Then how would you explain that for their respective clubs in high pressure matches just as or even more competitive than Internationals these same players have been able to show nous & ability to dovetail into teams?.
The problem with ENG this decade for me has just been as Sven came in with is fairly solid CV as coach & did pretty well in WC 02 with a pretty average side it was proved over the next two tournaments that his less than exhuberant style, faulty tactics in crunch situations really messed us up, then the FA stupidly picked his right hand man as coach and well you know the rest. Thus making ENG seem actually worse than we actually are.
Its funny how ENG get ridiculed in this country & around the world yet Spain seem to get off.
They did well because they had more malleable foreign players to play around them. Our players are not flexible, our form of total-un-football doesn't work, against the big boys. There should be a number ofplayers in the side who mostly concentrate on ball-retention, which is why we need types like Hargreaves and Barry, possibly both.
Has startted together as yet i don't think so?. But either way it was evident as far back as EURO 04 than Lamps & Stevie G could play together IMO since Stevie G wasn't allowed be his free-flowing self as at Liverpool always having to sacrifice himself for Lamps which was never good for ENG. Bad tactics by Sven since he just threw all the stars into a side had them playing differently from their clubs.
You look at Spain currently & Aragones to my knowledge has never started Xavi & Fabregas in the same mid-field, either Albelda & currently Senna as partnered Xavi now thats good, added to the fact that he has kept Raul out of the side even though he has had a fantastic season for Real. That shows a strong management & thats what we didn't get with Sven but what i expect from Capello.
Capello picked them both against the USA, it was to use the commonly used venacular on here, dire. Yes the Spaniards are players who keep the ball, whomever they pick, he probably could pick Xavi and Fabregas together, and it would work better then Lampard and Gerard, becuase they can all retain the ball, he just hasn't yet in this tournament.[/QUOTE]
Wouldn't say Walcott & Young are piss-poor, they two of them especially Walcott remind me of Cole post late 04 when he his skills were evident but just wasn't getting first team football. I personally would be very disappointed if Walcott didn't step up in the coming years.
They're potentially both decent, but it's all just potential, ATM.
No way should Becks & Owen be under-rated even if they are past their peaks. Owen may have lost a bit of pace but you give him space in front of goal & his predatory instincts still very much remain. While Becks even though world football has all these skillful wingers Becks regardless of his old fashion style remains oh so reliable because he does what he does best very efficiently.
Yes, they
were world-class, and they are still now the best players for their positions, for England, which show's we don't have any better, even now they've gone past their best. Depressing really.
Plus why would you say Wazza has gone backwards, i'd probably say he's improved given he has shown his versality to play out of position very well, plus howing very good signs that he could play as a lone striker just needs to work on his finishing.
Well you've answered your own question there, when he first burst on the scene I felt he was going to score many more goals for united (boo) and England (yay). Now he's the workhorse for Ronny, which wasn't what i had in mind for him when he burst on the scene.
Ha, come on sir surely thats one area you have to admit that ENG beats most European sides in fairly comfortably in when it comes to quality depth. Do you not rate Terry, Woodgate, Carragher, King highly as centre-halves?
Terry, too slow, imo. Woodgate, King too injury-prone to be considered, Carraghers retired from international football isn't he?EDIT: OH I see Halz has dealt with that one.
No real R-B and Cashley seemed better at Arsenal. Second best left-back at Chelsea.
Anyway, we probably won't agree on this, and this is discussion for Euro2008, so england talk is irrelevant. So we should knock it on the head. Besides sooner or later you'll start talking about Abonglahar, Noble and Parker, and I may cry
