Roy Crouchson - Taking England to Poland & Ukraine 2012

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2022 - USA 1 England 3

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

Our last friendly before the World Cup is a win but perhaps not the most convincing performance really.

I played a different central midfield partnership and also had a look at a few other midfield options with my subs. I'm pretty settled on my preferred starting XI for this tournament though.

Billy Crooks scored another brace. I have high hopes for him during this tournament. A possible shot at the golden boot maybe?

[crouchaldinho]

This is how the final squad selection looks along with the squad numbers!

[crouchaldinho]

A Look at England's Key Players for World Cup 2022 in Qatar

What follows is what the game tells me are my best players according to the information screen.

Joe Hart

Phil Jones

Jack Wilshere

Billy Crooks

You get to see how Billy Crooks has developed in that last screenshot. Physically, he is an absolute monster and any centre-back is going to have a nightmare against this guy. His off the ball movement and composure is world class. The technical side of his game is weak but he has the important attribute for a goal poacher which is the ability to take his chances. I was hoping for a bit more improvement on his technique and first touch but it looks a bit late now at the age of 24 because players don't tend to improve much beyond that age in my experience. Also, I'd like to see his anticipation really pick up a couple of points. Certainly, the mental attributes could still improve because my experience is that they tend to continue developing as a player gets older (see Jack Wilshere now, for example). He may be a somewhat limited striker, relying on his athleticism, movement, composure and finishing, but he fits perfectly into my system as a pure consumer. This guy will score the goals and we'll rely on him to prove that he can do the business against the top sides in this tournament.

As you can see, he is now an Arsenal player. He comes off the back of a pretty average season with them. He isn't always first choice and his goalscoring record isn't as emphatic as it is at International level, that's for sure. As you can see from the screenshot above, he has scored 58 goals in 42 games for England.

Out of our key players, I have to say that Jack Wilshere could be the absolute key. A good tournament from him and we could be going to the final. I honestly feel that way. He hasn't always done the business in the past and this is a big chance for him to prove himself for England. Let's hope he'll be on form and ready to stand up and play to the ability he clearly shows in those awesome attributes.

[crouchaldinho]

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Group D - Italy 0 England 3

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

We get off to an absolutely exceptional start in our World Cup campaign!

This is a thoroughly deserved victory against the Italians. Jack Wilshere is outstanding, scoring one and setting up another.

Billy Crooks proves he can do it on the big occasions by opening his account at the World Cup in this opening game too.

It's an outstanding opening match for us and I hope we can continue how we left off here in the next game!

Other result in Group D: Ivory Coast 0 Japan 2

[crouchaldinho]

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Group D - England 0 Ivory Coast 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

Fairly typical England really. We make the hardest game look easy and then fail to impress in what should have been an 'easier' match.

A draw is a fair result though really in this game. A disappointing performance from Billy Crooks so I decided to give him a real aggressive telling off after the game in the hope that I can inspire him for our final match against Japan. Let's see if it works!

Other result in Group D: Japan 0 Italy 1

[crouchaldinho]

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Group D - England 4 Japan 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

We absolutely hammered Japan in this final group match.

It seems as though I have got to grips with the best way to manage Billy Crooks. It seems that he sometimes likes the aggressive tone and likes to have a performance demanded of him. He bounced back from a disappointing performance in the last game to score a hat-trick in this one!

