England Squad

[stealthpapes]

Slightly more wordy than most but we can file it under "England fans get it wrong on a two year cycle"

Technique: Just how important is it really? Brendan Rodgers thinks English players have as good or better technique than Brazilians, though noticeably had no answer as to why England haven't won five World Cups as well.

There's a lot of focus on technique these days and you can see why it's important. But technique is not everything, you also need the right temperament. You need to feel that this is your moment on the biggest stage.

When you step out to do anything in front of an audience, it takes some balls. Some people relish it, others shrink like your reproductive organs in a cold swimming pool.

I knew a lad who was a brilliant guitarist. He could play anything no matter how complex, whereas I was at the full extent of my talent with a blues progression. However, I loved playing live and he didn't. Standing stock still, inhibited and self-conscious, under the pressure of even a small audience, he crumbled. I was the opposite.

From the moment you plug your guitar into those buzzing amps, with the smell of hot electricity in the air, crunch the first chord on a low slung guitar, scrape the plectrum down the string and hear the noise bounce off the back wall of the room, if it doesn't give you some sort of priapic response then you're in the wrong business, sunshine. If you're worrying about your technique at this point, you may as well leave the stage. Now is not the time. You run with what you've got and you make the best of it, compensating for lack of technique with passion, very tight pants and furious pouting. The pouting is VERY important. Rock and bloody roll; it ain't a maths exam, baby. Like sex, if you can't smell it, you ain't doin' it right.

The only question to ask yourself before you take the stage is 'can I do this?'. If you have a scintilla of doubt and for even just a millisecond think anything other than 'hell yeah, I was born to do this, let's bloody 'ave it', then you are on the wrong stage with the wrong band. It's exactly the same in football.

When we see England take the pitch in the big games, I've never been convinced that they start from this position of confidence the way a German side does, for example. When I see Neymar play, I'm pretty sure he doesn't think anything other than, 'I'm bloody good, this is my stage.' When I see Tom Cleverley, I know he doesn't think that.

If Brendan is right and the English have great technique it's an even greater condemnation of our national team. It's one thing to fail decade after decade with players who don't have the skill in their feet, it's another to do it while having that skill but being unable to apply it.

But are his beliefs right? I guess it depends on which players you are comparing to each other. Does Ashley Young have as good technique as, say, Oscar?

Whatever Brendan says, there's one area England are deficient in compared to many other nation's players - retaining possession. Anyone who has seen the ball bouncing off Wayne Rooney's foot as though he's forgotten what this round bouncy thing actually is, knows that our players are poor at keeping the ball under control. Yet we know they can do it sometimes. The difference is temperament and pressure.

And perhaps that is the key factor. Pressure.

In a training situation or when at ease, England players do have the technique. But in big games, what they manifestly lack is temperament. Without that, all the technique in the world melts away. He who panics most, loses most.

It's always been like this for England. When the pressure is really on, we cave in and start booting the ball away frantically. We lose shape and lose hope. It is this mentality which best explains England's repeated haplessness rather than it purely all being about how well they can trap or dribble a ball. Great technique should lead to great confidence but in England's case, this just doesn't seem true. Without confidence, they have no technique.

Other issues must also play a part from physicality to tactics to fitness, but all of these are subservient to temperament. This explains why in some tournaments, some lesser teams progress to semi-finals and finals.

Rodgers said we have an inferiority complex but if true, it is a very recent complex. Much of our problems for years stemmed from arrogance and belief that the English Way was The Right Way. That guts and sweat and more energy would be enough. Today, players continue to be over-valued and over-lauded by the press just because they're English. It's just as important that an English player's inadequacies are downplayed and overlooked the way an overseas player's are often not. This isn't helping.

There are many examples but let's just use Jermain Defoe as one. If a non-English player had such a poor record as his in recent years, he'd be routinely called a failure (like Robert Soldado has been) rather than lauded as a 'natural' goalscorer and talked about in glowing terms as though he scored 30 goals every season instead of almost none.

If we have an inferiority complex it is ironically because of the superiority complex English players live with much of the time. The gap between the fictions told about players and the reality puts pressure on them to live up to a inflated reputation that they simply can't live up to on any regular basis. Nothing puts pressure on you more than being asked to live up to a standard that is beyond you.

Temperament is in itself a technique we need to master along with self-belief and resilience and, of course, how to pass the ball without losing possession. Having all the skill in the world is of no use if you can't keep your head and apply it. Brilliance is good but having balls is better.

[Hoop Blah]

I'd agree with most of that, and a lot of the quotes from Rodgers that they reference.

England players have, in general, good enough technique but are lacking in the freedom of expression and the temperament to make the most of it.

What a lot of other countries, like Brazil, have that we is flair and creativity where we have functional players. For me that's different than just technique but it's certainly a short coming of our football culture.

[stealthpapes]

Wow.

[Hoop Blah]

An interesting Footballers Football Show on Sky last night. They had Hodgson, Gary Neville, Adrian Bavington and Glenn Hoddle on to discuss the build up to the World Cup.

Later this week Hodsgon will name his squad for the Denmark game. That squad will be larger than normal because the get together will not only be about the Denmark game but putting things into place and have dicsussions about what will go on in the summer.

I'd be very suprised if any player gets picked (injuries aside) for the final World Cup squad that isn't included in this squad for the friendly.

[Big Foot]

An interesting Footballers Football Show on Sky last night. They had Hodgson, Gary Neville, Adrian Bavington and Glenn Hoddle on to discuss the build up to the World Cup.

Later this week Hodsgon will name his squad for the Denmark game. That squad will be larger than normal because the get together will not only be about the Denmark game but putting things into place and have dicsussions about what will go on in the summer.

I'd be very suprised if any player gets picked (injuries aside) for the final World Cup squad that isn't included in this squad for the friendly.

Agreed with the final part & was also encouraged by Hodgson saying he'll keep a larger than normal group right up til the Peru friendly. At that point, he'll tell the 7 players who are not "on the plane" at that stage exactly where they stand and put the impetus on them to impress their way into his plans.

My only concern with that approach however, is that the media will no doubt pick up on it and I wouldn't be surprised to see "leaked stories" in the press.

[Royalclapper]

That Football 365 article may as well say 'I'm a Liverpool fan and we're the preachers of everything England and football'. So much pro Liverpool/Rodgers and anti Man Utd ramblings it's way off centre.

England do not currently have enough top players, technical, temperament or any other wise. We're the basic template for Tournament also ran's i.e. 'We make ourselves as difficult to beat as possible + a couple of flair/genuinely talented players'. Tournaments are littered with these type of sides who once in a while have things going for them and might make a semi-final or two, England are certainly one such team.

Even if everyone applied themselves to the max we wouldn't get near winning the World Cup. It needs genuine talent and there has been very little of it for many, many years as far as England are concerned. The players simply get any faint trace of skill and flair coached out of them in this country, with an odd exception who are probably considered rebels by the antiquated old farts in charge of the FA.

[Sanguine]

Seems strange to on the one hand criticise low-flair English football, then at the same time bemoan an article that highlights the sort of football encouraged by Rodgers and played by the likes of Henderson and Sterling.

[Royalclapper]

Yeah, I kind of agree and I hope Rodgers does transform Henderson into a more competent all round player. Whenever I've seen him (maybe not enough admittedly) Henderson looks like an engine room box-to-box type player rather than someone who is going to ghost past opponents, which highlights how difficult it is even as a top coach to tease and coax some extra ability out of a standard English midfielder.

[Hoop Blah]

I agree on the summary of Henderson. He is the typical English box-to-box midfielder and I've always thought he was a developing Lampard rather than the more dynamic Gerrard.

Players like Barkley, Wilshire, Lallana, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ward-Prowse and some of the other more technically competent players can hopefully kick on and give us that added flair ae so obviously miss (and depth of talent not just one or two in a team) but a team can certainly make room for both styles/strengths.

[Hoop Blah]

Hodgson names his squad today. Jagielka is out apparently, but from what's been said if you're not in this inflated squad then your chances of going to Brazil are pretty slim.

I reckon those in contention are, subject to injuries

Keepers
Hart, Foster, Forster, Ruddy, Butland

Defenders
Walker, Baines, Cole, Johnson, Shaw, Cahill, Jagielka, Lescott, Jones, Smalling, Caulker

Midfielders
Gerrard, Wilshire, Carrick, Henderson, Barkely, Cleverly, Lampard

Utility Squad Man
Milner

Wingers
Townsend, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Sterling, Johnson, Young

Forwards
Rooney, Sturridge, Welbeck, Carroll, Lambert, Defoe

Anyone else that might cause a surprise (or that I've just forgotten about)?

[Big Foot]

Swap Defoe for Rodrigeuz, I reckon.

[stealthpapes]

This might be unpopular but Defoe should be nowhere near any international squad, even one as vaguely mediocre as England's.

[TBM]

Swap Defoe for Rodrigeuz, I reckon.

This is what will happen

[11.30 from paddington]

Hodgson names his squad today. Jagielka is out apparently, but from what's been said if you're not in this inflated squad then your chances of going to Brazil are pretty slim.

I reckon those in contention are, subject to injuries

Keepers
Hart, Foster, Forster, Ruddy, Butland

Defenders
Walker, Baines, Cole, Johnson, Shaw, Cahill, Jagielka, Lescott, Jones, Smalling, Caulker

Midfielders
Gerrard, Wilshire, Carrick, Henderson, Barkely, Cleverly, Lampard

Utility Squad Man
Milner

Wingers
Townsend, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Sterling, Johnson, Young

Forwards
Rooney, Sturridge, Welbeck, Carroll, Lambert, Defoe

Anyone else that might cause a surprise (or that I've just forgotten about)?

What exactly has Andy Carroll done in the last two seasons to warrant a place at the World Cup?
Everything that is wrong with the England team is neatly summed up by virtue of his inclusion.

[Hoop Blah]

Swap Defoe for Rodrigeuz, I reckon.

This is what will happen

Yeah probably. I wonder how far someone like Frazier Campbell is from replacing him though. 5 goals in his last dozen Premier League games.

Zaha and Gibbs are the ones I probably forgot. Mainly because I don't think they should be close.

This might be unpopular but Defoe should be nowhere near any international squad, even one as vaguely mediocre as England's.

Probably right these days, and I think his lack of games and now move away has done for him, but he's a proven goalscorer and I still wouldn't totally discount him as Englands supersub if we need a goal in the last 15 minutes of a game.

His time is probably up though.

[Hoop Blah]

What exactly has Andy Carroll done in the last two seasons to warrant a place at the World Cup?
Everything that is wrong with the England team is neatly summed up by virtue of his inclusion.

Been the most potent big man option available to play for England (when fit)?

The next best would be Lambert, who may go ahead of him but I'd probably take Carroll if he's fit because he's a bit more different than Lambert and he causes more genuine panic for defenders when he plays.

Who would you take instead? Rooney and Sturridge will, fitness allowing, be our first choice front two. Welbeck will go as back up to them and as a more defensive/hardworking alternative to Sturridge, plus his ability to play as one of the wide forwards. Who next for something different?

[Mr Angry]

I don't think he will take both Carroll and Lambert, and I think Gareth Barry might get into the squad as well.

Caulker?? Last involvement in the England squad was nearly 18 months ago, and isn't ripping up trees at Cardiff is he?

[Hoop Blah]

I doubt Caulker will get in this squad no, but it was more a list of those in contention. The only other English centre backs who might be in contention ahead of him would be Dawson, or perhaps Shawcross?

I agree on Lambert/Carroll. This get together is going to be a larger than normal squad though as they'll be talking about and training towards things for the summer as much as for the Denmark game.

[Mr Angry]

If that's REALLY the best we have (and sadly, it is) then getting to a quarter final will be a genuine achievement for England at this tournament, regardless of what Martin Samuel and the rest of 'Arry's meejay chums would have you believe.

[Hoop Blah]

It's odd, there seems to be a real dirth of good centre halfs in the Premier League, English or not, to the extent that I think I read that Man City were lining up a bid for Skertel this summer.