The Official England World Cup Thread

[Marc Albrighton]

Because none of the games since were in a tournament and thats the sort of style he has mainly used whenever i've seen his teams. Hardly known for the most beautiful attacking style is he?

[darren1983]

So you thought that even though through the qualifiers and also all the friendlies he's played either 433 or 4231 that as soon as it got to a tournament he would go 442? Fair enough.

[UTT]

Oh and defence needs to step up. Both goals were **** poor defending. The reaction to closing down Marchisio was appalling.

Yeah sorry, don't buy this at all. The fault for the first goal was only having one man on the edge of the box. When Pirlo sells Sturridge with the dummy you see 2 England defenders running out to close down. The fault in the goal is primarily to do with the initial bad positioning and then letting the ball though your legs before it is the fault of the 2 players trying to close down not being Usain Bolt!

Rooney didn't give Baines enough protection down the Left and it is criminal that we didn't learn from Italy constantly using that flank. Thing is we don't really have anyone to play in front of Baines who would be defensively solid (unless you go for an odd Shaw and Baines combo - think Cole is missed here)

Sterling looked good but faded, Barkley didn't have the impact he had in the friendlies but against a better team probably expected.

I'm not sold on Sturridge as a lone forward, think he needed more support but playing 2 up top probably weakens the midfield. Think I'd start the Ox vs Uruguay. They lack pace all over the park so we need to stretch them

[Razzler]

Rooney didn't seem happy though. Going over to the bench a lot. Seems like him and Baines couldn't work out what to do with Candreva's positions

It's so annoying to play not too bad at all and just be a bit sloppy with the goals. There's plenty there to suggest we can have a go at Uruguay and whatever happens I don't think we need to be changing manager. We don't have the managers to keep changing, let Hodgson continue his work

[themadsheep2001]

Yeah sorry, don't buy this at all. The fault for the first goal was only having one man on the edge of the box. When Pirlo sells Sturridge with the dummy you see 2 England defenders running out to close down. The fault in the goal is primarily to do with the initial bad positioning and then letting the ball though your legs before it is the fault of the 2 players trying to close down not being Usain Bolt!

Rooney didn't give Baines enough protection down the Left and it is criminal that we didn't learn from Italy constantly using that flank. Thing is we don't really have anyone to play in front of Baines who would be defensively solid (unless you go for an odd Shaw and Baines combo - think Cole is missed here)

Sterling looked good but faded, Barkley didn't have the impact he had in the friendlies but against a better team probably expected.

I'm not sold on Sturridge as a lone forward, think he needed more support but playing 2 up top probably weakens the midfield. Think I'd start the Ox vs Uruguay. They lack pace all over the park so we need to stretch them

James Milner is weeping in his room. Wouldn't start Ox if he isn't fit. Cant believe we're even talking about Hodgson losing his job though.

[themadsheep2001]

World Cup 2014: a tactical analysis of England v Italy

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jun/15/england-italy-tactics

Italy dominated on the right, Mario Balotelli remains unpredictable and Rooney thrived when he didn't have to defend

Michael Cox

The Observer, Sunday 15 June 2014

Clash of styles

These two countries favour completely different styles of football – England are about speed and energy, Italy about possession and patience. In an evenly matched contest like this there is always a danger the managers will compromise their regular game plan by attempting to negate the other side’s strength. Instead the coaches concentrated on maximising their side’s own strengths, which was obvious from their selection decisions. Roy Hodgson did not deploy an extra central midfielder to compete in the centre of midfield – he picked Raheem Sterling, another speedster. Cesare Prandelli did not opt to bring more pace into his side – he selected the young deep-lying playmaker Marco Verratti to ensure Italy’s dominance. Such variety in style is what the World Cup is all about, and the different approaches created an intriguing tactical battle.