Other result in Group D: Italy 1 Ivory Coast 0

[crouchaldinho]

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final Group Standings

Group A:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Czech Republic |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 6     | 3     | +3    | 7     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Qatar          |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 5     | 6     | -1    | 4     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | South Africa   |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 4     | 5     | -1    | 3     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Colombia       |       | 3     | 0     | 2     | 1     | 4     | 5     | -1    | 2     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Group B:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team    |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Germany |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 5     | 1     | +4    | 7     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Chile   |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 5     | 5     | 0     | 4     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Greece  |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 3     | 4     | -1    | 3     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Mali    |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 5     | -3    | 3     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Group C:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team        |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Netherlands |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 6     | 1     | +5    | 7     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Brazil      |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 3     | 1     | +2    | 4     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | China       |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 2     | 5     | -3    | 4     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Canada      |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 2     | 6     | -4    | 1     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Group D:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team        |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
[b]| 1st   | Q     | England     |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 7     | 0     | +7    | 7     | [/b]
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Italy       |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 3     | -1    | 6     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Japan       |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 5     | -3    | 3     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Ivory Coast |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 0     | 3     | -3    | 1     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Group E:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team     |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Iran     |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 6     | 6     | 0     | 6     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Denmark  |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 4     | 3     | +1    | 4     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Portugal |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 6     | 6     | 0     | 4     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Nigeria  |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 4     | 5     | -1    | 3     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Group F:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team    |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Mexico  |       | 3     | 3     | 0     | 0     | 3     | 0     | +3    | 9     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Spain   |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 2     | 2     | 0     | 4     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Turkey  |       | 3     | 0     | 2     | 1     | 2     | 3     | -1    | 2     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Ecuador |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 1     | 3     | -2    | 1     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Group G:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Senegal      |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 7     | 3     | +4    | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | France       |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 4     | 2     | +2    | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Slovakia     |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 0     | 2     | -2    | 1     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Saudi Arabia |       | 3     | 0     | 1     | 2     | 1     | 5     | -4    | 1     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Group H:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | Q     | Russia        |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 4     | 2     | +2    | 7     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | United States |       | 3     | 2     | 0     | 1     | 4     | 3     | +1    | 6     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Argentina     |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 6     | 2     | +4    | 4     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | South Korea   |       | 3     | 0     | 0     | 3     | 3     | 10    | -7    | 0     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Hosts Qatar get through to the second round!

One of the bigger shocks was to see Iran going through at the expense of Portugal and Nigeria in Group E.

But the biggest shock by far is to see holders Argentina knocked out in the group stages with Russia and the USA going through in their group!

We have a tough, tough draw for the second round as we will now play Brazil. That's some reward for winning the group.

We also played Brazil in the second round back in 2014 and, on that occasion, we were beaten. This time, we look for revenge, and hopefully this side will be strong enough to go up against the Brazilians and get a result!

[crouchaldinho]

Roy Crouchson's England set a new record with their 24 game unbeaten run.

Let's hope they can keep it going by beating Brazil in the second round of World Cup 2022!

[crouchaldinho]

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Second Round - England 2 Brazil 1

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

Revenge for 2014 is secured in this very tight victory in the second round against Brazil!

Billy Crooks once again proves that he can do it against the big sides by grabbing a goal, whilst Jack Wilshere scores the second for England and wins the man of the match award.

Finally, it looks as though one of our very best players in Jack Wilshere is putting in big game performances at the finals of a major tournament.

After this result, I'm starting to dream of what might be possible.

We play Czech Republic in the quarter finals. They won Group A and beat Chile in the second round to get to this stage.

After beating Italy and now Brazil in these finals, I'm feeling as if this is now a very winnable game. Can we finally get past the quarter finals of a major tournament for the first time in 10 years?

[crouchaldinho]

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Quarter Finals - Czech Republic 1 England 2 (after extra time)

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

It's a less than impressive performance from England in the quarter finals but we sneak through to a semi final at the World Cup for the first time since 1990.

When the Czechs scored first, I feared the worst, but we pulled level quite quickly through Oxlade-Chamberlain.

We pushed forward in this match trying to get the win in normal time and were nearly punished on the break multiple times. We got through to extra time though and Billy Crooks scored the winner for us to take us through to the semi finals!

We will play Mexico in the semi finals. We will be looking to get revenge for the 2018 World Cup exit where Mexico beat us 2-1 in the quarter finals to send us home much earlier than I would have liked at that tournament.

