Team England

Duncmeister

We dont need to play like Italy or Spain or Brazil. We just need 11 footballers who are smart with their usage of the ball and can use it the way they want to influence the game positively for England. We dont need to copy Spain's possession game or have 11 samba type Brazilian footballers. The footballers we produce in this country have much pretty little or no footballing brain. They have no clue what to do when they're without the ball and with the ball.

Disagree with this article, even thought it makes an interesting point.

Look what Germany did, built basically their whole squad from the U21's in 2010, and now they will be a major force in 2014.

We dont need to play like Italy or Spain or Brazil. We just need 11 footballers who are smart with their usage of the ball and can use it the way they want to influence the game positively for England. We dont need to copy Spain's possession game or have 11 samba type Brazilian footballers. The footballers we produce in this country have much pretty little or no footballing brain. They have no clue what to do when they're without the ball and with the ball.
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the thing is, we actually have the players to compete, im not saying we'd win, but we could at least give it a go ffs.
I'd rather go out of a competition and say, we gave it a right good go, but were beaten by the better team than say, we were sheite, sat back all game and made no effort to score.

I agree fellas england dont need to copy the style of anyone

Where I disagree to an extent is that most of teh players in the national squad play for teams like chelsea, arsenal and UTD and are used to keeping the ball and applying pressure etc. Its only the likes of say blackburn/bolto etc under allardyce that play the way england resort to playing

The top teams in the EPL tend to play good possession football and have players who are skillful.

Without being a wum Liverpool after carroll tried to use the longball method and were not succcessful. Their success came from the likes of suarez who played with the likes of henderson, downing and gerrard

I think this 'style of play' argument being pushed is nearly the same as 'too many foreigners' or 'we need an englishman coaching' etc. They have an element at best but are not the reason

dunc - I disagree when you say we have the players to compete - Our midfield and attack. Have you seen them ever slice open a defence? I was laughing at how clueless they looked whenever they got into the opposition's last third. They looked dumbfounded as to what to do. The player with the ball had no idea where to pass and ended up passing backwards. The players off the ball have no idea how to move and create space. Pretty embarrasing.

who's kissing camera's - Yeah I thought of that tbh. However looking at the teams in the final its the 'older' heads responsible for getting them there eg Pirlo

also I think Germany have to win to prove that theory correct, and who knows what will happen in 2014 and who will be in the team

dunc - I disagree when you say we have the players to compete - Our midfield and attack. Have you seen them ever slice open a defence? I was laughing at how clueless they looked whenever they got into the opposition's last third. They looked dumbfounded as to what to do. The player with the ball had no idea where to pass and ended up passing backwards. The players off the ball have no idea how to move and create space. Pretty embarrasing.

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i think thats down to personel and tactics mate.

Roy played with a midfield that sat back and defended, and wingers who had no pace, and expected to hit teams on the counter, its never gonna work.

stick someone like carrick, or a fit wilshire, and then it would be different as they are comfortable on the ball and can keep it, instead of losing it with every pass.

and if your gonna play on the break ffs, put some pace on the wings Roy!!

dunc

Roy's tactics worked to a point: we didn't get beaten in 90 or 120 minutes by any of the teams we played against, including two who were obviously superior to us technically. It was super-defensive while theoretically giving us the opportunity to counter-attack.

Personally, I'd like to have seen our team play with three in midfield so we had a better chance of keeping the ball when we won it. However, I'd hesitate to say we'd have gone a lot further in the tournament this way, because we don't have a creative midfielder in that 3 who is talented and fit enough to do lots of damage going forward.

Really we need to produce a new crop of English players who are better with the ball at their feet. There are some signs that younger players have been coached with a greater emphasis on technical skills. However, I don't see a plethora of talent in the emerging generation. Wilshere and Cleverley may be a move in the right direction, towards the kind of player who fits a more modern system. They don't look like players who will make the world tremble in fear.

Roy's tactics worked to a point: we didn't get beaten in 90 or 120 minutes by any of the teams we played against, including two who were obviously superior to us technically. It was super-defensive while theoretically giving us the opportunity to counter-attack.
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not really though mate, if he had played walcott instead of milner, who looks like he runs in quicksand and ox on the other side, we could have broke with pace, as it was, we couldnt.

plus while we defended well, we posed hardly any threat against the better teams.
we cant expect to go into every tournament and hope to go through on penalties in every game.