Italy dominate on the right

The key feature of the first half was Italy’s dominance down their right side, where England had two problems. The first issue was the intelligent movement of Antonio Candreva, who floated between a right-wing position and a No10 role, showing the spatial awareness that Prandelli believes compensates for Candreva’s relative lack of technical quality. Candreva’s movement on that flank narrowed England, with Leighton Baines dragged inside, and opened up space for Matteo Darmian on the overlap. The right-back needed no invitation to scamper down the touchline to receive diagonal balls from Italy’s creative, inventive midfielders. Wayne Rooney, presumably not played in his favoured No10 position because of questions over his defensive responsibility against Andrea Pirlo, was found lacking in a defensive sense and Italy made inroads in this position shortly before their opening goal. Hodgson immediately switched Rooney and the more disciplined Danny Welbeck after the break, but it was futile: Darmian and Candreva again combined to cross for Mario Balotelli’s header.

Rooney’s assist

However, England’s equaliser had arrived precisely because Rooney was not tracking Darmian. Shortly after Claudio Marchisio opened the scoring, Darmian went on another scamper forward on the counter-attack, briefly becoming Mario Balotelli’s closest support. However, as Italy failed to locate Darmian, and Candreva’s forward pass went astray, Rooney now found himself in a position to break into the space Darmian had left behind. He charged forward, was found by Sterling’s measured through-ball and provided an excellent left-footed cross, inviting Daniel Sturridge to half-volley into the net. Hodgson clearly wasn’t happy with Rooney’s defensive efforts, but there are positives to leaving a dangerous attacker free of defensive responsibilities.

Sterling looked lively in the centre

A clear bright spot was Sterling, whom Hodgson entrusted with the crucial No10 role. Although Sterling expected to be facing Pirlo, instead he was up against the more combative Daniele De Rossi but the Liverpool youngster was fearless, happy to shut him down and dribble past into attack. The central attacking midfielder in this 4-2-3-1 system is responsible for so much – connecting the midfield and attack, drifting laterally to support the wide players and setting the tone for his side’s creative play. Hodgson’s approach is all about attacking quickly and directly rather than dominating possession, and Sterling’s ability to quicken the tempo with a sudden burst of speed is absolutely perfect.

Although a winger by trade, Sterling thrived at the head of Liverpool’s diamond last season, and on this showing, there’s no reason he can’t continue in this central role.

Balotelli's dangerous runs

Balotelli remains one of the most unpredictable players in world football. When in the mood he is a brilliantly ruthless central striker capable of converting half-chances into goals but, if uninterested, he drifts around on the periphery of matches. The quality of Balotelli’s runs is the major thing that changes. As Italy threatened down the right throughout the first period, Balotelli’s movement was lazy – as the only crossing target, he frequently positioned himself between Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka, making it easy for the England centre-backs. After the break, however, Balotelli varied his movement. He held back towards the far post to convert Candreva’s cross and put Italy ahead, then a few minutes later darted towards the near post for yet another Candreva ball, where he was inches away from scoring Italy’s third. When he varies his movement, Balotelli is the complete striker.

[UTT]

Rooney didn't seem happy though. Going over to the bench a lot. Seems like him and Baines couldn't work out what to do with Candreva's positions

I don't understand how. Candreva/Darmian did the same thing the entire game - why hadn't we learnt?

Candreva is the James Milner if Italy FWIW - versatile, hard working and decent. He's not a star though and we made him look like one

James Milner is weeping in his room. Wouldn't start Ox if he isn't fit. Cant believe we're even talking about Hodgson losing his job though.

Well I'm obviously not advocating starting an injured player...

[Razzler]

Yeah, it's something we didn't seem to address and Baines was certainly aware of it as the commentator even mentioned Baines calling out or shouting to Rooney on more than one occasion. I think that's why they switched Rooney for a bit too

I think when you get to a tournament it's like these individual events, not like a 38 game season. Teams are all generally prepared but it's small things that can change games. It means teams like Costa Rica can do what they did. You have to take your chance whether it's goals or just going past your man. I think it's a leveller for a lot of teams, hence the results we've seen down the years at tournaments

I think it's about being in the right frame of mind and we seem better placed than usual for that. Italy just do their thing. It all seems to wash over them, the pressure, the occasion and they never seem flustered. Even when they have a disaster and go out of the group stages they seem to brush it off and move onto the next tournament. Total opposite of us totally dwelling on everything!