In 2018, Mexico finished in 3rd place, so they are a side looking to go further and get to the final this time around. They have some very talented players at Spurs, Bayern, Arsenal and Liverpool. Their midfield, in particular, is full of talented technical players. This game will be a test, for sure, but I hope that we are up to it!

[crouchaldinho]

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Semi Final - England 1 Mexico 1 (Mexico win 3-0 on penalties)

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

We didn't keep the ball well against Mexico but, nevertheless, we had a number of efforts on their goal. Despite having a lot of the ball, Mexico didn't really threaten us too much. Overall, though, I'm not sure either side really deserved to win it. Mexico had more of the ball but we had the better chances.

I think some of the team was tired after going through 120 minutes against the Czechs but I didn't want to make too many changes to a winning formula. Perhaps, in hindsight, this was a mistake, as I had to bring off three of our best players in Wilshere, Sterling and Oxlade-Chamberlain after just over an hour, due to their tiredness. This gave Mexico a clear edge for the final 30 minutes and we honestly didn't look like winning the game from that point onwards. This period of play probably skewed the possession statistics too.

What I've said above is shown pretty clearly through the goal times. Wilshere scored for us just before half-time during a period when we were on top. Then, in the second-half, with three subs made, Mexico were dominant and sure enough the equaliser came eventually. A clear illustration of the fact that the depth of this England squad isn't good enough despite the first eleven being extremely strong right now. This has been pretty typical during my time in charge.

Penalties were a horrible way to go out of this tournament at the semi final stage. We missed all three with even the veteran Wayne Rooney (certainly his last tournament) missing. Billy Crooks couldn't put one away either.

A disappointing end to what was otherwise a marvellous campaign. We have a third place play-off against France to play next but with a number of players tired/suspended/injured, we will be putting out a weakened team and therefore won't take it too seriously.

[crouchaldinho]

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Third Place Playoff - France 2 England 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

We should have been better in this game but couldn't really create much. We didn't play well and use the ball well and this is mainly because we were missing our playmaker, Jack Wilshere.

I was hoping for Billy Crooks to score some goals to improve his chance of getting the golden boot but it seems that he'll miss out on that now, unfortunately.

Without Jack Wilshere dictating the play, we didn't look good enough. We were missing a creative spark in midfield and also weak up front without Wilshere linking the play.

A disappointing end to the tournament.

[crouchaldinho]

World Cup Qatar 2022 - Knock-out Stages Tree

Click here to see all match results from the knock-out stages.

Hosts Qatar were knocked out in the second round by Germany.

Spain went out in the quarter finals against France.

The Netherlands become World Champions when they defeated Mexico in the World Cup final.

1. Netherlands

2. Mexico

3. France

4. England

[crouchaldinho]

Ryan Shawcross steps down as England captain.

I'm considering giving the armband to Jack Wilshere to lead England to Euro 2024 (I hope!) but haven't made my mind up yet.

[crouchaldinho]

Billy Crooks falls just short of getting the golden boot, finishing second in the top scorers list with 6 goals in 7 games.

He definitely made his mark on this tournament. He'll be at his peak for World Cup 2026, so let's see if he can win the golden boot in that competition!

[crouchaldinho]

We finally get an England player in the Best XI for a major tournament again.

Best XI

It's dominated by Netherlands players but Jack Wilshere secures a place as one of the players of the tournament!

On the bench of the team of the tournament are Joe Hart, Kyle Walker and Billy Crooks.

[crouchaldinho]

So, the end of another emotional and shattering tournament. Now, I turn my attentions to qualification for Euro 2024.

And I'm left still chasing that dream of finally winning a World Cup on FM. Maybe 2026?

[noikeee]

Very good World Cup even if it might feel quite frustrating to capitulate so close and on penalties. A comfortable win over Italy and a win over Brazil proves your England side can do it against the very best, it's just a matter of finding that little extra edge of luck/consistency.

