World Cup 2018

[Mattyblue]

Wilshire seems to have played a fair bit since Christmas?

[joey_big_nose]

2 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Wilshire seems to have played a fair bit since Christmas?

Don't think so, on MOTD they say he's only managed 8 or 9 since December. Wikipedia has him down as only playing 19 games all season. 

For England Hodgson tried to shoehorn Wilshire into a deep lying playmaker role at Euro 16 with mediocre results. Wilshire more naturally wants to play further forward, and would dribble out from deep rather than pass. 

Advantage with Shelvey is he naturally wants to sit deep and pick out runners with quality forward passes. Reminds me a lot of Carrick. Think he could work well alongside Henderson in the middle. Would mean dropping Dier though which I doubt will happen.

Plus arguably with the 343 formation Southgate has hit on the defenders are the real playmakers (which is a bit bizarre, but I quite like the oddness of it, and the defenders we have are very good passers). So maybe we don't really need a Shelvey type in the middle.

That said think it would be a good option to have on the bench, to bring on if we are trying to breakdown a  defensive team. 

[Mattyblue]

Well they can't trot out the usual excuse of the England team being 'jaded'.

A load of the squad don't even get a game for their club!

[joey_big_nose]

4 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Well they can't trot out the usual excuse of the England team being 'jaded'.

A load of the squad don't even get a game for their club!

Yes, only players you can say with your hand on your heart are international quality are Kane, Sterling and Walker. Everyone else are decent enough, but more laboure than arte really. Lingard has shown something to be fair. 

Pickford had an absolute shocker against West Ham which is worrying. 

I think France, Germany, Brazil, Spain etc. are not too bothered by us, and who can blame them. 

If Southgate gets us to the quarters he will have done very well. 

 

[speeeeeeedie]

1 hour ago, joey_big_nose said:

Yes, only players you can say with your hand on your heart are international quality are Kane, Sterling and Walker. Everyone else are decent enough, but more laboure than arte really. Lingard has shown something to be fair. 

Pickford had an absolute shocker against West Ham which is worrying. 

I think France, Germany, Brazil, Spain etc. are not too bothered by us, and who can blame them. 

If Southgate gets us to the quarters he will have done very well. 

 

I'll be happy with a quarter final appearance.

After looking at your squad I reckon that Tarkowski won't make it. I think Smalling will go instead. He's been a regular for Man U this year. You had Jones in there and although Ithink Jones is a better player, who can also play midfield at a push, he's always injured.

I also have Andy Carroll in the back of my mind. He would be a great super sub, coming on and causing havoc. But he's another one with the robustness Jacob's crackers.

[Admiral Nelsen]

Anything less than a quarter final appearance has to be regarded as a fairly abject failure IMO. We only need to finish in the top 2 in a group containing Tunisia & Panama, and then we'll be playing a team from a group containing Poland, Japan, Colombia & Senegal in the last 16.

 

Obviously that's not to say that we'll actually do it, but I'm not having that even this England team shouldn't see that as a minimum expectation before playing the big guns.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Admiral Nelsen

[RV Blue]

15 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

Wilshire has hardly played all season

He’s played 38 games in all comps.

[JacknOry]

7 hours ago, Admiral Nelsen said:

Anything less than a quarter final appearance has to be regarded as a fairly abject failure IMO. We only need to finish in the top 2 in a group containing Tunisia & Panama, and then we'll be playing a team from a group containing Poland, Japan, Colombia & Senegal in the last 16.

 

Obviously that's not to say that we'll actually do it, but I'm not having that even this England team shouldn't see that as a minimum expectation before playing the big guns.

I wouldnt bet against us messing that up though.

[roverandout]

12 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

Yes, only players you can say with your hand on your heart are international quality are Kane, Sterling and Walker. Everyone else are decent enough, but more laboure than arte really. Lingard has shown something to be fair. 

Pickford had an absolute shocker against West Ham which is worrying. 

I think France, Germany, Brazil, Spain etc. are not too bothered by us, and who can blame them. 

If Southgate gets us to the quarters he will have done very well. 

 

I would say rashford is definately more arte than labour

[old darwen blue]

10 hours ago, Admiral Nelsen said:

Anything less than a quarter final appearance has to be regarded as a fairly abject failure IMO. We only need to finish in the top 2 in a group containing Tunisia & Panama, and then we'll be playing a team from a group containing Poland, Japan, Colombia & Senegal in the last 16.

 

Obviously that's not to say that we'll actually do it, but I'm not having that even this England team shouldn't see that as a minimum expectation before playing the big guns.

Hang on, we couldn’t even beat the tiny Iceland?

I’ll be happy if we just perform to our best, winning any match is a bonus. We’re not really that good you know!

[joey_big_nose]

10 hours ago, Admiral Nelsen said:

Anything less than a quarter final appearance has to be regarded as a fairly abject failure IMO. We only need to finish in the top 2 in a group containing Tunisia & Panama, and then we'll be playing a team from a group containing Poland, Japan, Colombia & Senegal in the last 16.

 

Obviously that's not to say that we'll actually do it, but I'm not having that even this England team shouldn't see that as a minimum expectation before playing the big guns.

Out of that lot I could easily see Colombia or Poland beating us in the second round. We're about their level at the moment, let's not kid ourselves. 

