England v Belgium Friendly

First topic message reminder :

Should be a good 'un. I'll say 3-1 England. Be interesting to see how Hazard does.

Halftime.

England haven't really given Belgium too much to shout about. Plenty of dancing in front, but little penetration.

Really need to improve in possession though, Milner's been a waste, Welbeck hasn't had any service apart from his goal.

Quite easy for england that- soaking up pressure and taking the chance when it comes. I would like to see more attacks second half , but lets be honest even though we had less possesion(which we normally have) we had far better chances than belgium. deserved lead bring on the second half.

i backed wellbeck to score first and a 3-0 so i could be very happy after the game!!

Shocking game with one moment of quality, young and welbeck have to win the ball in order to get any service.

I like this new England tactic of like others have said, soak up the pressure and then hit on the counter. The players are best suited to this way of football with the pace in the team provided by Welbeck, Ox, Walcott and Young. Could be very effective at the Euro's.

Still don't think Gerrard makes this team on merit anymore.

martyr_94 wrote:Blade,

Your right but to win you obviously need a bit of luck but also the game plan to win.

Decent performance so far, I predicted that England would make themselves hard to beat by allowing Belgium to pass the ball back and forth as long as its not in the goal scoring positions. Solid at the back and have taken the chance presented to them. Can't ask much more than that.

Very true but, if you do that you have the risk of them scoring and then us finding it hard to get back in the game, My thoughts of the best way to defend is attack,attack, attack.

Sort of had enough of the cliche- 'you gotta keep the ball at international level'.

International level isnt higher than cl in my mind anyway.

And you have to play to your strengths.

Mys I agree, I'm not saying its the be all and end all, simple fact is England don't have the players to play that way, so they have a very effective tactic of soaking up the pressure as you say and then hitting on the counter with the fast players in the side.

martyr_94 wrote:I like this new England tactic of like others have said, soak up the pressure and then hit on the counter. The players are best suited to this way of football with the pace in the team provided by Welbeck, Ox, Walcott and Young. Could be very effective at the Euro's.

I don't think it's a tactic just don't think England are good enough to retain the ball and move the team up the pitch in a constructive fashion.

Greece won a European Championship by refusing to attack. Italy have always based their teams on defense.

Not to mention Spain hadn't won anything at international level 4 years ago.

Is the gay pirate look in? Beckham seems to be modelling it.

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:Greece won a European Championship by refusing to attack. Italy have always based their teams on defense.

Not to mention Spain hadn't won anything at international level 4 years ago.

Doubt we'll ever see a team like Greece again who play that negatively. This England team is very similar to the Italians tbh, although they passed the ball a bit more, chose to soak up the pressure and hit on the counter.

Spain do play possession football however, that's one of the main reasons why they have began to win things, not to mention the sheer talent they have at their disposal.

Ent wrote:

martyr_94 wrote:I like this new England tactic of like others have said, soak up the pressure and then hit on the counter. The players are best suited to this way of football with the pace in the team provided by Welbeck, Ox, Walcott and Young. Could be very effective at the Euro's.

I don't think it's a tactic just don't think England are good enough to retain the ball and move the team up the pitch in a constructive fashion.

they still beat most other teams more than not so they are still better than the opposition even if the opposition is better at retaining the ball. Therefore tactic or not- what the heck does it matter. If it isnt our tactic it should be!!

Spain have 2 of the great all time ball players in Xavi and Iniesta. Their possession football hasn't actually worked without those 2...

I remember Italian teams going 1-0 up early and running it into the corner in the first half.

Well the test will be against the best nations of the world, not the Belgium's, so its hard to say really until we see the French game. I still maintain if you can't keep the ball the better teams will beat your more often than not.

Well we're gonna need luck against better teams, but thats always applied.

Chelsea just frustrated 2 of the best attacking teams in the world over 300 minutes by playing defensively against better teams though.

martyr_94 wrote:Well the test will be against the best nations of the world, not the Belgium's, so its hard to say really until we see the French game. I still maintain if you can't keep the ball the better teams will beat your more often than not.

What do you mean by better teams?

do you mean better ranked teams?

do you mean teams that you feel have better retaining skills, or teams that retain rather than play rush or counter football? or teams that you feel have better individuals?

The better teams are simply the teams that win more than you, thats all pal!

england in the grand scheme of things win alot. There style is different yes, but we score more gaols than we let in- that is football

Here comes Wayne

mystiroakey wrote:

Ent wrote:

martyr_94 wrote:I like this new England tactic of like others have said, soak up the pressure and then hit on the counter. The players are best suited to this way of football with the pace in the team provided by Welbeck, Ox, Walcott and Young. Could be very effective at the Euro's.

I don't think it's a tactic just don't think England are good enough to retain the ball and move the team up the pitch in a constructive fashion.

they still beat most other teams more than not so they are still better than the opposition even if the opposition is better at retaining the ball. Therefore tactic or not- what the heck does it matter. If it isnt our tactic it should be!!

England did not make any chances using this 'tactic' - pressing up the field is not sitting back and absorbing pressure

mystiroakey wrote:

martyr_94 wrote:Well the test will be against the best nations of the world, not the Belgium's, so its hard to say really until we see the French game. I still maintain if you can't keep the ball the better teams will beat your more often than not.

What do you mean by better teams?

do you mean better ranked teams?

do you mean teams that you feel have better retaining skills, or teams that retain rather than play rush or counter football? or teams that you feel have better individuals?

