I’m here for the first time since the playoff final
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On Channel 4. First England game for me since 2022.
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I hope it cost considerably less.
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Yes. It did…
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Oh, Wembley! I thought you'd posted quite a bit since then.
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Chilwell and Gallagher are really quite shite. Gallagher in the flesh is far worse than I ever imagined.
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Decent game though, mainly as both defences seem shaky, but for a friendly pretty good.
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Foden and Bellingham (and to a lesser extent Rice) really are a class apart. England look quite good in possession, and Brazil quite cynical, so it just ends in a free-kick aimed towards Maguire (surely the only reason he is in the team, it can't be for his defending ability).
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Good game of football. Watkins and Gordon have enabled our press to be higher and snappier than Kane and Rashford would. Chilwell has looked very rusty and been problematic. Maguire has actually been okay apart from his customary goal opportunity mistake. Gallacher good - very gluey in the middle of the park. Bellingham has become very whiny...but is also being constantly fouled. Not quite happened for Foden yet, but he looks dangerous picking up the ball and running at them.
Definitely a higher average field position, against better opposition, than other modes in which engerland often play.
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We missed Kane tonight.
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Trolling alert!
We missed Gordon and Bellingham when they went off.
Kane couldn't play today, because his legs, were dead. As is often the case in the summertime.
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It's not trolling tricky, to say we missed our record goalscorer and Planet Earth's current top form goalscoring striker. You may disagree but it's clearly within the boundaries of a reasonable opinion to say we missed him and it's not therefore trolling. I wouldn't want to rely on Watkins as our lead striker. If you think Kane wouldn't have buried that chance Watkins spooned over, you're not being honest with yourself.
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Would he have even been there? Watkins didn't miss it, the defender played the ball as he went to hit it. We definitely pressed higher and quicker, and won the ball back more often close to the goal. Having had one chance to play that way, with my eyes we dominated the game (until the changes). My issue isn't particularly that Kane shouldn't play, that's not my view. It's that we should have not played him so much (24/7) and should already have developed other ways of playing. Watkins got in around the sides on several occasions and cut very dangerous balls back...with more time playing that way other players might well develop how to get on the end of those sort of chances. It's harder as a one off, and off the cuff.
Beware alternate universe theories. It might have been better with Kane. It might have been worse. We can't ever know. We might well have to play without Kane. It might be preferable if he isn't effective. This is the nature of options over brand.
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I think the concept of Kane with Foden, Gordon and Bellingham as his satellites has world beating potential and I just don'tthink Watkins or Toney is at the level of kickery of those 4. But happy to agree to differ.
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Look, unless injured, Kane will play. There’s little point debating it. I certainly don’t think that Watkins did enough to supplant him. I’d like to see how we play with Toney (much as I think he’s a prat).
Gordon was ok but I really don’t see him getting in ahead of Foden, Saka and Bellingham. Mainoo was much better than Gallagher, who was shit. A high press is great if you do something with the ball when you win it back. We didn’t.
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That's exactly the point for me though. It's highly likely that Kane wont be fully fit throughout an entire summer tournament. So we should have done a lot more preparing for that possibility.
Of course the other players that are available also has an impact. Again, preparing options is the way forward here. Not playing the same fucking team for five years straight.