[roverandout]

I would say quarter final would be a good tournament..wales proved you dont have to be a great side to progress far and we have much better players than them. (Bar bale)

[Admiral Nelsen]

8 hours ago, old darwen blue said:

Hang on, we couldn’t even beat the tiny Iceland?

I’ll be happy if we just perform to our best, winning any match is a bonus. We’re not really that good you know!

 

8 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

Out of that lot I could easily see Colombia or Poland beating us in the second round. We're about their level at the moment, let's not kid ourselves. 

We definitely could lose to them! Both have got a sprinkling of star quality and any team that loses to Iceland can easily lose to a team with Lewandowski or James Rodriguez in them. I know we can't have delusions about this being a particularly good England squad or amongst the world's best either.

Even so, I'm not having for a second that getting eliminated by sides like those mentioned can be considered a par result, even for this England squad. We've still have enough quality, experience and depth to expect to beat them imo, even if we have earned the right to be pessimistic over the last few decades!

 

[speeeeeeedie]

Apparently Hart won't make the plane to Russia. Quite right if you ask me. He has been a horror show for England since before Euro 2016 - and he was shocking there. Since then he's been dropped by City, played iffy in Italy, and spent 2018 keeping the kit man company at West Ham. Hardly international form.

 

[Mike E]

Not that I would normally praise a Dingle, but Nick Pope has had a superb season having been thrust in due to Heaton's injury.

[ChrisPriceBaldSpot]

I don't envy Southgate having to pick this squad. Cental defence worries me more than when I see Samuel in our starting 11. I think the only guaranteed centre back is going to be Kyle Walker and that isn't even his natural position. 

Wilshire wouldn't be anywhere near a passport to Russia for me. Way too injury prone. 

Good luck Gareth

[roversfan99]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-city-ace-fabian-delph-12540946

If theres any truth in this, then Gareth Southgate is an even bigger fool than I thought.

To have Jake Livermore anywhere near the squad is a joke, the only reason Wilshires absence can be justified is injury, which not only would be false as he has played pkenty in the second half of the season, but hes picking a player in Delph who is injured even more and when he does play, its at left back!

Dier, Loftus-Cheek and Welbeck are all lucky to be in too.

Hopefully thats a false squad and the real one has Wilshire in, and Livermore nowhere near, for a start. The choices in central midfield are frightening.

[K-Hod]

I don’t know about Loftus-Cheek, the guy has been class of late according to Palace fans and watching pundits. 

Madness re Wilshere though, even if it’s a gamble, he should be on that plane.

Edited May 16, 2018 by K-Hod

[Mike E]

Wilshire ahead of Shelvey would be idiocy.

[roversfan99]

Even if you dont rate Wilshire, to leave him AND Shelvey at home in favour of Livermore and Delph is absolutely crazy. What you expect from a failed manager I suppose but still.

[speeeeeeedie]

Just now, roversfan99 said:

Even if you dont rate Wilshire, to leave him AND Shelvey at home in favour of Livermore and Delph is absolutely crazy. What you expect from a failed manager I suppose but still.

Here is the Mirror's predicted squad;

GOALKEEPERS Pickford, Butland, Pope

DEFENDERS Trippier, Walker, Stones, Jones, Maguire, Rose, Young

MIDFIELDERS Dier, Henderson, Delph, Livermore, Lallana, Loftus-Cheek, Alli, Sterling, Lingard

ATTACKERS Kane, Vardy Rashford, Welbeck

It's very similar my effort from a few days ago with the only changes being Jones for Tarkowski, and Young for Bertrand.

Contentious names seems to be Delph and Livermore in, Shelvey and Wilshere out.

Wilshere has had potential for years but never fulfilled it, and I don't think that Shelvey was ever getting a look in.

England doesn't have the best defence. It needs protecting so Wilshere is being sacrificed for Livermore. Kane, Sterling, Vardy, Rashford, Lingard, Lallana, and Alli are capable to causing problems for any team.

 

 

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

Wanted a manager who picked on form and not reputation. Leaving out Wilshere goes along with that. Hasn’t done much all year and didn’t make the recent friendlies because of injury. I think it’s time to move on. 

If we don’t make it out of the group, not picking Wilshere won’t be the reason.

[RV Blue]

47 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Wilshire ahead of Shelvey would be idiocy.

They both aren’t going.

[J*B]

Livermore? Incredible. I'd rather pick a wild card. 

[roverandout]

28 minutes ago, speeeeeeedie said:

Here is the Mirror's predicted squad;

GOALKEEPERS Pickford, Butland, Pope

DEFENDERS Trippier, Walker, Stones, Jones, Maguire, Rose, Young

MIDFIELDERS Dier, Henderson, Delph, Livermore, Lallana, Loftus-Cheek, Alli, Sterling, Lingard

ATTACKERS Kane, Vardy Rashford, Welbeck

It's very similar my effort from a few days ago with the only changes being Jones for Tarkowski, and Young for Bertrand.

Contentious names seems to be Delph and Livermore in, Shelvey and Wilshere out.

Wilshere has had potential for years but never fulfilled it, and I don't think that Shelvey was ever getting a look in.

England doesn't have the best defence. It needs protecting so Wilshere is being sacrificed for Livermore. Kane, Sterling, Vardy, Rashford, Lingard, Lallana, and Alli are capable to causing problems for any team.

 

 

That is a rancid squad if true