2 assists from Scouser Anthony…well done lad.. far more effective in 30 minutes than Rashford in a full hour.
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Oddly enough, almost the opposite from the previous match when Rashford replaced Gordon.
I noticed that Tuchel replaced both his wingers at the same time. It seems to be a tactical move by him: fresh legs on the wings after an hour.
I wonder what his substitute tactics will be with the altitude in Mexico?
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Yeah so there are way more knockout games nowadays and you play worse teams in those knockout games.
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On a sidenote, I see a lot of comments on various sites against Jude Bellingham as a person.
What´s that all about?
Seems a good lad to me. Always engages with the fans.
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Think his dad is a “difficult character” but Jude seems a decent lad. We forget how young these lads are. Social media is full of people happy to pile in. Look at the stick Trent got…
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Win win
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Mexico is going be tough
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Southgate was regarded as someone who did restore England as a relevant factor but could not go the extra mile and win a big trophy. I think that’s a fair assessment.
Tuchel on the other hand, was deemed as the guy who would complete the puzzle and finally deliver a title, Thus far though, he has presented an England similar to Southgate’s if not a bit worse. Marginally better offensively, but significantly weaker defensively.
What is ironic is that while Southgate was lambasted for his conservative approach and not making the most of his creative players, Tuchel decided not to bring them at all. Admittedly, some of them didn’t have the best of seasons, but not taking Wharton is indefensible. In fact, I’d argue that even Curtis Jones’ omission was an error in judgment. He would contribute a lot more than Anderson, for example, against low block opponents.
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Yeah exactly
he´s a young lad with loads of money and fame and he still takes the time to engage with the fans and it seems to be genuine and mean something to him.
I don´t actually rate him that much but he seems a good lad to me.
I totally agree on Wharton.
I don´t agree on Anderson so much but I think you´re right on Tuchel´s approach, the midfield isn´t set up right. On Anderson, he isn´t taking charge like he does for Forest. He´s kinda deferring to Rice and Bellingham and sitting deep.
But they can´t cut through teams with passing. He´s the best one to do it (although Wharton is way better at it). I can´t believe we didn´t take Wharton.
I love that. When I was in primary school, one of England’s key qualifiers was very unusually for the time being shown live on TV with an afternoon kick off. My dad decided to take the day off work and pulled me and my brother out of school to make a day of it. The school was really pissy about it, but even though I dont even remember what game it was 40 years later it is still one of my fondest childhood memories.
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Probably to send his substitutes on wearing oxygen tanks.
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It seems to me Tuchel has put all his cards on putting together a side best positioned to beat one of the top sides that we so often come up short against. We’re not going to be beat a Spain or Brazil by playing on the front foot and controlling the ball. Against them we’re going to need to suffer a bit. We’re going to need to defend well, maybe sit tight and hit on the break or look for set pieces. That is what this team is set up to do. It is mismatched against the qualities we’ve played so far but it seems Tuchel has decided the players who might help us look better in those games arent needed because in Kane and Jude we’re going to score enough goals even in stodgy performances to get past them.
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I’m not sure what would have merited Curtis inclusion.
Wharton I do think he should have taken.
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Agreed, although you have to question the wisdom of it all. I just don’t understand why he wouldn’t try to build a team that could do both satisfactorily. Not to mention that if he’s going down this route, his team should at the very least be solid defensively and it is anything but.
His skillset. How many English midfielders can you name with his ability on the ball and versatility? Also, it’s gone under the radar, but Jones was actually playing well when he was allowed on the pitch.
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I think its totally justified he wasn’t picked. I think you pick him on what he can do but we haven’t seen that or seen it fleetingly in the last few years.
Id have taken him over Henderson in terms of versatility and usefuless to the team
but I´d have taken Wharton above him, Henderson and Mainoo.
I don´t think Jones really adds anything that England is lacking. Just more of the same as a backup
I think there is a reasonable argument that with as little time as you have together you cannot accommodate trying to develop multiple personalities and game approaches. You have to know what your team does well and develop that.
I don’t buy that argument though. Lets take Rice and Anderson as an example. Lets say you need to play them together even against sides where we expect to have all the ball because they have to develop a relationship that they will need to call upon when we have our backs against the wall against a Spain. But the relationship they are building in this context is bollocks. It is not remotely representative of the challenges they will face against better sides so what are they getting out if it?
The other thing is success in this mode is so limited. It really is an all or bust approach where if they still go out against the “first good team they faced” without ever having looked good he is going to look like a fucking pillock. Or even worse, get KOed by Mexico before even getting to the challenge this team was put together to face down.
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Hendo is an interesting one. I dont think people appreciate how difficult the overall environment of tournament football is. Especially a lengthened one like this. There is so much down time and it goes on for a LONG time. There is room in a squad of the size they are allowed to pick for a player or two whose influence is more in off the pitch stuff than for the minutes they will get. This is what Hendo has been picked for.
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Yeah that´s the argument and setting a good example but I agree with what Keane said about it all.