At the moment they look weak but looks can be deceiving . Although they got knocked out against croatia in the quarter finals of the world cup they had 11 shots on target to croatias one . They seem to lack strikers at the moment . But they are still one of the top 5 teams on the planet . It doesn't take that much to go from a very good team to a great team http://tinyurl.com/hhkjs8fk
In my opinion, yes. If we're talking about truly great players i.e. the top few in the world that will be talked about for years to come. Rodri would be there too tbf, & you can arguably throw Stones & Ederson in there too but I think the latter two are pushing it. Three at a push for me. Compare it to players aged 31-35: Neymar, Kroos, Salah, De Bruyne, Alisson, Lewandowski, Van Dijk, Mane, Gundogan, Muller, Kante... I could go on. It's night and day.
You're right, except that they were fancied in 2002 too just like always, especially with Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldinho in their squad. Got a hand from Fifa as well as they did not have to meet any top sides throughout the whole tournament.
I think a lot of this discussion stems from a lack of acceptance about the nature of international football. You hear some England fans saying it will be a crime if Southgate doesn't win a tournament with this squad. Whilst it is our best strength in depth, probably ever, it isn't a margin better than a number of other international sides. There are about 8 sides in any international tournament of a similar high level. Various modelling companies predicted the likely winner at the last World Cup, the team with the single highest prediction to win was Brazil but with a 20% chance of success i.e. actually highly unlikely to win it. Many didn't give any side over a 15% chance which reflects how closely matched a number of sides are coupled with the nature of short-format knockout football. In the modern era of both the Euros and World Cup there is now generally a different winner at each tournament. In the past 11 editions of the Euros, which spans 40 years, there has been 10 different winners! Only Spain have bucked that trend and won 2 in a row. The truth is that Southgate's run of semi-final, final and quarter final has been excellent by any reasonable measure. The final loss againt Italy came down to the smallest of margins in the end and if Rashford had placed his penalty kick a few inches further inside then England would've taken control of the shootout. The chances of Southgate now being hailed as England greatest ever manager would've increased significantly.
In the semi final run in for his first tournament he got a really lucky draw. Who did he have to beat to get there paraguay, sweden , coulmbia really average teams. He was beaten by Belgium in the group stages and was knocked out by Croatia . So that tells you if he came up against any top like italy, spain, germany , brazil, argentina, holland etc . England won have gone home. In euro 2020 . In the group stages England were awful against a championship side in Scotland and lucky not to be beaten . Against a declining Croatia they looked crap as well. Against ukraine was the only match they looked good but ukraine were awful . Very poor against Denmark who although they were a good team . England made very hard work of them. In the final against italy they go a goal up .England started the game with a really high tempo and italy weren't able to live with it . It was obvious to anyone except Southgate that if they continued to play at that speed that the italians would have been beaten them. In the world cup 2022. England beat iran and wales who were rubbish and then looked awful against an average usa team . In the next round they beat a decent side in senegal . Then beaten by a very good French team who were missing their best players in pogba and bezenema. Most believe that if Southgate played a more attacked team that they could have beaten France . Believe me when i say this France are way overrated . When we played them in Dublin. We pressed the hell out of them , didnt give them an inch and made them look very ordinary . Grriezman didnt get a kick of the ball as I have noticed if you really get tight on him he disappears from the match . He is a very overrated player . They beat us France but they were lucky . In the last 15 minutes of the match we had them pinned in their own half and they were damn lucky to not concede a goal . A miraculous save from their goal keeper and the cross bar saved them. If bog standard championship side like us caused them huge problems . Imagine what a team like yours would do to them . If you actually put your best attacking players on the pitch and went at them . Their defenders are very overrated too. They defend really well if you don't put them under pressure but if you put their defence under real pressure like we did they panic and make lots of mistakes .
The guy is toxic around the dressing room similar to Mourinho! We would be mad to let him anywhere near the National team unless you want players to not want to turn up.
Mate, that may be your opinion, but SOCIAL MEDIA will decide who will succeed Southgate, not you and not the FA.
Thomas Tuchel will put English clubs - and potentially the FA - on red alert when he leaves Bayern at the end of the season. Piece on his preference to return to England and why Bayern experience will not taint his reputation. With @JBurtTelegraph https://t.co/N4u6Hpd1j8— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) February 21, 2024 ‘Tuchel would have been interested in succeeding Southgate after the Qatar World Cup, when the German was out of work and it is thought the FA would consider an anglicised foreigner if and when they come to replace the 53-year-old.k
Outside of the fact I don't want Tuchel it wouldn't really bother me if a German managed us. I don't really view them as a rival because I think for a rivalry to be a true one it has to go both ways and while everyone hates England to a degree the animosity from them towards us is tiny compared to, say, the Argentines or the Scots. I do think there's something there on both sides but it's a very soft rivalry at best when considering each party.
🚨🎙️| Pep Guardiola on what's left for him to achieve:"A national team. I would like to train a national team for a World Cup or a European Championship. I would like that." pic.twitter.com/9x400m5nuw— Transfer Sector (@TransferSector) February 22, 2024 Could Jose Mourinho be in line for the England job after Gareth Southgate? 👀Stephen Warnock discusses Mourinho's potential to lead the Three Lions next! #JoseMourinho #England pic.twitter.com/LO9KiTHfaM— OLBG.com (@OLBG) February 23, 2024
Exactly. The nature of international football coming down to single leg knockout matches means luck and small margins play a huge role in success. Some of the greatest teams of all time (Hungary 54, Netherlands 74, Brazil 82) did not win the World Cup, but to most watching were the best team. Nobody ever thought that the FA Cup winners were the best team in the country purely on the basis of winning it.
I don’t see the FA going for anyone non British unless all of Howe, Cooper, Potter and probably others turn them down. And to be honest I just don’t see Klopp wanting the job.
I wouldn't be overly surprised if Guardiola winds up with Saudi Arabia when he eventually ends it with City. They would offer him anything to do it, and they're definitely going to want to continue having prestige managers to get them into shape for their home world cup. At any rate I don't really see him as a realistic prospect for the England job. His contract is till 2025, if he is actually really set on managing an international team i'd expect him to probably wait it out till after the 2026 world cup when jobs become available.
Have you actually seen a quote from the FA saying they won’t employ a non English manager? Or is this something you have picked up on from social media?
They say they will consider everyone but the oress always say it is English first, other British second, foreigner third idea.
They've not said anything themselves have they? I think that's just what the broadsheets are reporting and we know when it comes to England they aren't really in the know about things behind the scenes these days.