The Road to Russia 2018

[Freddeno]

Quite - just one of the many bizarre things about Ventura

Cameras actually picked up Daniele De Rossi urging Ventura to throw on Insigne

Guess he will get his coat in some mins now

 

[Lupo]

Guess he will get his coat in some mins now

There are reports that he has resigned

 

[Freddeno]

There are reports that he has resigned

If I were him I would go underground for a couple of months at least

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Thought Chiellini was Italy's best player tonight, only one that really looked to force the issue and kept going right to the end, most of the others should be ashamed of themselves. The manager might well be shit but there's enough ability there with more than enough top level experience to put on a better performance between themselves than they managed tonight.

 

[Lupo]

Chiellini has tonight retired from international football along with Buffon, De Rossi and I think Barzagli - the 3 remaining from the 2006 WC win

 

[Freddeno]

Thought Chiellini was Italy's best player tonight, only one that really looked to force the issue and kept going right to the end, most of the others should be ashamed of themselves. The manager might well be shit but there's enough ability there with more than enough top level experience to put on a better performance between themselves than they managed tonight.

Chiellini had a good game tonight yeah

 

[Alan]

Florenzi, Jorginho, and Parolo were okay, I thought.

Candreva has been pretty awful every time I've seen him for Italy. Having him at RWB and Matteo Darmian of all people at LWB really hampered the options for Italy.

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

got back from London late yesterday, so first time I had chance to post.

I had a great time Friday, though sat (stood) next to the band not fan of the band, but they generally took there queue from the fans around them for what to play, so they were not as bad as I expected. Atmosphere in the home end was really good, I was surprised, atmosphere at the other end was ok, 2 sides were embarrassing, trying to start a wave that thankfully failed, and those bloody paper planes, if only they cheered that loud for the team, caused quite a bit of angst with the fans supporting the team.


Pickford was stunning what a keeper, I would drop hart from the squad and go with him.

Trippier, should have had more confidence a couple of times he had the ball, could have advanced and taken a shot but just seemed scared to try anything

Livermore was Livermore, not good enough

really impressed with Loftus-cheek, Stones, Maguire (after he settled down, seemed really shaky to start with) Vardy doid ok, and is a decent back up the Kane.

I would like to see

----------------Pickford-------------------------

-----Keane-------Maguire-----Stones---------

Walker------Dier---------Winks----------Rose

-------------Loftus-Cheek----Ali--------------

----------------Kane-------------------------


Would replace LC, with Adam Lallana when the latter is fit.

I liked seeing the youngsters play, and would like to see more play.


All in all a very pleasurable experience far better performance than I expected.

 

[Trips]

Sterling has been in great form for City this year, he has to be in our side for me.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Sterling has been in great form for City this year, he has to be in our side for me.

Doesn't fit whatsoever if we stick with 3-5-2 though. I wouldn't fancy him as a second striker at all and he definitely isn't a wing back :icon_lol: We'd have to go with a similar formation to the Nuno blueprint.

I'd still be very cautious with lauding Friday's performance, Germany were way short of full strength, the game died in the final 20-25 minutes and there wouldn't be much optimism if we'd been 3-0 down at half time, which we could have been. Still have little to no faith in Southgate I'm afraid. I saw Wolves play ok under Saunders once or twice, it didn't change anything.

 

[Trips]

Doesn't fit whatsoever if we stick with 3-5-2 though. I wouldn't fancy him as a second striker at all and he definitely isn't a wing back :icon_lol: We'd have to go with a similar formation to the Nuno blueprint.

I'd still be very cautious with lauding Friday's performance, Germany were way short of full strength, the game died in the final 20-25 minutes and there wouldn't be much optimism if we'd been 3-0 down at half time, which we could have been. Still have little to no faith in Southgate I'm afraid. I saw Wolves play ok under Saunders once or twice, it didn't change anything.

3-5-2 wouldn't be the way I would play though. Still think 4-2-3-1 is our best option with the players we have.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

3-5-2 wouldn't be the way I would play though. Still think 4-2-3-1 is our best option with the players we have.

Don't disagree at all but Nosferatu has committed to a back three now.

 

[YoungWolf]

Sterling would still work as an inside forward of a 3-4-3, I reckon. We have some decent attacking options, so I'm not too concerned with that side. It's getting the combination in midfield right!

