joey_big_nose

I guess my point is that Spain team won everything they competed in with broadly the same set of players over 6 years which no one else has ever managed.

Born in 1982 sadly never had the opportunity. But although they won 3 out of 4 world cups including 2 back to back they didn't manage to win the copa america. Screen shot with winners on the left, defeated finalist on right.

Yeah - that Spain side are probably the greatest ever international team, but I wouldnt be that excited about watching them. Just so risk averse, all about controlling the game.

I agree that Bellingham, Foden and Palmer are all better players. But we need someone who works with Kane and all those three have really struggled. Rodgers might not be as good, but jf hes making the right off the ball runs, pressing etc and therefore getting the best out of Kane then then he has to keep the shirt. Foden is a lost cause imo as he is just so indirect - I just cant see how he fits in at all. Palmer and Bellingham do have more to offer if they commit to giving up the number 10 space and possession of the ball to Kane and focus on running through, but they are naturally very similar to Kane wanting others to make the runs while they take a lot of touches and try to be the offensive pivot. Anyway Tuchel has played it well, putting the onus on them to show they can adapt. Not got many England games to do that though.

Id say tactically we can probably have two different forward lines depending on if Kane plays or not. If hes on then prioritise runners like Gordon, Morgan and Rashford to get beyond him. If he's out have Watkins doing the running and have more technical players in behind like Belligham and Palmer. Its all about reducing the congestion in the number 10 position. Seems daft to be so dependent tactically on Kane but his scoring record is ridiculous and getting better, so we need to accommodate him.

Hmmm... Think thats a stretch. But Italy won euro 2020 without standout attacking players, though they did have a brilliant keeper and defence. And obviously Greece in 2004. Good teams are as important as individual talents imo. Sides that combine both are what you want like France 1998 or Spain 2008 to 2012.

Im not that convinced by Bellingham personally. As hes always played abroad Ive not seen much club football from him, but like Foden in an England shirt he doesn't really seem what we need. Morgan has been a lot better suited. It would be refreshing if we stuck with what works rather than big names. Hopefully it would incentivise Bellingham to adapt his game too to fit in better.

Yeah.... Theres a conventional view that the defensive player is the deeper midfield partner, and the offensive one further forward. But often it works better the other way round. Tugay and Savage were like that. Tugay would drop off and pick up the ball deep and do his incredible passing. Savage would push up and closing down ahead of him to win the ball back.

Yeah agreed. Feels to me though we are a step up from the last euros. Really like what Anderson has brought into central midfield, made a massive difference. Also Tuchel getting the wide players ahead of Kane. It is all working a lot better. But like you say hard to say for sure until you play against someone at your desired level.

I know its only Latvia but we do look really really good. I want to see us play a genuinely top team - not done that since the euros final, and with the next nationals league not until September 2026 we are only going to get a competitive game against a top nation at the world cup. Annoying.

Hes a great lad, but he has been standing still or going backwards for years so a move was the right thing. That said I think we got 1 million for him, and paid 2 million for Tavares. And as far as I can see Tavares is a very similar player to Buckley, but with the same flaws (loose in possession, not physically competitive, doesn't cover enough ground) to a greater degree

Yeah, the ultra possession "pep ball" period is coming to an end. Going back to a much more direct style. I think the watchability of the game should improve as a result. Long periods of suffocating possession by one side is not much fun.

Just lost to Kosovo at home tonight too.... Probably going to get sacked shortly I would imagine.

I think having a player like Gordon out wide left is pretty crucial as Kane will drop deep and he will succeed only as much as other players get beyond him. Saka is brilliant but he is someone who is not going to get through the centre in the space Kane vacates. So the left needs a direct runner. That said surely Rashford will do that job better than Gordon if he continues in the same vein at Barca? Plus obviously much stronger goal scoring record.

Yeah sorry - bit of a maths failure from me. 16 and 32 would be better. Or change the overall tournament to 40 teams in 8 groups of 5 teams with top 2 going through to round of 16.

JDT is - from what I saw at Rovers in his first season - a very good fair weather manager who can build a team and get more than you would expect out of it's constituent parts. But as he is from the Ange Postecoglou school of "lets throw everything into the attack and let the defenders figure it out" he's not great when things start going against you and you need to batten down the hatches, as we saw in season 2.

I am not so bothered by this personally. The tournaments are only every 4 years each so having quite a big tournament where there is a fun group stage for a couple of weeks and then it gets serious in the knockouts is fine my me. Agree max that should get out of a group of four is two though. The 24 euros was fine. There were still a lot of fun games in the euros group. I think it should be similar at the 48 team world cup. In an ideal world as others have said there should just be a nations league over two year seasons that also covers the qualification for the major tournaments. No separate qualifiers, very few friendlies. You'd end up with the same amount of games, but many more played against higher quality opposition, and with something at stake.

Morgan will be hard to shift too. Big call to bring Bellingham or Foden back in for him. Feel like with Rashford doing well at Barca he should come in for left wing. I think across the 25 players England might be looking at their best ever tournament squad. Certainly since 1990 when I started watching. I dont think England have ever been in a position before where they have players on the bench who are key players for major Champions League clubs like Real, Barca, Man City.

I am not that sure that the team will be that different. Obviously Pickford, Stones, Guehi, Rice, Saka, Kane will all start. But does feel like Belligham, Foden etc could not be in the XI. The only player who didn't start last night who will defintiely be in the first XI is Kane imo.

Nations league is quality - best innovation in international football in decades. What shouldn't exist is friendlies.

Yeah, but still think its good for him to call it out. Maybe the FA will think about scheduling games in a way for better atmosphere. Maybe the fans will respond and turn up the volume.

Quite like Tuchel criticizing the fans. I think hes shaping up to be real entertainment. Very attacking, drops big names, slags off the fans. Nice to have something a bit different after decades of managers who are terrified of making a mistake or upsetting anyone.

JDT was way put in front in terms of attacking football. Ismael looks quite similar to me to Eustace, Mowbray etc. Pretty cautious, but sometimes offensive. Probaby he has been a bit more throwing the kitchen sink at it when we go behind. In the Championship where losing the first goal is such a big issue to overcome the vast majority of teams are cautious. JDT was a real outlier. There is something in being more attacking though.... A win is worth three draws so despite losing as many as we won under JDT the lack of draws kept us in the top six all season.

Personally I think he is a long way behind Buckley at the moment. I am struggling to see how even if he gets up to pace of English football he will be much better than Buckley.

I quite like that he has bluntly said Taveres was dropped from the entire squad as he wasn't performing well enough in training and in games.. https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25517874.blackburn-rovers-boss-reveals-reason-tavares-absence/