I would expect more players from Billy Crooks' generation to be sneaking in to the squad, but your starting 11 seems to be packed with experienced names. Is this a sign of decline to come in the next tournaments, or are there promising youngsters you just don't feel are ready yet?

[crouchaldinho]

Very good World Cup even if it might feel quite frustrating to capitulate so close and on penalties. A comfortable win over Italy and a win over Brazil proves your England side can do it against the very best, it's just a matter of finding that little extra edge of luck/consistency.

Agreed Noikeee.

I would expect more players from Billy Crooks' generation to be sneaking in to the squad, but your starting 11 seems to be packed with experienced names. Is this a sign of decline to come in the next tournaments, or are there promising youngsters you just don't feel are ready yet?

I think international football generally tends to reward experienced squads so that's why there are experienced names in there that I've been relying upon.

Out of the squad from World Cup 2022, roughly half are under 30. I would say that Chris Smalling, Ryan Shawcross and Wayne Rooney probably had their last tournament here.

In terms of the youngsters, I think we have some good players at age 19-21 who will be coming through to the senior team over the next two years. In the U19s, we have what looks like a new generation of top class players coming through, provided that they reach their potential, between the ages of 16-19.

So I'm not really concerned about a decline or a dearth of quality players. I am, however, really worried about another Jack Wilshere type of player coming through. We don't look to have a quality playmaker type of midfield player coming through at the moment. There are a lot of more defensive minded midfielders but I can't see the technical and creative midfielders among the new generation, which is a real worry.

As for the next two tournaments, I'm not sure what to expect. We should have a great chance at the Euros in 2024, providing Jack Wilshere is there (we saw how poor we were without him against France at the WC). Wilshere is 30 now and will be 34 at the time of the next World Cup. Will he be well past his best or good enough for another shot at glory?

[deltablue]

Again the French prove troublesome (even if it's only to deny you 3rd), not to mention penalties yet again.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Great campaign in the World Cup, though typically England go out on penalties.

[jaycar]

Unlucky Crouchy, always next time.

[Richey2008]

Tense stuff. If it's any consolation my England team is struggling to win tournaments, never making it past the QFs in any tournament up to 2026. My main playmaker is a naturalised Serbian, such is the dearth of talent.

[crouchaldinho]

So, time for our Euro 2024 qualifying campaign!

| Pos   | Inf   | Team     |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Greece   |       | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
[b]| 2nd   |       | England  |       | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | [/b]
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Bulgaria |       | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Cyprus   |       | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Malta    |       | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

That's what our group is looking like for qualifying.

First of all, we have some friendly matches to play as we build up towards our first qualifier at home to Greece.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2022 - England 2 United States 2

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

Disappointing score line for this friendly.

To be honest, I'm in an unusual situation with England right now. For the first time, our defence isn't the strongest aspect of the team whilst we look really good in midfield and up front.

Our second half performance was very poor in this match and it cost us a win. At least this was only a friendly match. We have time to get things right for the upcoming qualifiers.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2022 - England 3 Switzerland 2

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

Ultimately more of the same here as our post-World Cup hangover continues. I guess at least we ended up getting the win.

We conceded some poor goals again and had a rubbish second-half. Hopefully we are getting all of these mistakes out of the way before the qualifiers begin!

I do hope that this isn't some sign of a decline to come after such a great World Cup campaign.

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2024 Qualifiers, Group C - England 4 Greece 1

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

We got off to a great start in our qualifying campaign with this fine win against one of the stronger sides in our group.

I changed the back four around, dropping the now ageing Shawcross and going with Shawcross and Dier at the back.

Mooney is looking more and more the real deal in midfield. And then there is Billy Crooks who always looks like scoring goals.

A good win and I feel we're back on the right track again now.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2022 - England 3 Chile 1

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

A very solid win in this friendly match.

My England squad is now starting to receive some negative press for the average age of the side and the fact that I am going for experience over a better mix of younger and older players. This is something I need to be aware of but I don't want to rock the boat too much as I feel a number of my older players are good for another tournament at this stage.

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2024 Qualifiers, Group C - Bulgaria 0 England 1

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

A solid result even if it was somewhat uninspiring in attack.

We got the three points away to one of the tougher teams in our group and so we will be satisfied with that at least.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2022 - Serbia 3 England 1

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

A terrible performance with some poor defending and bad individual errors.

This is not the Roy Crouchson's England we all know so well. Our back four is probably the weakest it has been in my time in charge and I need to do something about it.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2022 - Mexico 5 England 3

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

Our final friendly match of 2022 sees us on the wrong end of this scoreline in an thriller in Mexico.

Such poor defending, so many individual errors. This is extremely worrying.

This post-World Cup hangover is continuing. A bad way to end 2022, which was looking like a very good year for English football just after the World Cup had finished.

[crouchaldinho]

End of 2022 - England Results:

Click here to see all results for 2022!

Well, we had a great World Cup and getting to the semi-finals was a real highlight as we beat the likes of Italy and Brazil on the way!

Since the World Cup, there has been somewhat of a hangover. We've lost some matches with poor displays and even the matches we've won haven't always been too convincing.

Plenty of challenges lie ahead for Roy Crouchson as we move into 2023.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2023 - England 3 Denmark 2

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

Once again, some very poor defensive errors. I tried a difference combination in the middle here but it didn't really get on any better.

The media are criticising the age of my squad quite a bit so I made an effort to bring in younger players such as Stephen Thomas (who replaced the missing Billy Crooks), Aaron Goosey, Sam Chambers, Ross Villis and Wally Garston. The latter player, in particular, looks as if he could be a real talent. He has similar attributes to Wayne Rooney and could be a great no. 10 forward in the future. Stephen Thomas is also a good goalscoring forward and will make a fine backup to Billy Crooks.

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2024 Qualifiers, Group C - England 6 Cyprus 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

As you'd expect, this was a walk in the park. Not much to say really as we thrashed Cyprus at Wembley.

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2024 Qualifiers, Group C - Malta 1 England 4

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

Disappointed not to have kept a clean sheet. Otherwise, a very straight forward win against Malta.

[crouchaldinho]

Roy Crouchson reaches 150 games with England!

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2024 Qualifiers, Group C - Greece 1 England 1

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

Not quite the way I wanted to celebrate my 150th game in charge.

We should have performed better, no doubt about it. It was uninspiring stuff.

I guess a draw away to Greece isn't too bad but we must be better if we want to do anything at Euro 2024.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2023 - Uruguay 2 England 4

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

Well, a clean sheet would be nice at some point. These aren't the classic days of Roy Crouchson's England who were once so solid in defence, that's for sure.

We didn't play all that well today. This result came down to the lethal nature of Billy Crooks in front of goal. He certainly covered up the worrying cracks in my England team right now.

I tried Shawcross and Smalling at the back again. A great partnership that has worked so well in the past. Now both players are in decline and I need to find a new England central defensive partnership. I'm really struggling with this, that's for sure, and it's a big worry with Euro 2024 coming next year.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2023 - Argentina 2 England 2

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

We showed that we can still mix it with the big boys in this match, even if it was just a friendly.

We were under a lot of pressure though at times and needed to play on the break quite a bit.

Wilshere has had a bit of a post-World Cup 2022 hangover so it was good to see him put in a man of the match performance in this game. Wilshere was one of the players of the tournament at WC2022 but has been pretty average since. He was really up for it today though as was Billy Crooks.

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2024 Qualifiers, Group C - England 3 Bulgaria 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

Ah, that's more like it. A clean sheet and a Billy Crooks hat-trick. Perfect!

The defence weren't tested though at all in this match as we completely dominated.

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2024 Qualifiers, Group C - England 4 Malta 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

I had a look at young Newcastle United striker Ross Villis for this match as Billy Crooks was unavailable. He did well, scoring two goals.

Otherwise, this was more of the same line-up wise. A solid victory in a match you'd expect us to win in a comfortable fashion.

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2024 Qualifiers, Group C - Cyprus 4 England 4

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

What an appalling performance and result against Cyprus, a team who are 64th in the world rankings.

We actually had to fight back in this match from 3-1 down! And we only secured a 4-4 draw in the 84th minute.

The entire back four was absolutely appalling. So bad it's not even funny.

I have such big, big worries as we head in 2024.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2023 - Portugal 0 England 1

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

A result like this came along to cover the cracks of this England team and particularly its defence.

I changed all but one player from the back four that conceded four against Cyprus. We were much more solid against Portugal but I still have my concerns. I'm still searching for a solid centre-back partnership and struggling.

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2024 Qualifiers, Group C Final Standings:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team     |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
[b]| 1st   | Q     | England  |       | 8     | 6     | 2     | 0     | 27    | 7     | +20   | 20    | [/b]
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Q     | Bulgaria |       | 8     | 4     | 1     | 3     | 6     | 7     | -1    | 13    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   | Pl    | Greece   |       | 8     | 4     | 1     | 3     | 14    | 8     | +6    | 13    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Cyprus   |       | 8     | 2     | 2     | 4     | 12    | 19    | -7    | 8     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Malta    |       | 8     | 0     | 2     | 6     | 2     | 20    | -18   | 2     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

We qualified very comfortably, as you'd expect. We're going to Euro 2024, which is being held in Spain!

[crouchaldinho]

End of 2022 - England Results:

Click here to see all results for 2022!

On paper, I guess it doesn't look like a bad year for England, with plenty of wins and no losses.

Let's not kid ourselves though. There are worrying signs of decline in defence and I'm not sure if I'm going to have the players to make a serious challenge for the Euro 2024 trophy at this stage.

[crouchaldinho]

Euro 2024 - England's Group:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team     |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Ireland  |       | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Turkey   |       | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
[b]| 3rd   |       | England  |       | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | [/b]
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Bulgaria |       | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 0     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

What do you guys think of that group? Looks like an interesting one, especially with Ireland in there and Turkey too (who always seem to have a good team).

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2024 - England 2 Romania 2

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

I took the opportunity to bring in some new players. Some might say it's a bit late with the Euros just around the corner but a few players are starting to emerge and I've grown impatient with one or two of the declining veterans.

Olly Meadows came into central defence and looks as if he could be part of England's future central defensive partnership. I also tried Scott Valentine on the right but he is really not quite ready for the first team in reality. The other player was Darren Cahill who does look like a good midfield option.

Meadows and Cahill could really play their way into my squad for Euro 2024 with some good performances in the pre-tournament friendly matches.

[crouchaldinho]

International Friendly 2024 - England 4 Slovenia 0

Match Stats

Formation & Ratings

More of the same experimenting. This time, two new names came in. Firstly, Wes Parker, a young midfielder, who is a possible for the Euro 2024. The second player was Kort McKnight, who I would say is a probable for Euro 2024 after this excellent performance.

The younger generation are suddenly coming through but is it too late?

I'll be going to the Euros with an uncertain starting XI, which is never really a good sign for me.

[crouchaldinho]

The amazing Billy Crooks beats Wayne Rooney's goalscoring record to become England's record goalscorer with 87 goals!

[crouchaldinho]

This is England's final 23 man squad for Euro 2024.

We have some inexperienced players in the squad in Kort McKnight, Olly Meadows, Scott Valentine and Darren Cahill.

Will this risky strategy pay off? I don't know.

Out of those players, I imagine McKnight and Meadows are the starts. Valentine is almost certainly a backup, while Cahill could be an option in the middle.

Despite bringing in some younger players from the new generation, the media still suggested I was 'playing it safe' with an experienced and older team.