FIFA World Cup (Russia)

[LvtLeeTDK]

The choice of strikers here is embarrassing!!

Only on papers. Higuain is average while Aguero is completely abysmal when playing for Argentina

 

[AverageMan]

Oh right. Any idea when they have to submit final squads.

My bad - not sure where I read that previously, but apparently Southgate names his tomorrow.

Final deadline for 23 man squads is June 4

 

[AverageMan]

On paper they are a real threat but in practise Argentina seem to miss an edge at the top level and all those great players end up being less than the sum of their parts. Maybe it will be different this time. Time for Messi to make a real impact on a tournament.

If he's going to emulate Maradona, then he has to win the World Cup. Simple. This is his last chance.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Only team to have named a 23 man squad is Brazil with England tomorrow.


All others are naming a 30 man provisional squads and then cutting them down to 23.

 

[AverageMan]

If selected in the final squad (he's in the provisional), Rafa Marquez will join an elite list of players to appear in 5 World Cups.
The other two are:

Lothar Matthäus (GER)

Antonio Carbajal (MEX)

 

[DeadPresident]

If he's going to emulate Maradona, then he has to win the World Cup. Simple. This is his last chance.

I'm not sure that's true, Maradona's era was at a time when the WC was the premier football competition of the time. Now that's the CL, a player's success in club football is far more relevant than the WC.

 

[Iceman]

If he's going to emulate Maradona, then he has to win the World Cup. Simple. This is his last chance.

Maradona would be hard to beat as an international performer even if Messi won the World Cup given his performances in prior tournaments with a great Argentina squad don't quite measure up. But Messi's league and CL's decaed beast reign with only Ronaldo as his competition is also going to be hard for anyone to ever emulate.

 

[Iceman]

My bad - not sure where I read that previously, but apparently Southgate names his tomorrow.

Final deadline for 23 man squads is June 4

Only team to have named a 23 man squad is Brazil with England tomorrow.


All others are naming a 30 man provisional squads and then cutting them down to 23.

Thanks for that.

 

[Fallen Angel]

 

[Donner]

So basically the same atmosphere as a wake

 

[AverageMan]

I'm not sure that's true, Maradona's era was at a time when the WC was the premier football competition of the time. Now that's the CL, a player's success in club football is far more relevant than the WC.

Ask any player who hasn't played at a world cup or made a squad what they're only regret was. (See Ryan Giggs).

It's like winning an Olympic Gold - the World Cup is still the pinnacle of football.

 

[AverageMan]

Maradona would be hard to beat as an international performer even if Messi won the World Cup given his performances in prior tournaments with a great Argentina squad don't quite measure up. But Messi's league and CL's decaed beast reign with only Ronaldo as his competition is also going to be hard for anyone to ever emulate.

Maradona didn't have great squads to work with. He single handed won the World Cup in 86 & dragged an awful squad to the final in 90. Messi has suffered because no-one has successfully built a team around him. Argentinians don't hold Messi in the same regard as Maradona for this one reason. A World Cup winners medal would change that.

 

[Fallen Angel]

In 86 it was Maradona and Rugerri, the rest were your average day players of the era.

In 90 the squad was slightly better but they lost to a German team littered with talent.

In 94 Maradona was way past his best.

 

[Fallen Angel]

 

[DeadPresident]

Ask any player who hasn't played at a world cup or made a squad what they're only regret was. (See Ryan Giggs).

It's like winning an Olympic Gold - the World Cup is still the pinnacle of football.

In terms of prestige or nostalgia I might agree, but not in terms of quality. Club football is the pinnacle of how well a player has to perform to succeed.

 

[Iceman]

Maradona didn't have great squads to work with. He single handed won the World Cup in 86 & dragged an awful squad to the final in 90. Messi has suffered because no-one has successfully built a team around him. Argentinians don't hold Messi in the same regard as Maradona for this one reason. A World Cup winners medal would change that.

Yeah, Messi won't catch up to Maradona even if he wins a World Cup now as an international player. He's the best and most consistent player at club level I've seen in my life though.