 

[Trips]

Butland, Walker, Stones, Jones, Rose, Dier, Winks, Sterling, Alli, Rashford, Kane playing 4231.

Squad for WC if everyone fit would look like this for me

GK - Butland, Pickford, Heaton

Def - Walker, Trippier, Rose, Bertrand, Stones, Jones, Smalling, Maguire, Keane

Mid - Dier, Winks, Lallana, Loftus-Cheek, Alli, Wilshere, Sterling

FW - Kane, Rashford, Vardy, Abraham



Of course Southgate will take the likes of Hart, Cahill and Henderson, he will go 3 at the back and we will play some painful to watch football (full of optimism)

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

We do have some decent attacking options but the manager has shown no signs whatsoever of being able to either supply them or to get them working as a unit. We've limped past Malta and Lithuania twice in qualification and came within seconds of failing to beat (or score against) Slovenia at home. Dele Alli hasn't scored for England in over a year and currently sits with a record of 2 goals in 22 caps; he's scored 29 goals for Spurs since the start of last season. Belgium and Germany both scored 43 goals in qualifying (and Germany would love to have a striker of the calibre of Harry Kane, they don't have anyone remotely near that level), Spain got 36...England? 18. And three of them came in the final four minutes of the game in Malta to put a very flattering gloss on a shocking performance against a team who wouldn't survive in League Two.

It would be fair to say we aren't realistic challengers to win the whole thing at present because we don't have the quality, especially in central midfield. Fine. But Southgate will have us punching significantly below our weight for as long as he's in charge.

I'll ask again, let's say every single club in the Premier League and Football League is forced to release their manager from their contract tomorrow, and they can't re-appoint the same guy. And let's say on the same day, the FA come to their senses and let Southgate go as well, so he's a free agent and in the pool. What's the highest placed club that you would say would seriously approach Gareth Southgate? Halfway up the Championship, maybe?

 

[The Bear]

I've thought about playing the Nuno 3-4-3 but we don't have the players for it. Kane certainly isn't a link man, he's too greedy for that. And whilst Sterling could play behind him I doubt Alli could do that role where he has to drift around and provide balls in as well.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I've thought about playing the Nuno 3-4-3 but we don't have the players for it. Kane certainly isn't a link man, he's too greedy for that. And whilst Sterling could play behind him I doubt Alli could do that role where he has to drift around and provide balls in as well.

Spurs play 3-4-2-1 regularly and Kane/Alli seem to do just fine.

You'd need the inside forwards to play narrower than they do at Wolves and rely on your wingbacks to stretch the play.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Spurs play 3-4-2-1 regularly and Kane/Alli seem to do just fine.

You'd need the inside forwards to play narrower than they do at Wolves and rely on your wingbacks to stretch the play.

Think the big problem they'd have trying to replicate their Spurs form for England, even in those same positions, would be the lack of anyone behind them to consistently provide any sort of service for them. There's no-one in the England setup that's going to do for them what Eriksen does at club level.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Think the big problem they'd have trying to replicate their Spurs form for England, even in those same positions, would be the lack of anyone behind them to consistently provide any sort of service for them. There's no-one in the England setup that's going to do for them what Eriksen does at club level.

Lallana maybe. If I'm being stupidly generous.

It's not inconceivable that Spurs could be playing a midfield two of Dier and Winks a lot this season (or by extension, a midfield four of Rose-Dier-Winks-Trippier), Dembele and Wanyama are both varying degrees of broken and Sissoko only gets deployed on the right now so he can shin the ball straight out of play 200 times a game.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Lallana maybe. If I'm being stupidly generous.

It's not inconceivable that Spurs could be playing a midfield two of Dier and Winks a lot this season (or by extension, a midfield four of Rose-Dier-Winks-Trippier), Dembele and Wanyama are both varying degrees of broken and Sissoko only gets deployed on the right now so he can shin the ball straight out of play 200 times a game.

I'd probably agree on Lallana being the best option, Sterling probably more likely to get that other slot being Kane though and he doesn't offer anything like the same sort of service so you'd then be very reliant on the two in the middle of the park to provide any sort of service to the wide players and front three, and that's where England have massive problems.