Andre99 Member+

    Liverpool
    England
    Jul 12, 2021
    If I remember correctly, Tuchel have rarely used Henderson in competitive matches before the win was basically sealed. He might have started against Andorra, but he was nowhere near the starting line ups against Serbia and Albania. In the WC, bar injuries i don't think Tuchel will use Henderson in any match unless a win is sealed. If we get so serious injury problems that Henderson needs to step in, then we are screwed anyway.
     
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  25. Andre99

    Andre99 Member+

    Liverpool
    England
    Jul 12, 2021
    I am sure it will. Keeping secrets away from our opposition. We can't have that ...
     
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