 

[Iceman]

Ask any player who hasn't played at a world cup or made a squad what they're only regret was. (See Ryan Giggs).

It's like winning an Olympic Gold - the World Cup is still the pinnacle of football.

All Giggs had to do was choose England! t:

 

[LvtLeeTDK]

No Smalling ? He was United's best CB by far this season.

Otherwise, solid squad. I think they will play with a back-3
Butland
Jones - Maguire - Cahill
Walker - Dier - Henderson - Young
Lingard - Kane - Sterling

 

[Iceman]

No Smalling ? He was United's best CB by far this season.

Otherwise, solid squad. I think they will play with a back-3
Butland
Jones - Maguire - Cahill
Walker - Dier - Henderson - Young
Lingard - Kane - Sterling

If that was the lineup I'd expect Alli, Rashford and Vardy to get used a fair bit off the bench.

 

[DeadPresident]

Unfortunately one of the weakest England squads I've ever seen, but at least there are some guys in decent form like Kane, Alli, and Sterling and some guys like the Liverpool guys with good confidence.

 

[BlackFox]

Yeah not a squad to strike fear into opponents but then its not like Southgate has an abundance of talent to pick from. Hardly any players left out that would make a significant difference to our chances. Yeah some players cant count themselves lucky to be going, Welbeck, and a few unlucky not to be, Smalling but otherwise its about where England are at right now.

I would say stick, Rashford, Lingard, Alli, Sterling and Kane on the pitch and go balls to the wall but thats not really Southgates style. Couple of drab 1-0's against dross should see us through the group stage then an early exit against Colombia no doubt ahead, lol.

I'm not even sure what success for England is this time, finding the hotel with Russian sign posts, Vardy not getting arrested or finding a good bar to watch the final??

 

[Iceman]

The squad is the weakest I've ever seen but most of the opposition is also quite weak relative to standards of the past. Spain are better than they were in the old days obviously and France look decent. The one thing that could be put together out of this squad is a team with pace and I think that is Southgate's best chance.

 

[LvtLeeTDK]

Alli in decent form ? He's been **** this season. Lingard will probably start ahead of him.

I think 99% they will play with a back 3 since there are 3 RB: Trent, Walker and Trippier. It's probably gonna ne Walker as RCB and Trippier as RWB (which is so weird, Walker should be the RWB, Tripper the RCB)

A terrible list. But base on what they have, it's a solid squad. I would eliminate Welbeck (pointless choice really) and add creativity to the midfielders with Wilshere or Lallana

 

[DeadPresident]

I do think Southgate is England's biggest weakness. If you give that squad to a Klopp, Guardiola, or Pochettino they'll get you something out of it. Not a WC win, but they'll get you past the last 16.

Southgate, though, is a manager who's best finish was with Middlesborough in 12th place but ended up with them being relegated. It's the equivalent of Spain appointing Abelardo Fernandez just because he's Spanish. Who's Abelardo Fernandez? He's the manager of the La Liga team that finished in 12th place this year.

The obsession with only appointing exceptionally mediocre English managers has probably robbed England of at least one potential victory over the last 5 or 6 World Cups.

 

[BlackFox]

The squad is the weakest I've ever seen but most of the opposition is also quite weak relative to standards of the past. Spain are better than they were in the old days obviously and France look decent. The one thing that could be put together out of this squad is a team with pace and I think that is Southgate's best chance.

This is true, its all relative, I mean we couldnt really have an easier group (granted we could still find a way to make a shambles of it) but it could be a nice "soft" entry into the competition, pick up some wins, goals, confidence then beyond that who knows what. Yeah the big teams you would assume would deal with us but I'm not sure how many of them there are this time out and in a one off game you never know. At least theres no "its too hot" for our team this time out and our pace might frighten teams IF we actually use it wisely.

Everytime though I lower my expectations though England find a way to under achieve them. Losing to a country with a smaller population than Bristol last time out. So I assume now Tunisia will smack us 3-0 t: