Ze Germanz vs Same Old England ?

[shrimper]

[
1) You're not really comparing like with like, so saying "ahead of x" is not valid. Lampard plays best as the most advanced midfielder of a central three, getting into the box. Schweinsteiger is more of a creative, passing midfielder who stays deeper. At Chelsea, they'd probably play together in a central three along with a destroyer-type, but in a central two I'd definitely pick the German over the Englishman because Lampard offers so little other than shooting - and he's now got the record for most shots at the World Cup without a goal.

2) Again, they're not really alike. They probably could play together in a central two if needed, but I stand by my thought that if they were both at Man U Klose would be up front and Rooney wide left. However, if it was a straight choice between the two as a lone striker, then yes, I'd agree with you and pick Rooney.

3) Terry has been declining for a couple of years now and injuries have played their part in this. He can still bark orders with the best of them but his declining pace is starting to make him a liability. Mertesacker as the younger fitter man would get my vote.

Okay - we're in danger of going round in circles so this is my last on this. Lampard offers Chelsea far, far more than merely shooting.

However my main point was that, prior to THAT game, there were a clutch of players in the England team who - compared to their reasonably described 'equivalents' in the Germany team - would have been rated as better by most people throughout Europe. It was in response to a comment that our players are simply not good enough and we should all just accept that.

I don't.

There's no doubting that they played as if they weren't good enough in SA but I will continue to maintain that had they showed their best club form they were plenty good enough to beat Germany.

[P/T Indie]

The thing with your Lampard's and Gerrard's is the team mates they play with at club level, they do the clever stuff the technical stuff like the passing as well as the hard work tackling etc which gives Lampard and co the chance to push forward.

May I point you all in the direction of this excellant article which hits the nail on the head

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2010/article-1290667/MARTIN-SAMUEL-If-England-brain-dangerous.html

[marky No.1]

The thing with your Lampard's and Gerrard's is the team mates they play with at club level, they do the clever stuff the technical stuff like the passing as well as the hard work tackling etc which gives Lampard and co the chance to push forward.

May I point you all in the direction of this excellant article which hits the nail on the head

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2010/article-1290667/MARTIN-SAMUEL-If-England-brain-dangerous.html

Very interesting - and it's the Daily Mail! I've heard many expletives on the same lines this last week!

Liked this one: "They are game stupid, match stupid, pitch stupid"

[P/T Indie]

As much as it is the Mail I think Martin Samuel is a good writer and he always seems spot on with what he writes.

For some strange reason he moved from the Times to the Mail

but i still alays go on the Mail's websites to read his articles.

I think he has a point our players just don't seem to be able to follow tactics and carry out instructions.

[slackAlice]

shrimper

It was in response to a comment that our players are simply not good enough and we should all just accept that.

I don't.

There's no doubting that they played as if they weren't good enough in SA but I will continue to maintain that had they showed their best club form they were plenty good enough to beat Germany.

Thats a very optomistic summing up of events. The England team were not and are not good enough when it comes to the BIG time / world cup /tournaments ; you've got 4 years preparation to get the team right -personnel , tactics,fitness,attitude ...everything.
It's hardly going to appear as a footnote for future generations that " England should really have won or come very close to winning the 2010 WC had the chosen 11 players replicated their club form when playing for their country". They were no way near good enough on the day against by most peoples assessment a pretty young and inexperienced German team - if England used the same squad and played them at the weekend do you think there would be a different outcome ???
I suppose an analogy could be an Olympian 5000m runner having recorded the best times and winning top races in between games but getting knocked out in the heats on the big stage - when it really matters.
I'll grant you the fact that England 'under' performed in that game and the previous three. But whether you accept the fact that they are not good enough at this present time is neither here nor there - they were'nt and they ain't .

[George Dawes]

my thoughts now after the dust as settled is there seems a bad lack of understanding in the team and communication, the FA should be onto Capello into taking more English lessons now


in a nutshell we wasn't assembled properly to play as a team and the midfield was to imbalanced this is the 3rd tournament now Gerrard & Lampard have shown they dont work together in a 4 4 2 whats commen knowledge to everyone in the game but not Capello(stubborn ignorant?)


Capello bottled it in dropping his big name players and not gambling on Johnson Walcott, Agbonlahor(who keeps Heskey out of the Villa team) and not grooming Hart into the number one keeper months ago in the friendly matches before the world cup

[shrimper]

Get this lad involved next....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB-HJw-rUb0