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I’m still a fan of dier, just think that solo midfield spot is tough, you have to be both defensive, closing down, harrying, breaking up attacks, as well as linking back to front, prompting attacks.
We don’t have a midfielder who is capable of that, think busquets or kante, or some combination of the two.
Apart from wilshire who else is going to fill that role? Shelvey? winks? I’m drawing a blank.Not sure we’re going to get another chance as good as the one we just relinquished. Will be interesting to see what progress we make at the euros, and whether the national fervour reignites...
cornelius_blackfoot-
the euros
Semis and Final are at Wembley, so it's coming home then...
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Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire; Trippier, Shelvey, Henderson, Rose/Sessegnon; Lingard/Alli, Kane, Sterling
shrug emoji
Who knows who'll come through in the next couple of years? There's plenty of talent in the academies, depends on whether they get the opportunities or whether they go and play abroad like Sancho/Lookman have done. None of us have a crystal ball, but it's definitely looking more positive today than it did the day after the Iceland game in 2016...
Greenbank
notoriousBMT
Keane's points were valid (is this a trope yet, Damo thinks Keane is the voice in the madness?). We had a chance, we won't get another one like it for some time, we should have taken it. We need to look at why we got there and why we didn't go further.
We shouldn't have been thinking about the final until we were there.
Gary Neville was saying the same in a more moderate fashion.
But then, they've been there and won everything they've been able to (national teams excluded).
It was a nice thing to happen in the summer when it could have been awful. Hands up, seriously, who thought they could get there before the game?
And during the game?
Me, not because of English arrogance but because Croatia have played 2 games at full distance plus pens. Not me, not because I'm some fucking amazing hipster football oracle. But because after Kane missed (the same chance twice) and Stirling failed to calm his anxiety and make the right choices and for all lindgards tidiness, Croatia looked like what they are. A team of solid 7s mixed with players who can hit 8,often after extreme periods of being a 6.
England don't have that. Yet. We're another forward off. Any team that replaces Henderson with Dier is up against it. Ashley young will go, and that's fine, he's done a good job. Rose will come in. The back three are good/will get better.
Lindgard, Rashford, Stirling, Alli, and Kane need to be consistently good and deliver on their potential. Though I'm not sure who will push them.