Euro 2016 Qualifiers - The Road to France

[NorwayFB]

You didn't look too bad last time out.

I hope our 15 year old 'Messi' Ødegaard gets to play,that would at least make it semi-interesting.

 

[lemonjelly]

The problem with that is thanks to Platini's nutbar idea to expand the tournament, most of our qualifying games are against low-ranked opposition. No-one in the group other than us and Switzerland (who have lost both games without scoring) are ranked inside the top 50 on the FIFA rankings.

So you're invariably going to be faced with some form of massed defence...so you go 4-4-2...but you know full well that there is no chance of us using that successfully when we get to the tournament proper, and we really should be using this two year period to build an actual team rather than a collection of individuals.

I can accept the drudgery of qualification and functional victories if I can see us building towards something. Ultimately it means little to me if we beat San Marino 5-0 or 10-0. It is UEFA's problem that they've managed to turn the whole process into an unholy mess full of walkovers and virtual dead rubbers, and where severely underpowered teams have a puncher's chance of making a major finals. There doesn't seem much value to me in parking Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right wing in a flat 4-4-2 when you have no intention of using him in that way when you're faced with anyone half decent.

See the full backs were very wrong last night. Clyne should have played for starters. He & Gibbs should've been given a greater licence to bomb forwards, near the touchline. SM were always gonna play 5-4-1, so 2 decent CBs would've been fine to cope with half a striker (as it ended up more of a 5-4.5-0.5 anyway).

Players like Oxlade Chamberlain and/or Sterling should've been running at the defence, mmore than trying to play crosses in, as pacey players will win free kicks, yellow cards etc.

Also, shoot from further out. Give them something to think about. The keeper is less sighted owing to people in the way. It got too crowded frequently for what England were trying to do.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I just don't think you should be fundamentally changing your ethos because San Marino park the bus and it gets frustrating for a while. We know it's going to be a rubbish game one way or another and that England are going to win one way or another. As it was, Oxlade-Chamberlain played much better than Sterling did on the night and we looked better once that change was made (I agree Clyne should have played as well). You don't need to start playing a formation that you know won't work for us at higher levels to beat them.

Elsewhere, looks like Holland have finally abandoned 3-5-2. Better late than never.

 

[NorwayFB]

Netherlands v Kazakhstan 0-1

 

[NorwayFB]

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee scored Møller Dæhli.

 

[NorwayFB]

and again,Joshua King 2-0

 

[NorwayFB]

Tbh I thought Malta had improved some,but they're really bad.0-2 HT.

 

[NorwayFB]

0-3 King.Awful defending again.

 

[NorwayFB]

Andorra struggling in Belgium.Holland 1-1 and Kaz got a man sent off.

 

[Lycan]

Wales playing some sort of weird 5-4-1 with Gareth Bale up front on his own.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Coleman's tactics never stray far from the bizarre. He's such a belligerent tosser with it as well :icon_lol: Imagine if you kept Deano's baffling selections and terrible results, then swapped out the shocking misplaced attempts at "humour" with a belief at all odds with all the available evidence that he was the new Mourinho.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Azerbaijan equalise vs Italy.

 

[NorwayFB]

Latvia v Iceland 0-2

Gylfi and Aron.Would love Iceland to qualify,it's so impressive.

 

[Lycan]

I love how he stands on the sidelines trying to look all pensive. Probably thinking about what to have for dinner.

 

[NorwayFB]

Chiellini's scored all three goals. 2-1 Italy

 

[YoungWolf]

Hennessey has had a great game for Wales tonight, been equal to everything thrown at him.

Their game plan is literally give the ball to Bale and hope he does something with it on his own. Nearly scored a great goal just then

 

[NorwayFB]

Well we won 3-0,Bulgaria on Monday will be a key match in the fight for 3rd behind Italy and Croatia.

 

[Alan]

God arbeide, Norge!

Hope that's right.

 

[yavorescu]

Well we won 3-0,Bulgaria on Monday will be a key match in the fight for 3rd behind Italy and Croatia.

There will be no fight as we're extremely poor. 5 players out of position and another 5 out of form who don't deserve to be capped at all. Norway will qualify without much effort.

 

[NorwayFB]

God arbeide, Norge!

Hope that's right.

Close enough! Godt arbeid.