England vs. Algeria

[MLB]

They showed footage of England actually practising long balls in training the other day. Part of the problem is Heskey. Whenever he's in the team there is the temptation to just hoof it towards him - which is what happened to us towards the end when he was here - rather than keeping it on the floor and playing quick passes through midfield. England don't need a target man, they need more balance and movement in the middle of the park. Don't think that's going to happen under Capello though.

[The Party Boy]

Capello just seems to have become really indecisive this last month. The whole picking of the squad was a bit of a farce and now he must have used about 17 players already in two games. Milner started the first game lasted half an hour and I bet he never plays again this world cup.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

Heskey was awful last night, but he wasn't the only one. What gets me about Heskey is that childish fucking grin he has even after fucking up.

[goatboy59]

Ha ha, jackpot!

 

 

Bobblehead!

[Guest Pistonbroke]

Capello just seems to have become really indecisive this last month. The whole picking of the squad was a bit of a farce and now he must have used about 17 players already in two games. Milner started the first game lasted half an hour and I bet he never plays again this world cup.

 

Plus Joe Cole hasn't even been given the chance yet and he looked like our only player who could turn a game in the last friendly he played. Capello can't be blamed for the lack of cohesion on the pitch, but we can blame him for the lack of tactics.

[gkmacca]

dwarf for dwarf

not much in it

 

My God, you've just hit on the answer! Play Lennon and SWP together up front, one on the other's shoulders underneath the shirt. When the ball is played over the top, they split up and chase after it! It will completely confuse the defenders!

[Moo]

For me, there's been question marks over Capello's England management for a while, not just these last two games.

He needs to show what he is being paid an enormous amount for and make some big changes for the next match.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

For me, there's been question marks over Capello's England management for a while, not just these last two games.

He needs to show what he is being paid an enormous amount for and make some big changes for the next match.

 

He's the highest paid international manager i believe. He's not been earning his crust since he steered us to qualification, maybe he's just not bothered any more and wants a way out and back to club football.

[usernameunknown]

For me, there's been question marks over Capello's England management for a while, not just these last two games.

He needs to show what he is being paid an enormous amount for and make some big changes for the next match.

 

He's had a complete shocker so far. The goalkeeper situation has been handled dreadfully, Emile Heskey, the bizarre treatment of Joe Cole, crap like SWP getting on all the time, etc. Luckily for him theres still time to rectify and take advantage of their great draw.

[RobbieOR]

Capello is a great manager. A few changes wouldnt make any difference in my opinion. Seriously the players at his disposal are not good enough. Cole might make a bit of a difference but when you are relying on the likes of David James, Gareth Barry, Lennon, Wright Phillips and Heskey you're not going win fuck all.

 

 

Townsend last night said just as the second half kicked off that 'Capello needs to let the players off their leash' which is a load of shite. Diverting the blame off Gerrard, Rooney and Fat Frank.

[Moo]

Capello is a great manager. A few changes wouldnt make any difference in my opinion. Seriously the players at his disposal are not good enough. Cole might make a bit of a difference but when you are relying on the likes of David James, Gareth Barry, Lennon, Wright Phillips and Heskey you're not going win fuck all.

 

 

Townsend last night said just as the second half kicked off that 'Capello needs to let the players off their leash' which is a load of shite. Diverting the blame off Gerrard, Rooney and Fat Frank.

 

 

That's the point, he is, IMO, wrongly choosing to rely on these players.

Of the players you listed, bar Gareth Barry, he has others at his disposal who are better, he's just choosing not to use them.

I agree the players are not good enough to some extent, i.e. there's little chance of them winning the thing, but they are good enough to get out of this group fairly comfortably.

[Delmar]

He's the highest paid international manager i believe. He's not been earning his crust since he steered us to qualification, maybe he's just not bothered any more and wants a way out and back to club football.

 

I doubt that. This is just like us last year. You have Gerrard off form, Johnson offering glimpses, Carragher doing excatly the same - being slow and forcing a gap between the defence and the midfield. Then the others, Rooney not doing what he's supposed to do, Heskey as pointless as ever, the wingers cutting in and going nowhere, Terry being as slow as Carragher, and Lampard trying to be Gerrard.

 

The players are simply not executing what the manager wants them to do. Reasons can be many, but Capello himself said something like "this is not the team that he trains with". I don't think he wants an easy way out, I think he wants to win this and I think he believes that he still can.

 

I also think that the players are simply thick, and cannot adapt to situations out of their comfort zone. It's the same as going abroad to play. How many English players play in other leagues? Also, it will be interesting to see McClaren when he gets back to the PL. He may surprise a lot of people.

[Moo]

He's the highest paid international manager i believe. He's not been earning his crust since he steered us to qualification, maybe he's just not bothered any more and wants a way out and back to club football.

 

I think that's the crux of the matter - he's enjoyed the money and lifestyle a bit too much and not actually paid that much attention to his part time job.

