Yes! I just don't get what the comparisons with other squads has got to do with it. The point is the comparison with our squad, and what it could have been. I totally agree that it couldn't have been the French squad, because it had to be English (apart from the staff).
Again. What's that got to do with anything? It's certainly not an argument I was making. Have you imagined it?
Also who said flair? I said better. To me flair can be unecessary touches and step overs and the like, to delay a pass or shot that was on anyway. It annoys the fuck out of me. I prefer 'better'. Simple can be better, timing and weighting a pass can be better. Dropping into a pocket can be better. Also there is always a level of selection that involves class over form (or vica versa). We definitely haven't picked the best players on form (look at Reece James, Djed Spence, Jordan Henderson, most of the centre-halves, the right side, left side, and ten backup forwards). Nor are they the best footballers in their positions. We have picked a squad to play a certain way and restrict the media narrative around selection. Some players with some quality kick, even if in less good form (work with them in training, give them games in the buildup), would be handy for this extremely limited systems based squad designed to dampen the noise around players not in the starting 11. In my view. YMMV.
We will never know. I do know that if you objectively think that England have access to a glut of quality players, and you look at this squad objectively, you should be a seeing a disconnect. Whether this is the 'best' that we could have done, or not, is the debate...and there's no alternate universe resolution of that. Just opinion.
I think we are arguing on different issues. I was responding to Psychobel’s comment that France look the most likely to win. That they are playing great football and that we have left flair players at home.
I can fully agree that we haven’t taken our best players and are not playing a system that is a winning formula. If we don’t lose today, we will lose on Sunday. Tuchel will go and we will be back to square 1.
Then we concur.
We might get lucky and fluke it. That is not my expectation.
To clarify, do I think we could defeat the French with this squad or with the flair players I mentioned? No, they would Wolf bag us without lube or mercy.
Might we have better options against lesser teams which is all the rest, yes.
The French are, by some distance, the best side in the competition purely on the simple eye test. Their front three is several degrees ahead of everyone else's level and they have perhaps the only central striker of truly world-class quality.
In a current era where the other supposed footballing superpowers don't seem to possess these tools (I'm not sure I've seen a Brazilian side at a World Cup before with so few genuine superstars), it would appear nobody can stop France. They are terrific to watch at full-tilt.
Let's hope ENG attackers' feet have got some rhythm, and that DRC's attacks fall foul of a careless Wissa.
Instead of the wide players cutting into congested areas lets go outside.
Declan Rice to take the set pieces or a different corner taker?
If it goes to penalties you gotta have Faith.
Oops...
Lol. Thought was Spence at fault but think he has to track the man inside so what the fuck are the centre backs doing.
And even then Pickford should save it.
Should have known better than to play Djed Spence
And waste the chance that he'd been given?
Madueke is comically shit. Tuchel is either drunk or an enemy agent.
Or both.
What is he protecting Saka for? A summer off?