I think in big games like that against 'top sides' you don't really think of England getting over the line mainly cause we have come up short before whereas Italy taking on Brazil, Spain, Holland, France you'd think they're more than capable. I think we are capable of getting a result against those sides but it's those small things and opportunities that always end in trajedy

It repeats and that's why we tend to end up with the same bunch of sides in the big balls part of a tournament

[CaptainPlanet]

Was quite happy that the Italians weren't diving about all over the place.

[Rob1981]

Love the fact that we are midway through a tournament and this thread hasn't seen a post for 48 hours

Nice to read the biggest headlines that are about the other matches rather than just a constant day-by-day soap opera from the England camp.

[skybluedave]

Loved Sturridge's interview yesterday. Gave me hope!

[arenaross]

Danny Welbeck has sprung to Wayne Rooney's defence by insisting that his Manchester United and England teammate should not be dropped and by declaring he is an excellent winger.

There have been calls for Rooney to be omitted for England's next game, against Uruguay on Thursday, after his display on the left in Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Italy, even though he set up Daniel Sturridge's goal.

Rooney prefers a central role but Welbeck said England's new system gives them the fluidity to swap positions.

And he feels that Rooney, who has scored 39 goals for his country, can make a major impact, even if he is playing on the left.

"First and foremost, Wayne Rooney is a class player and I think wherever he is playing on the pitch he can make a massive impact," Welbeck said at a news conference in Brazil. "I think all the forward players with England have the flexibility to move in and round, interchange positions.

"Obviously Wayne was on the left in the first game and in the second or third game he could be in a different position. Waz is the top all-time scorer for England currently playing, he has got 93 caps and he is very experienced. When he is on the pitch, he can make a difference.

"Wayne can handle any situation. He has been through a lot in his career and has played there [on the left] a lot for Manchester United. He is accustomed to that position and plays it very well. Wazza is very experienced, when he goes on the pitch he can make a difference."

Like Rooney, Welbeck, who began on the right against Italy, would prefer a central role but he added: "I'd prefer to play down the middle, yes, but I'll play left, right, centre on the pitch. The good thing with the forwards we've got, everybody is flexible. We can play in all three positions."

Welbeck himself has only scored once for club or country since January and his former United colleague Rio Ferdinand said the Mancunian needs to take more risks.

And Welbeck said: "I take what Rio says on board. He's seen me grow up and develop from a young kid, from 13. When I got into the first team he spoke to me about what I can do, my strengths and my weaknesses.

"He's helped me a lot as a footballer, and if he's telling me to take more risks I will take more risks. I spoke to him before and after the game, we're in regular contact, and he just wants me to be the best I can."

Didn't realise Rooney was on 39 goals.

[themadsheep2001]

Loved Sturridge's interview yesterday. Gave me hope!

Great interview, he and Welbeck were on great form. Clearly has strong partnership with Welbeck on and off the pitch, would like to see us really develop that triumvirate (Sterling being the third)

[Rob1981]

Didn't realise Rooney was on 39 goals.

And not one in a World Cup

[Rob1981]

Our top scorers now fwiw:

Bobby Charlton - 49

Gary Lineker - 48

Jimmy Greaves - 44

Michael Owen - 40

Wayne Rooney - 39

Tom Finney, Nat Lofthouse, Alan Shearer - all on 30

[CaptainPlanet]

The experienced players need to take more risks in general, it shouldn't just be up to the young players to take them and then blame the failed risks on their age.

[themadsheep2001]

And not one in a World Cup

Aye, he really should be on about 43-44. I think if he gets his goal, he'll actually relax and kick on. This whole thing where the media etc buld on it is not good for him or the side as a whole, as there is too much focus. And if dropped there will still be lots of focus on it.

[Barry Cartman]

49 goals is a pretty low number in this day and age for a record goalscorer

[CaptainPlanet]

Depends on international squad rotation and quality of opposition in friendlies and group games.

