WORLD CUP 2018

menamestom

Fretwired said:

Bridgehouse said:

This England team are awesome. They have utterly nailed the art of playing to lose without any suspicion by just looking like they are a bit shit. 

Superb work lads!

It is the B team. This shows there's not a lot of quality in depth.  Manager didn't have much choice. Am I the only one who thinks Rashford is overrated.

He blows hot and cold, like many players so young. He didn't get much from midfield, but I think Sterling will come back in on Tuesday.

Fretwired

Bridgehouse said:

Fretwired said:

Bridgehouse said:

Fretwired said:

Bridgehouse said:

This England team are awesome. They have utterly nailed the art of playing to lose without any suspicion by just looking like they are a bit shit. 

Superb work lads!

It is the B team. This shows there's not a lot of quality in depth.  Manager didn't have much choice. Am I the only one who thinks England are overrated.

FTFY 

Most original. I never saw that coming. Have this in return ...

I’m not joking either. 

Belgium’s B team showed strength in depth. They were in control in quick and slow play. They looked dangerous. 

For all this talk of Rashford starting, he looked ropey at best tonight. Same for Loftus-Cheek. Pickford looked uncomfortable as well. 

No depth at all, which is worrying. You need strength in depth to win the tournament. You need invention and consistency, and you need adaptability. This team doesn’t have it.

Doesn’t mean they won’t one day - but right now, I can see a scrape win against Columbia maybe and then Sweden handing us ours on a plate. 

You didn't read what I wrote did you ....

Bridgehouse

Fretwired said:

You didn't read what I wrote did you ....

Sorry, I’m clearly too thick for your quips.

munckee

Was alright I thought, Belgium's second team no better than ours really except for final ball, Rashford puts that chance away 5 times out of 10 and finishes as a draw, we weren't run all over and rested everybody we needed to.  Loftus-Cheek performance probably costs him his place, Rose better than Young in terms of left winger not quite as good at left back maybe.

quarky

Bridgehouse said:

No depth at all, which is worrying. You need strength in depth to win the tournament. You need invention and consistency, and you need adaptability. This team doesn’t have it.

That's fine, only one team is going to win it, and I don't think it was ever going to be England Glorious defeat in the QFs will be good enough!

scrumhalf

Meh.

What did we learn?

- The players who aren't first-choice picks aren't good enouigh to be first-choice picks.

- Loftus-Cheek and Alexander-Arnold are both badly affected by the weight of the surplus lettering of their names on their shirts.

- Germany are out. (Always worth repeating.)

What's truly bad is that there are no games tomorrow.

Fretwired

How to celebrate a goal Belgian style ... wow ... :-)

guitars4you

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/schedule/knockout-stage

if there is a better 1/2 of the draw to be in, then we are in it - No easy games, but will avoid Brazil, France, Argentina, Portugal, so get it right and a good chance to progress beyond Columbia 

tone1

Well that was 93 minutes of my life I’ll never get back

crunchman

guitars4you said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/schedule/knockout-stage

if there is a better 1/2 of the draw to be in, then we are in it - No easy games, but will avoid Brazil, France, Argentina, Portugal, so get it right and a good chance to progress beyond Columbia 

On current evidence, I'd rather face Portugal or Argentina than Croatia or Spain.  Brazil and France look reasonably good, but no-one looks unbeatable.

Rocker

Fretwired said:

Bridgehouse said:

This England team are awesome. They have utterly nailed the art of playing to lose without any suspicion by just looking like they are a bit shit. 

Superb work lads!

It is the B team. This shows there's not a lot of quality in depth.  Manager didn't have much choice. Am I the only one who thinks Rashford is overrated.

Looks very much that England have a decent first team and a poor B team. No leadership shown by anyone tonight. Did England manage a shot on target against a very under strength Belgium side? I ask cos I dozed for a few minutes, missed the Belgium goal in fact, and never felt for a moment that Emgland would equalise.

A reality check. Good job that it came in a game that really was a dead rubber.

Fretwired

Rocker said:

Fretwired said:

Bridgehouse said:

This England team are awesome. They have utterly nailed the art of playing to lose without any suspicion by just looking like they are a bit shit. 

Superb work lads!

It is the B team. This shows there's not a lot of quality in depth.  Manager didn't have much choice. Am I the only one who thinks Rashford is overrated.

Looks very much that England have a decent first team and a poor B team. No leadership shown by anyone tonight. Did England manage a shot on target against a very under strength Belgium side? I ask cos I dozed for a few minutes, missed the Belgium goal in fact, and never felt for a moment that Emgland would equalise.

A reality check. Good job that it came in a game that really was a dead rubber.

You're right. Poor display. Lots of shots and chances, but nothing on target. I don't think the Belgian keeper made a serious save. Rashford missed a great opportunity - Kane would have scored or at least troubled the keeper. You can't win a World Cup with just an A team.

axisus

If we lose the next match we have basically had another bad tournament. 2 wins, 2 losses and we are out. It was all looking rosy but now we are under great pressure to not fail again. I hope we can win another match, maybe two. 

Teetonetal

That was nothing more than a very low intensity training match where the primary objective was don't get injured and don't get a red card.

This might be the difference if either team's next match goes to extra time, both sets of first team players rested.

2 bits of quality in the goal and the ball to Rashford, but some question marks for England:

Pickford looks iffy
That formation does not suit Vardy at all, if Kane was out do we have a plan B better suited to the other strikers.
Dead ball delivery from the backups was woeful.

Columbia worry me.

crunchman

Teetonetal said:

That was nothing more than a very low intensity training match where the primary objective was don't get injured and don't get a red card.

This might be the difference if either team's next match goes to extra time, both sets of first team players rested.

2 bits of quality in the goal and the ball to Rashford, but some question marks for England:

Pickford looks iffy
That formation does not suit Vardy at all, if Kane was out do we have a plan B better suited to the other strikers.
Dead ball delivery from the backups was woeful.

Columbia worry me.

I really don't like the idea of Colombia, although it does depend if Rodriguez is fit.  Would have much preferred to have won the group.

On your other points, if Kane is out I don't think plan B is going to matter.  Without him, we just don't have the quality.

Likewise Trippier.  With his dead ball delivery, England would have done more with the 7 corners (plus some free kicks in good position) that they had.

If England are going to go a long way in this tournament, then Kane and Trippier have to stay fit.  There is no plan B in that sense.  Most of the other players are replaceable, but not those two.

The other thing yesterday showed is our paucity of resources in central midfield.  Henderson will help a bit.  He's not great but he's definitely a better passer of the ball than DIer.  That will help the service to the forwards.  The first choice defense are also bettter footballers (with the ball) than Jones or Cahill, although Cahill might be more solid defensively.  Getting them back will help cover the deficiencies of the midfield a bit.

guitars4you

crunchman said:

guitars4you said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/schedule/knockout-stage

if there is a better 1/2 of the draw to be in, then we are in it - No easy games, but will avoid Brazil, France, Argentina, Portugal, so get it right and a good chance to progress beyond Columbia 

On current evidence, I'd rather face Portugal or Argentina than Croatia or Spain.  Brazil and France look reasonably good, but no-one looks unbeatable.

I think on our side of the draw you have to fancy Spain for the final, with Croatia as back up if Spin don't make it

On the other side of the draw then take your pick - they can all take each other out

prowla

England went out to not score and hopefully lose 1-0.

The only time they showed any intent was when it looked like Belgium might go for a 2nd goal.

It wasn't quite as blatant as Denmark's last group game, but it was never going to be 100%.

One of the players after said they also get an extra day's rest before the next game.

FX_Munkee

Dier was poor, Jones looked iffy, Pickford didn't impress much. Rashford confirmed he should be coming on when there's 20 mins left or Sterling's missed his 3rd sitter, whichever comes sooner.

Basically the first team has confirmed itself with last nights performance, my only concern is that they haven't had to do any serious defnding yet and Pickford needs to up his game.

On a more serious note our next game is now on a tuesday night and I have to take #1 son to his Kayaking course. I checked with #2's football coach about his football training which is Tuesday evening as well "Yeah it's on, we'll start at 6:30 in the Billinge Arms".

p90fool

Never mind the England B team, I was left wondering how players who persistently blast corners at knee height aimlessly into the penalty area get a paid job playing for any club side, let alone an international one. 

Emp_Fab

I withdraw my criticism of Neuer.  I only saw the clip and wasn't aware of the stage the game was at.  I'd have done the same thing but with the exception that if I'd ran up the pitch, there would be nobody there by the time I got there.  They'd all have showered and changed by then.