European Championships England v Malta/Macedonia

[MattyGreensLeftBoot]

England have been tepid at best today.

 

[andystroud]

England 0-1 Macedonia.

Best thing that could have happened. We might see England play some attacking football now.

That should never have been given as a penalty!
North Macedonia certainly now how to use the dark arts too.

 

[Osei Yaw]

I've only seen about 10 minutes of it, the usual qualification snore fest. But that was never a penalty in a million years.

 

[andystroud]

England have been tepid at best today.

Missing Bellingham in midfield

 

[Joey]

I was thinking about this.....but is there a case, from an attacking perspective, that this genuinely is the best England squad in a generation?

After all, our striker is absolutely tearing the place to shreds with Bayern Munich (21 goals & 7 assists in 15 Bundesliga/Champions League games!)
And the guy that plays behind him is currently top scorer in La Liga, and is widely being talked about as possibly the best player in the world (and not just by the English!)

We got overexcited by the likes of Owen & Beckham, but they never demolished leagues overseas the way Kane & Bellingham have been doing lately.

With a whole slew of very good Premiership players to play either side of them, and a very capable water carrier to sit behind them in Rice.......I genuinely don't think there's another front six in the world that I would swap for ours (France is the closest.......)

Yeah, the defense is a bit of a mess, particularly in the centre, which is why we're not runaway favourites for the Euros. But we should have as good a chance as anyone.

(not that I think the Malta result has any bearing on this.....because it doesn't. Although still, Jordan Henderson? Really?)

Going forwards we've got decent players for sure and Kane and Bellingham are both world class. I think the midfield 3 is strong but there's next to no depth, someone like JWP should be in but he's just a decent Premier League player. Henderson being in is shambolic.

Defensively we're woeful, once you get past Stones there's nothing there. If you were picking a mashup lineup between the current team and the golden generation then I don't know how many from now make it. Kane should but Rooney was hardly a mug, likewise Bellingham would probably be replacing Lampard who isn't exactly a step down. At the back I don't know if anyone other than Stones makes the squad.

 

[bashamwonderland]

International football really is diabolical

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

Ha, no worries!

To pick up on your first point: it's happening again, just like it always does. I find myself being told again that this is one of the best England squads EVER. Just like I have, every few years, over several decades. As usual, it's plainly nonsense, look at the defensive options!

Winning a World Cup or the Euros is hardly ever about just having the best players though. Obviously it helps, but it's just as important that everyone knows what they're doing, that they believe in themselves and eachother, that they really want to win, and that they're a bit lucky.

I think we've looked more likely to win something under Southgate than under any other manager in my lifetime.

Are you joking?

Don’t get me wrong, England have been blessed with plenty of amazing players over the years before, which is the one argument in favour of Southgate - he’s generally doing better with huge riches than previous managers have, and well done to him.

But Southgate has at his disposal:

Bayern Munich’s star striker who has topped the Bundesliga scoring charts with an incredible 17 goals in only 11 games. There was a discussion on Sky Sports recently as to whether he was the best striker on the planet. Oh, and throw in La Liga’s top scorer, a star midfielder with 12 G/A in 11 games who some are saying is already one of the world’s best midfielders - he already won the youth version of the Ballon D’Or.

Apart from that you’ve got Grealish and Rice, both who cost over £100m, Saka and Foden who seem generational talents, and Kyle Walker who is regularly talked about as maybe the world’s best right back.

England will have a top 2 squad in this next Euros.

 

[MattyGreensLeftBoot]

If England can't beat Macedonia then they are really poor. The penalty was harsh and not an obvious error if it had been given I wouldn't have expected it to be overturned. The Maguire one was deffo penalty though

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

I've only seen about 10 minutes of it, the usual qualification snore fest. But that was never a penalty in a million years.

Harsh penalty (although might have been given as a foul in the middle of the park) but the Maguire one was a blatant penalty not given so it evens itself out

 

[Joey]

It's lucky South Macedonia aren't here as well or we'd get a right hiding.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

someone like JWP should be in but he's just a decent Premier League player. Henderson being in is shambolic.

Probably the best set piece taker in Europe, maybe even the world. I’ve never understood why someone like that can’t get in the squad even just to have that option. How he hardly ever gets a look in over the semi-retired Jordan Henderson and ex-footballer Kalvin Phillips is beyond me.

And don’t even get me started on Gallagher, who looks (and plays) like a letting agent who has just had a cracking little two bed come up.

 

[Whingit]

Gallagher slander is harsh, he's a good player. International football is awful, even the two major tournaments are difficult to watch/care about. England won't win anything because Stones and Walker aside, the rest of the defence, especially Pickford, aren't good enough.

 

[Mad Dog]

My god England are shite, UTTER SHITE, like proper horse s**t!

I’ve HAD more entertaining shits

 

[bashamwonderland]

Dion Dublin is an odd choice of commentator. Say what you want about his footballing insight, but surely one of the defining qualities of a football commentator is that they should have a voice people want to listen to.

When I was a kid (late 90s and early 00s,) every commentator actually sounded compelling. They had good voices. Nowadays it seems to be who you are, rather than what you sound like, that gets you booked for these gigs.

A drop in commentating quality over the years, despite media opportunities being more accessible now than at any time in history.

Anyway, I'm bored.

 

[unification]

Only Connect
University Challenge
Masterchef: The Professionals on catch up

There is really no need to watch England’s meaningless final two qualifiers.

You think the XI put out tonight will be lining up in the opener in the Euros?

 

[Mad Dog]

Great cross there from Jack “£100m” Grealish

Blokes a joke

 

[tonyw]

Defensively we're woeful, once you get past Stones there's nothing there. If you were picking a mashup lineup between the current team and the golden generation then I don't know how many from now make it. Kane should but Rooney was hardly a mug, likewise Bellingham would probably be replacing Lampard who isn't exactly a step down. At the back I don't know if anyone other than Stones makes the squad.

So the Golden Generation would be, what, roughly 2006? After Rooney had emerged on the scene but before Beckham/Neville/Campbell were past it?

I would take the entire 2006 back four (Neville, Cole plus two from Terry/Ferdinand/Campbell) and one of Scholes/Lampard/Gerrard to play in the middle alongside Declan Rice (that era England had too many good attacking CMs and lacked the outstanding defensive player).
Bellingham and Kane are shoe-ins, plus whichever one of the current forwards you want to play on the left (because the mid-2000s side could never sort that position out). Then probably Saka rather than Beckham on the right because in the modern game you need someone with more pace and drive, rather than just the glorious right peg.

So five and five.....with keeper being a toss up because I don't think either side had anyone great.

The mashup would be an amazing team though!

 

[Osei Yaw]

Dion Dublin is an odd choice of commentator. Say what you want about his footballing insight, but surely one of the defining qualities of a football commentator is that they should have a voice people want to listen to.

When I was a kid (late 90s and early 00s,) every commentator actually sounded compelling. They had good voices. Nowadays it seems to be who you are, rather than what you sound like, that gets you booked for these gigs.

A drop in commentating quality over the years, despite media opportunities being more accessible now than at any time in history.

Anyway, I'm bored.

You're obviously not a Homes Under The Hammer fan.

 

[Mad Dog]

All I can say is thank god I’m not an England fan, what a steaming pile of horse shite.

Give me lower league club football on a Saturday any day over this turd

 

[MattyGreensLeftBoot]

Modern football pundits an commentators who are ex players annoy me no matter how dull and depressing the performance they alway celebrate it. Like they don't want to upset their mates. Never have I seen such a s**t performance praised by both the football and radio pundits.