The man should have been immersing himself in English football and the players characters and way of life.

Instead he still barely speaks English, he somehow doesn't know what 95% of football followers know about James and Heskey, and hasn't worked out a stategy to get the best out of his best players.

Has he watched that much English football at all, or just rolled up from Italy a short while before each match?

[Guest Pistonbroke]

I doubt that. This is just like us last year. You have Gerrard off form, Johnson offering glimpses, Carragher doing excatly the same - being slow and forcing a gap between the defence and the midfield. Then the others, Rooney not doing what he's supposed to do, Heskey as pointless as ever, the wingers cutting in and going nowhere, Terry being as slow as Carragher, and Lampard trying to be Gerrard.

 

The players are simply not executing what the manager wants them to do. Reasons can be many, but Capello himself said something like "this is not the team that he trains with". I don't think he wants an easy way out, I think he wants to win this and I think he believes that he still can.

 

I also think that the players are simply thick, and cannot adapt to situations out of their comfort zone. It's the same as going abroad to play. How many English players play in other leagues? Also, it will be interesting to see McClaren when he gets back to the PL. He may surprise a lot of people.

 

Could be down to many things as you have said. But at the end of the day Capello has made some tactical blunders in the first two games we've played.

[usernameunknown]

David James doesnt sound happy.

 

He told BBC Five Live: "I found out five minutes before we got on the bus. Usual standard."

 

He added later: "It's nice to play and keep a clean sheet, defensively it was a decent performance.

 

"We train hard now for a few days and wait for the selection again five minutes before we leave again on Wednesday."

 

Asked whether he was close to his fellow goalkeepers, James said: "I'm not close to anyone."

[RobbieOR]

That's the point, he is, IMO, wrongly choosing to rely on these players.

Of the players you listed, bar Gareth Barry, he has others at his disposal who are better, he's just choosing not to use them.

I agree the players are not good enough to some extent, i.e. there's little chance of them winning the thing, but they are good enough to get out of this group fairly comfortably.

 

But are they though? When you really look at it. Theres two players in that team that I rate and thats Rooney and Gerrard. In my opinion I think all of the English players are made look good to an extent by the foreign players in the league. Xabi was key to Gerrard scoring 20-odd goals the season before. Valencia was key for Rooney to go and score 30 goals last season. The likes of Essien and Mikel were key for Lampard to go and score 20 odd goals.

 

Barry is playing for Citeh, not exactly World class now. Glen Johnson is great going forward but he cant defend to save his life. Terry is shit and overrated and shouldnt be anywhere near the squad, Carra's legs are starting to go and is not the defender he was. If Joe Cole was any good the top clubs would have signed him up already. Plus add to the list the rest of the squad the rest of the shite they arent really any good.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

I think that's the crux of the matter - he's enjoyed the money and lifestyle a bit too much and not actually paid that much attention to his part time job.

The man should have been immersing himself in English football and the players charachters and way of life.

Instead he still barely speaks English, he somehow doesn't know what 95% of football followers know about James and Heskey, and hasn't worked out a stategy to get the best out of his best players.

Has he watched that much English football at all, or just rolled up from Italy a short while before each match?

 

I've seen him at loads of matches in the Premier league. He must know where the players operate best and their weaknesses. Playing Gerrard on the left is criminal. Not taking Johnson from City was a mistake as he was in good form and has both pace and trickery. Taking Heskey is just taking the piss in my eyes. He can't even get into the Villa team ahead of gangbanggalore of that donkey Carew. Then he has Joe Cole as an option and totally ignores him in the opening two games. I have to question his managerial skills if he is making so many blinding mistakes. If we were in a tough group then you could give him some leeway, but we are in one of the weakest groups at the World Cup.

[Moo]

I doubt that. This is just like us last year. You have Gerrard off form, Johnson offering glimpses, Carragher doing excatly the same - being slow and forcing a gap between the defence and the midfield. Then the others, Rooney not doing what he's supposed to do, Heskey as pointless as ever, the wingers cutting in and going nowhere, Terry being as slow as Carragher, and Lampard trying to be Gerrard.

 

The players are simply not executing what the manager wants them to do. Reasons can be many, but Capello himself said something like "this is not the team that he trains with". I don't think he wants an easy way out, I think he wants to win this and I think he believes that he still can.

 

I also think that the players are simply thick, and cannot adapt to situations out of their comfort zone. It's the same as going abroad to play. How many English players play in other leagues? Also, it will be interesting to see McClaren when he gets back to the PL. He may surprise a lot of people.

 

There's no doubt English players are tactically and technically limited, therefore the manager needs to manage them better - and he's simply not doing that.

England players look clueless, they barely seem to know what position they are playing in, there is a serious lack of cohesion, and this is down to Capello picking the wrong players, in the wrong positions and possibly in the wrong formation. These things should have been well ironed out before the tounament, instead there were (and still are) question marks over several key issues.

