North Macedonia vs England

[Emu]

Kylian Mbappe wants a word

Anyway, Bellingham is a world class attacking player but doesn't change that the keeper, 1 centre back and 1 holding midfielder in the starting 11 are not good enough.

Bellingham has been so good for Real Madrid as he has such a solid midfield base behind him, he doesn't have that with England.

Hmmm, I'd suggest Bellingham could probably play in all the midfield positions, as well as in the hole/advanced where he is at with Real.

 

[Joe Totale]

Hmmm, I'd suggest Bellingham could probably play in all the midfield positions, as well as in the hole/advanced where he is at with Real.

Play your best players in their best position.
He's been so good a Real just off the striker with 3 of Modric/Kroos/Valverde/Camavinga/Tchouaméni behind him.
To be fair to Southgate, he's trying to do this instead of shoehorning him into a midfield pivot position.

 

[Green Flash]

Play your best players in their best position.
He's been so good a Real just off the striker with 3 of Modric/Kroos/Valverde/Camavinga/Tchouaméni behind him.
To be fair to Southgate, he's trying to do this instead of shoehorning him into a midfield pivot position.

I agree, I believe that Bellingham may mature into Messi level once in a generation player and we need to build the team around him with him in his best position and not use him to "plug a gap" just because he is versatile.

 

[Emu]

Play your best players in their best position.
He's been so good a Real just off the striker with 3 of Modric/Kroos/Valverde/Camavinga/Tchouaméni behind him.
To be fair to Southgate, he's trying to do this instead of shoehorning him into a midfield pivot position.

I agree with you re his position at Real. I guess its good to have many strings to one's bow

 

[unhinched]

Saka? He would start in any England team.

But what about Waddle, Barnes,Beckham, Mathews and others ...all great wide players , who, today might play either flank in modern systems. Even Sterling today is pretty much as good on current form.

 

[Mexijan1]

So if Southgate is the problem, not convinced he is personally, who is the answer?

 

[greenpilled]

Seems to me that there aren't a lot of good teams about at the moment. Loads of great players in their 30s winding down - most obviously Messi and Ronaldo but also Lewandowski, Modric, Kroos, Benzema, De Bruyne - and not so many coming through.

England have maybe two really world class players (though I'm a bit nervous to overhype Bellingham too early) and also lots of good players in attacking positions and at full back. You'd normally say centre back is a problem as the teams that win these tournaments tend to grind them out rather than playing beautiful football but I can't think of any country that has much better options than the half-decent at premier league level defenders that we will have to go with. Just doesn't seem like a great generation for that position.

I think we will be as strong as anybody on paper, but there will be six to eight teams who all have a reasonable chance of winning and it will in large part come down to who has the easiest draw and kicks the best penalties.

 

[Daz]

Seems to me that there aren't a lot of good teams about at the moment. Loads of great players in their 30s winding down - most obviously Messi and Ronaldo but also Lewandowski, Modric, Kroos, Benzema, De Bruyne - and not so many coming through.

England have maybe two really world class players (though I'm a bit nervous to overhype Bellingham too early) and also lots of good players in attacking positions and at full back. You'd normally say centre back is a problem as the teams that win these tournaments tend to grind them out rather than playing beautiful football but I can't think of any country that has much better options than the half-decent at premier league level defenders that we will have to go with. Just doesn't seem like a great generation for that position.

I think we will be as strong as anybody on paper, but there will be six to eight teams who all have a reasonable chance of winning and it will in large part come down to who has the easiest draw and kicks the best penalties.

Not sure it's possible to over hype Bellingham. He's playing at Real Madrid and scored 13 goals in 14 games from midfield. He's talking the talk and walking the walk on the biggest stage.

 

[Mexijan1]

The great teams have a great spine. I'm not convinced this England team has a good spine.
Currently it's:

- Bang average keeper
- One decent centre back who does his best work in midfield (Stones) and one centre back who's not good enough
- One good holding midfielder (Rice) and one who isn't good enough
- A world class striker

In terms of squads, I feel it's overhyped. The 2004 Euros team was better IMO and they won nothing:

England in the European Championship - 2004 Squad Records

www.englandfootballonline.com

Keepers - Pickford and James, similar

Right Back - Neville better defensively, Walker better going forward
Centre Backs - Terry and Campbell are far, far better than Stones and Maguire
Left Back - Cole much better than Shaw/Chilwell

Centre Mid - Scholes/Gerrard/Lampard/Hargreaves (A Bayern Munich regular at the time) much better than Rice/Henderson/Phillips.

Beckham and Saka is a draw right now but Saka does have great potential

Bellingham is currently in a similar position in his career to where Rooney was at 18

With hindsight Kane is better than Owen but don't forget that Owen had won the Ballon d'or 3 years previous, something Kane hasn't been close to winning.

That was a great team but for me 1990 was even better Gazza in his prime, Beardsley, linekar, Barnes, Platt, Waddle and a spine of steel Shilton/Seaman Parker/Stevens Walker/Butcher/Wright Psycho DF Robson/McMahon CDM plus Webb, Steven, Hodge and Bull off the bench. I still loose sleep that we didn't win WC in 90 best team lost IMHO. Was a weird tournament but we grew into it and semi-final just didn't get the luck you need to win a WC.

84 Squad was good too.... denied by the most ridiculous refereeing decision in the World ever...
96 thought Venables got something special out of that squad.... I was working in Brasil at the time and sneaked home for the Dutch match, got back to work and the guys asked me the score 4-1. Well at least you scored was their reply.. no we scored 4 Best England performance in my memory, tamping the Germans 5-1 came close too.

Still could be worse we could be Dutch...talk about great squads not achieving da Oranje take it to a new level

1990 FIFA World Cup Italy™: England

1990 FIFA World Cup Italy™: England

www.fifa.com

 

[justanotherfan]

Respectfully I have to disagree.

Southgate has the best or joint best CF in the world in Harry Kane.
He has Foden & Grealish, two fine attacking players who play regularly for the best team in the world.
He has Jude Bellingham who is on a trajectory to become the next Messi or Ronaldo.
He has Bukayo Saka, who impresses constantly for club and country.
He has solid enough defensive midfielders in Rice, Phillips and Henderson.
He has a serial winner of a RB in Kyle Walker.
He has a world class CB in John Stones.
He has two very good LB’s (when fit) in Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell.

Then he’s got a strong supporting cast with the likes of TAA, Watkins, Rashford, Gallagher, Konsa, Palmer, Trippier etc etc.

For me, we have the joint best squad in the world alongside France. The next two tournaments are the best chance we’ve had since 1966 to win something.

Southgate has done well in terms of bringing about a togetherness that was lacking under previous managers, but he isn’t the manager who is going to take us from being plucky losers to being winners.

Define regularly.

 

[boletus edulis]

Define regularly.

6.30am every day

 

[justanotherfan]

6.30am every day

Me too but I don`t get up until seven .