England Squad

Druss_the_Legend said:
One is 27, in his prime, has lifted a world cup, showing leadership and nerve in a tournament environment and has also played against some of the best midfielders in the world in the premier league with 126 appearances.

The other is 18 and has player 15 professional football matches.

Who do you take to a major tournament as backup?
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Not good enough, sorry.

Decent to good player for lower/mid table clubs but really can't envisage him playing for England in a major tournament.

Mainoo is rawer right now, but has all the ingredients to be world class with a few years... possibly within a year or months even.

Cook is a solid/average lower/mid dmc. That's his ceiling.
 
MB1980 said:
Cook is a solid/average lower/mid dmc. That's his ceiling.
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Literally one of the best players every week for a team thats 9 points off Europe with a game in hand.

Once again, this is not necessarily about the future (Mainoo could become the greatest English player of all time), this is about winning a tournament a couple of months away. The idea that you take youngsters for the "experience" leaves you in situations where you have England at a world cup with no fit strikers other than a 16 year who has never kicked a ball in the Premier League.
 
Druss_the_Legend said:
Literally one of the best players every week for a team thats 9 points off Europe with a game in hand.

Once again, this is not necessarily about the future (Mainoo could become the greatest English player of all time), this is about winning a tournament a couple of months away. The idea that you take youngsters for the "experience" leaves you in situations where you have England at a world cup with no fit strikers other than a 16 year who has never kicked a ball in the Premier League.
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Cook is nowhere near international level.

Very average pl dmc.

Good night... and god bless x
 
I agree I think Cook has improved alot last 18 months but he's not England level.
And as an England fan who somehow hopes we can win the Euro's miraculously with Southgate in charge he's not good enough.

I think Solanke is most unlucky of our English players because he is an all rounded good player with stats to back it up this season. But in honestly Kane and Rashford are better players and then you have Bowen and Watkins in reserve.

England very blessed with no.10's though - Foden, Palmer, Grealish, Maddison etc decisions to be made there. Southgate doesn't have a clue how to use Foden though so not too hopeful.
 
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When we’ve got Alexander-Arnold and Stones featuring in central midfield these days for Liverpool and Manchester City, there’s now a balance in England’s line up that offers something we’ve never had before.


———Rice—-A-Arnold/Stones
Saka—-Bellingham—-Foden
—————Kane
 
DJ said:
When we’ve got Alexander-Arnold and Stones featuring in central midfield these days for Liverpool and Manchester City, there’s now a balance in England’s line up that offers something we’ve never had before.


———Rice—-A-Arnold/Stones
Saka—-Bellingham—-Foden
—————Kane
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I don't think the defence can spare Stones atm.
 
DJ said:
Probably not, whereas we have an embarrassment of riches at right back, so Trent can either play central midfield or risk missing out on the squad altogether.
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Apparently that was the play in these two games but I think he's injured isn't he?
 
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zigger zaggar said:
So the Germans, Brazilians and the French would not accept only reaching a semi or a final as a success? I guess we could add the Spanish, Argentinians, Italians, the Dutch and possibly now the Belgians to that ever growing list of world beaters?
The point is only one team can win.
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And Southgate never wins, even when the odds are in his favour. And not because of bad luck or poor refereeing, because of bad management decisions.
 
afcdibby said:
We’ve probably had the best years as England supporters under Gareth Southgate. Going into each tournament as serious contenders.
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I honestly don't know what planet these people live on. Southgate has got closer than any manager in nearly 70 years and we've got people declaring him a serial loser. England fans apparently. Have they been watching a different England team to me all of these years. There are many England supporters who don't deserve any success.
 
Ken Baileys Ghost said:
I kinda preferred it when we were perennial no hopers.
It's the hope that really grinds me down these days
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Cant recall being no hopers, perhaps expectation/hype significantly died down around Hodgson era?

It seemed that prior to that back to first tournaments I can recall, back in 90s, there was always ridiculous hype/pressure going into tournaments from media.

Last few tournaments my perception is almost an apathy of here we go again, we won't win it just enjoy it/tournament. Decade or two before seemed to be 'this is our time, could be the one/its coming home'.

Perhaps that will elevate again now, given how we've got in last few tournaments under Southgate?
 
We bottled it against Italy but that's not just on Southgate, the occasion clearly got to the players. Only a second major final and a first since 1966, at Wembley and in the middle of a pandemic. And we were only a shootout away from winning. The WC we were very unlucky against the eventual finalists. We went toe to toe with France and I still think we would have won if Kane sank that penalty. It's certainly never been this good in my lifetime.

France are still favourites for the Euros. The one difference this year is Bellingham is coming on the back of an incredible season at Real. He takes us to a different level entirely if he stays fit.
 
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Gareth may have got us to a final and a semi but we got the luck of the draw in both tournaments. We lost to an average Croatia that we should've won, lost to Italy on pens should've won and France should've won.
He's an absolute bottler and I'll never forgive him for bottling the Italy game everyone saw it coming except him and he let 17 year old take the 5th penalty because he's a proper idiot. And now I have to watch him phuck it up for a 4th time in a row. He also missed the decisive pen in Euro 96 because he's a coward.
 
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