Capello is supposed to be the creme de la creme, he is so far from that at the moment it's untrue, he is managing like a novice.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

David James doesnt sound happy.

 

He told BBC Five Live: "I found out five minutes before we got on the bus. Usual standard."

 

He added later: "It's nice to play and keep a clean sheet, defensively it was a decent performance.

 

"We train hard now for a few days and wait for the selection again five minutes before we leave again on Wednesday."

 

Asked whether he was close to his fellow goalkeepers, James said: "I'm not close to anyone."

 

Sounds like it's every man for himself, more worried about being picked than gelling as a team. Capello needs to change those stupid tactics straight away as it's pretty pathetic.

[hamstrung]

The best thing about future England matches is going to be watching Pistonbroke's gradual mental collapse.

[Original202]

Terry is shit and overrated and shouldnt be anywhere near the squad, Carra's legs are starting to go and is not the defender he was. If Joe Cole was any good the top clubs would have signed him up already. Plus add to the list the rest of the squad the rest of the shite they arent really any good.

 

Behave. John Terry is a lot of things, but he's not shit. That's just a ridiculous thing to say.

 

And Joe Cole is at a top club, and by all accounts he'll be confirmed as a Man Utd player as soon as the tournament is over.

 

Capello needs to ditch his 4-4-2. It's too rigid. It works if you have genuine wide players on both sides of midfield and two mobile strikers, but England don't have either.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

The best thing about future England matches is going to be watching Pistonbroke's gradual mental collapse.

 

I'm just supporting the team from the country of my birth and hoping they do well. I feel gutted like every other fan after a bad result. I'm hardly in a mental state of collapse. It's just being passionate about something you love. Watching Liverpool this last season hasn't been any better, but i'm not going to slit my wrists over it.

[Moo]

But are they though? When you really look at it. Theres two players in that team that I rate and thats Rooney and Gerrard. In my opinion I think all of the English players are made look good to an extent by the foreign players in the league. Xabi was key to Gerrard scoring 20-odd goals the season before. Valencia was key for Rooney to go and score 30 goals last season. The likes of Essien and Mikel were key for Lampard to go and score 20 odd goals.

 

Barry is playing for Citeh, not exactly World class now. Glen Johnson is great going forward but he cant defend to save his life. Terry is shit and overrated and shouldnt be anywhere near the squad, Carra's legs are starting to go and is not the defender he was. If Joe Cole was any good the top clubs would have signed him up already. Plus add to the list the rest of the squad the rest of the shite they arent really any good.

 

You'll get no arguments from me on most of that.

But I ask you, in relation to England getting out of the group, do they have better players than the other 3 teams? Surely you have to answer yes to that? If they have the best players of that group and supposedly one of the best managers in the world, they should be getting out of the group reasonably comfortably, i.e. they shouldn't be going into the final match desperate for a win.

The manager has to be questionned, he is not getting the best out of the players at his disposal.

[MLB]

But are they though? When you really look at it. Theres two players in that team that I rate and thats Rooney and Gerrard. In my opinion I think all of the English players are made look good to an extent by the foreign players in the league. Xabi was key to Gerrard scoring 20-odd goals the season before. Valencia was key for Rooney to go and score 30 goals last season. The likes of Essien and Mikel were key for Lampard to go and score 20 odd goals.

 

Barry is playing for Citeh, not exactly World class now. Glen Johnson is great going forward but he cant defend to save his life. Terry is shit and overrated and shouldnt be anywhere near the squad, Carra's legs are starting to go and is not the defender he was. If Joe Cole was any good the top clubs would have signed him up already. Plus add to the list the rest of the squad the rest of the shite they arent really any good.

 

 

They are EASILY good enough to get out of that group. These are mostly players who compete regularly, and successfully, at the highest level in domestic and European competition. Lampard, Cole and Terry, as much as I hate them, are mostly excellent for Chelsea in Europe. The same can be said for Rooney. Barry, when he's been fully fit, has mostly played very well for England. They don't suddenly become shit players when they pull on an England top. The problem is clearly that the manage cannot get the best out of them and/or cannot make the tough decisions required to mold them into a cohesive unit - whether that is dropping one out of Gerrard and Lampard or ditching his preferred formation for one which clearly makes a lot more sense. I honestly don't see how you can say that England aren't good enough to beat the likes of Slovenia and Algeria. The advantage that they have over England at the moment seems to be that they are better organised and more well-balanced teams. And whose responsibility is that?

[RobbieOR]

Behave. John Terry is a lot of things, but he's not shit. That's just a ridiculous thing to say.

 

And Joe Cole is at a top club, and by all accounts he'll be confirmed as a Man Utd player as soon as the tournament is over.

 

Capello needs to ditch his 4-4-2. It's too rigid. It works if you have genuine wide players on both sides of midfield and two mobile strikers, but England don't have either.

 

Then what is he World class? He's no good and hasnt been for years. Overrated by the London press. Anyone with a slight hint of pace shows him up. Altidore tore him apart last week.