Germany
Spain
France
Holland

All have better technical players and players who can change a game in an instant. England playing this way will be tough for anyone to beat but, those teams against teams who play like England have the players to change a game in an instant. Then England will have to chase the game and I feel that's when they will struggle big time.

No ent your right england are more a rush football style team rather than italian of old.

but my point still remains the same

Milner again too slow.

martyr_94 wrote:

mystiroakey wrote:

martyr_94 wrote:Well the test will be against the best nations of the world, not the Belgium's, so its hard to say really until we see the French game. I still maintain if you can't keep the ball the better teams will beat your more often than not.

What do you mean by better teams?

do you mean better ranked teams?

do you mean teams that you feel have better retaining skills, or teams that retain rather than play rush or counter football? or teams that you feel have better individuals?

Germany
Spain
France
Holland

All have better technical players and players who can change a game in an instant. England playing this way will be tough for anyone to beat but, those teams against teams who play like England have the players to change a game in an instant. Then England will have to chase the game and I feel that's when they will struggle big time.

Matyr i really dont understand your point dude. England will find it hard to beat the above teams because those teams are simply better, thats it. Forget style.

'Ribery finding his Bayern Munich form'

Nothing to worry about then

All i'm saying is if England give the ball away frequently like we are seeing against this Belgium side, they will be torn apart. Like allot of sides would obviously. Yes, they are simply better, but they all have a game plan and style in which they play, retaining possession is a big part of it. That added to the fact they have world class players maintains them as the top ranked teams in world football.

You can't suggest that their managers just send them out because they are good players and run around like headless chickens. They all play a patient game and break teams down. They then also have the players who, when the passing isn't quite going to plan, can pull something out of the bag.

Gerrard is seriously past his best.

I think the point is that regardless of tactics England have to look after the ball better. This doesn't mean 40 pass moves and 70% possession it means stop giving it away really easily and allowing teams to continually attack you.

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:Gerrard is seriously past his best.

I have felt this way for a while. The days when he could grab the game by the scruff of the neck are long gone. Now watch him go and score a blinder!

Really hope Roy freshens things up after the Euros. Gerrard, Lampard not good enough for England anymore.

martyr_94 wrote:All i'm saying is if England give the ball away frequently like we are seeing against this Belgium side, they will be torn apart. Like allot of sides would obviously. Yes, they are simply better, but they all have a game plan and style in which they play, retaining possession is a big part of it. That added to the fact they have world class players maintains them as the top ranked teams in world football.

You can't suggest that their managers just send them out because they are good players and run around like headless chickens. They all play a patient game and break teams down. They then also have the players who, when the passing isn't quite going to plan, can pull something out of the bag.

martyr, the problem is people get confussed when they talk about better teams. This belgium side passes better than england, but england are the better team!! England would have the better chance in beating the spains or hollands of this world even though belgium retain the ball better. England need to play to there strengths, yes they need to play well at the same time, but so does every team. All teams have bad days, all teams need to play well to win!!

Ent wrote:I think the point is that regardless of tactics England have to look after the ball better. This doesn't mean 40 pass moves and 70% possession it means stop giving it away really easily and allowing teams to continually attack you.

Ent,

I'm so happy that you understand my point. England shouldn't and can't play the way Spain do. Like you said its not like we're asking to keep 70% possession, just stop giving needless passes away. That was my point about the better sides, they will punish England, just like Germany did at the WC.

Sadly that almost ball from Rooney is probably our 2nd best offensive moment of the game.

martyr_94 wrote:

Ent wrote:I think the point is that regardless of tactics England have to look after the ball better. This doesn't mean 40 pass moves and 70% possession it means stop giving it away really easily and allowing teams to continually attack you.

Ent,

I'm so happy that you understand my point. England shouldn't and can't play the way Spain do. Like you said its not like we're asking to keep 70% possession, just stop giving needless passes away. That was my point about the better sides, they will punish England, just like Germany did at the WC.

If Belgium were giving the ball away like England do, England would be 3 or 4 goals up.

Belgium are essentially playing without a striker too.

Is Lescott actually bleeding or is that just a crater on his forehead :P

....what an effort

that was a screamer

cole looks amazing

arggg defoe!! good effort

Rooney and Young look the only players capable of producing any class with the ball.

mystiroakey wrote:cole looks amazing

Let's leave the man love out of this.

I don't know if its possible, but if anybody can be more ineffective than Gerrard, Henderson's the man!

Well yeah rooney drifts into central midfield and we create a half decent passing move

Ent wrote:

mystiroakey wrote:cole looks amazing

Let's leave the man love out of this.

Beckham looked even better with that Amish style beard and swish suit...

Steven Gerrard man of the match?

Jesus mother****ing christ, time to put ITV on mute during the euros.

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:I don't know if its possible, but if anybody can be more ineffective than Gerrard, Henderson's the man!

Gerrard motm, oh yeah.

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:Steven Gerrard man of the match?

Jesus mother****ing christ, time to put ITV on mute during the euros.

rooney should be our cm this euros. i am 100% positive of that - we dont need gerrard in the team- he is the main instigator of the hollywood pass

Ent wrote:

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:I don't know if its possible, but if anybody can be more ineffective than Gerrard, Henderson's the man!

Gerrard motm, oh yeah.

Lets be honest, has Andy Townsend ever not been terrible.