England - press reporting 6 changes vs Slovakia

[Stat Brother]

No i think that they would be topping the group.

I would have preferred a more attacking midfielder. Slovakia offered nothing. Just my opinion

3 points? would they have been deducted a point for not playing Dier?

I thought you were looking at all the group games, not just last night, my mistake.
Beating Wales was always going to be the easiest due to the familiarity of the teams.
Getting picked off by 'John Foreigner' has become ingrained in England's tournament play for years.
England's games are always tight, odd goal affairs, protecting the defence in these games is extra important when it's clear the forwards could still be their now and not score.

TBH England qualified, it's a shame that's were the bar is set, but let's be honest as first steps go we'd take it.
As Billic says England are likely to benefit from more expansive knockout play, and going up against the Portugal group isn't the end of the world.

 

[SK1NT]

Because we stopped Hamsik playing he is quality. Let him control the middle of the park and your finished.

He is quality but even without Dier i think we would have handled Hamsik. He can't do much attacking when the whole team is sitting so deep..

you're finished not your

 

[SK1NT]

I thought you were looking at all the group games, not just last night, my mistake.
Beating Wales was always going to be the easiest due to the familiarity of the teams.
Getting picked off by 'John Foreigner' has become ingrained in England's tournament play for years.
England's games are always tight, odd goal affairs, protecting the defence in these games is extra important when it's clear the forwards could still be their now and not score.

TBH England qualified, it's a shame that's were the bar is set, but let's be honest as first steps go we'd take it.
As Billic says England are likely to benefit from more expansive knockout play, and going up against the Portugal group isn't the end of the world.

Oh no just last nights game I'm a spurs fan and Dier is quality, but just felt we could have gone more attacking. More so after the first half once we saw how deep they were.

 

[Stat Brother]

Oh no just last nights game I'm a spurs fan and Dier is quality, but just felt we could have gone more attacking. More so after the first half once we saw how deep they were.

Possibly a bit chicken and egg.

Were they so deep because Dier playing allowed everyone else to push up and keep Slovenia pinned back?

 

[spring hall convert]

a fully match fit Jack Wilshere

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Well, quite. That (theoretical) fully match fit player, walks into almost every side in the tournament.

Whether the rusty, three-quarters-fit one gets in to your team (or even your squad) depends on the quality of the alternatives at your disposal!

 

[spring hall convert]

It didn't work did it? Wilshire, Henderson and Betrand were all not very good.

However, it's typically English to have a post-mortem about qualifying from the group and into a definitely winnable tie in the 2nd round.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Let's be honest. We look a good a good team going forward. Sure, we are not taking those chances but thank GOD we are actually making chances which makes such a nice change.

The moment we play a team who DARE to cross the half way line, I can see us picking them off nicely. Walker and Clyne have looked fantastic outlets and create great width. Vardy was just itching to get in behind but the Slovaks sat so deep.

In that situation you basically have 3 options.
1 - Long shots - We didn't appear to have a specialist
2 - Round the outside and cross. We didn't have an Andy Carroll figure in the middle
3 - Spain it. We just don't have the technical ability to unlock that.

Despite those being a list of negatives I can't see us playing teams any more negative going forward. This whole squad came to this tournament assuming they would have less possession than the opposition. It's been a pleasant surprise to be so dominant in all three.

 

[spring hall convert]

Well, quite. That (theoretical) fully match fit player, walks into almost every side in the tournament.

Whether the rusty, three-quarters-fit one gets in to your team (or even your squad) depends on the quality of the alternatives at your disposal!

It's so frustrating. He still didn't look right last night.

 

[Pavilionaire]

This is revisionist though.

The consensus from whiny England fans and the press is that it has NOT been working well. You decry the absence of 'swagger and flair', yet the only player in the squad who possesses either, was universally slaughtered after the first two games, and everyone demanded he be left out.

I disagree. I started this thread hours before last night's match precisely because I saw what Hodgson was going to do and I feared the worst.

I don't think there was too much wrong in the Wales match - they're a good side and we kept Bale quiet in open play. Fair play to Hodgson for integrating Rooney into central midfield for this tournament, but dropping him last night was a shocker.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

The moment we play a team who DARE to cross the half way line, I can see us picking them off nicely. Walker and Clyne have looked fantastic outlets and create great width. Vardy was just itching to get in behind but the Slovaks sat so deep.

In that situation you basically have 3 options.
1 - Long shots - We didn't appear to have a specialist
2 - Round the outside and cross. We didn't have an Andy Carroll figure in the middle
3 - Spain it. We just don't have the technical ability to unlock that.

4 - Run at them / take players on / win free kicks or penalties

 

[SK1NT]

4 - Run at them / take players on / win free kicks or penalties

5. Score goals

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

4 - Run at them / take players on / win free kicks or penalties

Near on impossible in a team sitting that deep. In the centre we were running into about 7 players.

Out wide, you beat a man (which we did MANY TIMES) and cross it to no-one with heading ability.

I would have been tempted to get Smalling almost playing as a centre forward. In that situation you don't expect him to be involved in ANY build up play. You just want him there for when your full back gets a cross in.

Of course, the temptation with that is teams start hitting pointless diagonals into the box hoping for a knock down. The key is to resist that and still play as if you had a regular centre forward playing.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Near on impossible in a team sitting that deep. In the centre we were running into about 7 players.

Out wide, you beat a man (which we did MANY TIMES) and cross it to no-one with heading ability.

.

I'm not talking about passing inside the full back and sprinting down the side of him - which as you say Clyne achieved. I mean dribbling with the ball at your feet, drawing fouls.

Alli and Lallana have the balance to do it, but didn't / were not asked to. Sterling might have.

(Its barely been mentioned btw, but there was an absolutely NAILED ON penalty last night, when Clyne had his ankles tapped - but he stayed on his feet and got a (poor) shot away)