England Squad

[winchester_royal]

Shaw has been consistently excellent all season, the best left back in the league as voted by his peers, and has plenty of growth left in him. Defensively he is sound, and offers considerably more going forward than Cole. Ashley having a couple of good games shouldn't push him ahead of a guy who has played at a consistently high standard all season imo.

Shame none of them have a right foot...

[soggy biscuit]

Talksport saying Andros Townsend is out injured until next season

[stealthpapes]

Talksport saying Andros Townsend is out injured until next season

When they said Townsend out of the World Cup, far too many people prayed for Andy.

[6ft Kerplunk]

Given how he'd played and his injuries since his one good game before Christmas I doubt whether he'd have been in the squad anyway.

[Sanguine]

1 goal and 0 assists this season in the Premier League.

[Sanguine]

^Tbf he has 'created 26 chances' and when half of those are falling to Soldado your assist stat is going to take a hit.

[6ft Kerplunk]

How many shots that ended up in row Z when there was a pass on to a better placed teammate?

[Handsome Man]

Townsend is no huge loss, but will he be the first of quite a few? I am worried that Sturridge has looked like a player with a summer operation coming up for the last month or so.

[Hoop Blah]

Sounds like Kyle Walker is a doubt now too and Rooney has picked up a knock in training that they're not too worried about.

Update on Jagielka is that he's been training but Everton aren't rushing him back.

[YateleyRoyal]

My squad now:

Hart
Foster
Forster

Baines
Shaw
Johnson
Walker (if fit)
Cahill
Jagielka
Jones
Caulker
Smalling (if Walker not fit)

Milner
Lallana
Sterling
Oxlade-Chamberlain
Gerrard
Barkley
Wilshere
Barry

Lambert
Rooney
Sturridge
Welbeck

Narrowly missing out:

Lampard
Smalling (potentially)
Ashley Cole
Henderson
Carrick
Adam Johnson
Defoe
Carroll

[Whatevs]

My squad now:

Hart
Foster
Forster

Baines
Shaw
Johnson
Walker (if fit)
Cahill
Jagielka
Jones
Caulker
Smalling (if Walker not fit)

Milner
Lallana
Sterling
Oxlade-Chamberlain
Gerrard
Barkley
Wilshere
Barry

Lambert
Rooney
Sturridge
Welbeck

Narrowly missing out:

Lampard
Smalling (potentially)
Ashley Cole
Henderson
Carrick
Adam Johnson
Defoe
Carroll

Smalling >>>Jones as a CB
Jones may give you options as DM
Smalling really shouldn't be playing at RB

Who's taking Henderson's place btw?

[YateleyRoyal]

Smalling hasn't done it for me this season.

I've actually gone with the controversial choice of Gareth Barry for one of the centre mid roles. I think he's had a gr8 season.

[Hoop Blah]

Barry has had an excellent season by all accounts but he's far too slow and one paced to play in the middle with Gerrard or Wilshire really. At the moment I'd probably be starting Gerrard and Henderson if I were Hodgson and as well as Barry has played I just don't think he'd complement the others in the side.

[YateleyRoyal]

It depends how you think England will set up. Everton have played 4-2-3-1 for the most of the season, with Barry and McCarthy sitting back and shielding the back four. They don't get forward that often, so don't need pace in that sense, and they allow the likes of Mirallas, Barkley, Pienaar etc to attack, along with Baines and Coleman from the full-back positions, which they then help to cover.

If England play the same way, Barry could slot in easily.

[Sanguine]

It depends how you think England will set up. Everton have played 4-2-3-1 for the most of the season, with Barry and McCarthy sitting back and shielding the back four. They don't get forward that often, so don't need pace in that sense, and they allow the likes of Mirallas, Barkley, Pienaar etc to attack, along with Baines and Coleman from the full-back positions, which they then help to cover.

If England play the same way, Barry could slot in easily.

Agree with this. I'd have Henderson, and Sterling fwiw, in my starting line-up, but then I'd set up similar to Liverpool this season. If Hodgson plays his standard way, or that^ Everton way, it's a struggle to start with either, imho.

[Hoop Blah]

It depends how you think England will set up. Everton have played 4-2-3-1 for the most of the season, with Barry and McCarthy sitting back and shielding the back four. They don't get forward that often, so don't need pace in that sense, and they allow the likes of Mirallas, Barkley, Pienaar etc to attack, along with Baines and Coleman from the full-back positions, which they then help to cover.

If England play the same way, Barry could slot in easily.

I'm thinking Hodgson will go with a similar formation to Everton but I disagree on the pace bit. Barry has McCarthy alongside him at Everton, and he's pretty mobile, but put him and Gerrard in there, or Wilshire who isn't the quickest in those situations IMO, and you lack a bit of mobility and your midfield can get picked off too easily.

Gerrard is obviously nailed on to start so if you take Barry it would seem he's only there as cover for Gerrard. He's also not the future and, depsite not agreeing with giving up this World Cup for the future, I'd favour taking one of the younger options like Henderson over Barry.

[P!ssed Off]

@ Y8ley Royal picking all of Barry, Wilshere, Milner and Barkley over Henderson.

1st XI

-------------------Hart
Johnson----Cahill----Jagielka----Baines
-----------Gerrard----Henderson
Sterling---------Rooney-----------Lallana
-----------------Sturridge


Main subs:
Oxlade-Chamberlain, Barkley (if attacking)
Milner (if defending a lead)

[Hoop Blah]

That's the team I'm thinking of at the moment as well.

[YateleyRoyal]

:| @ Y8ley Royal picking all of Barry, Wilshere, Milner and Barkley over Henderson.

1st XI

-------------------Hart
Johnson----Cahill----Jagielka----Baines
-----------Gerrard----Henderson
Sterling---------Rooney-----------Lallana
-----------------Sturridge


Main subs:
Oxlade-Chamberlain, Barkley (if attacking)
Milner (if defending a lead)

Milner for the versatility, Barkley for the attacking intent - on a 4-2-3-1 formation, I would have Barkley as one of the 3 and Henderson as one of the 2, so not really interchangeable, and Barry for the defensive capabilities as mentioned above. The only one I'd swap would be Wilshere.

My XI mirrors yours with Barry replacing Henderson.

[P!ssed Off]

Worth noting that whilst 4-2-3-1 has been pretty much Everton's (+ Southampton's) preffered and only tactic this season, Liverpool have also used it regularly, and Liverpool players have shown themselves to be very adaptable in playing multiple formations well throughout the season.

According to whoscored.com
PL:
Everton: 4231 = 35 games
Southampton: 4231 = 30 games, 433 = 5 games
Liverpool: 433 = 14 games, 4231 = 9 games, 41212 = 5 games


Anyway, I think all 3 teams play in a similar manner.