[CaptainPlanet]

Milan Baros has like 50 goals

[Rob1981]

This is a great Wiki article on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_top_international_association_football_goal_scorers_by_country

[Barry Cartman]

Any English striker getting 100 caps should be breaking that record tbh, I think Owen would have had he got to 100 and didn't suffer with injuries in the latter stage of his England career

[Rob1981]

Rooney sure to beat it sooner or later. Only 28, so he will play at least one more EC and WC. Or at least play the qualifiers

May even play on until Euro 2020 because he'll still only be 34 and, frankly, no manager will ever have the nerve to drop him. We'll all be talking on the eve of 2020 about the really good tournament he had 16 years before.

[Barry Cartman]

Rooney breaking it would just prove my point really, he should have had a much better international career yet will probably still go on to become our record goalscorer

[Bliss Seeker]

Worth keeping in mind that of his 39 goals, only a handful have been in friendlies too. Goes without saying he's a proven goal scorer. Just needs to step things up. the mug.

[Razzler]

49 goals is a pretty low number in this day and age for a record goalscorer

You say that but that wiki list shows a lot of players around the 50 mark. It's odd that players like Drogba have come along in the modern day and hit 65

Henry of France only on 51 too

Seems like a few players have come along and been certain to break our record and it's just not happened. Rooney may well be the next to not quite make it. It does seems achievable especially considering the number of games and the fact we do tend to make tournaments

[Razzler]

Rooney sure to beat it sooner or later. Only 28, so he will play at least one more EC and WC. Or at least play the qualifiers

May even play on until Euro 2020 because he'll still only be 34 and, frankly, no manager will ever have the nerve to drop him. We'll all be talking on the eve of 2020 about the really good tournament he had 16 years before.

Depends if he ends up playing in some kind of different role. A lot of reports of Sterling and Rooney switching for Uruguay

[themadsheep2001]

Depends if he ends up playing in some kind of different role. A lot of reports of Sterling and Rooney switching for Uruguay

Makes sense. Post world cup, we really need to create a dominant duo of centre mids, or be willing to move to 4-3-3.

[Bliss Seeker]

Makes sense. Post world cup, we really need to create a dominant duo of centre mids, or be willing to move to 4-3-3.

We are playing 4-3-3 (?)

I want to see us playing 4-4-2, purely because I want Roy to do a press conference, get angry and shout out "ENGLAND WILL PLAY 4, 4, ****ING 2!"

[Razzler]

Uruguay were playing 4-4-2 the other day, weren't they?

[Razzler]

I really, really want Rooney to score on thursday. I imagine it will be an explosion of emotion for him, a release

Gary Neville getting a grilling atm but he's doing ok

[darren1983]

Neville just pretty much telling everyone to shut the **** up about Rooney - good man

[darren1983]

We are playing 4-3-3 (?)

I want to see us playing 4-4-2, purely because I want Roy to do a press conference, get angry and shout out "ENGLAND WILL PLAY 4, 4, ****ING 2!"

It's 4231 - though I was told just before the Italy game that I was wrong and that we were playing 442 so what do I know?

[SJ234]

Depends if he ends up playing in some kind of different role. A lot of reports of Sterling and Rooney switching for Uruguay

That is possibly the right move against Uruguay as they'll go 4-4-2 and there is no key centre mid to pick up

[crouchaldinho]

Uruguay were playing 4-4-2 the other day, weren't they?

Yes. Uruguay, Honduras and USA are the only teams to have played 4-4-2 shapes.

4-2-3-1 is dominating as it did in 2010. Then comes 4-5-1/4-3-3 shapes.

It's 4231 - though I was told just before the Italy game that I was wrong and that we were playing 442 so what do I know?

England definitely played 4-2-3-1. Seems like Hodgson's plan might be to play 4-2-3-1 when looking to play more cautiously and then 4-3-3 as the 'plan b' option when looking to play more expansively. That's what he experimented with in the friendly matches prior to the World Cup anyway. Before that, he seemed to be favouring 4-3-3.

[darren1983]

England definitely played 4-2-3-1. Seems like Hodgson's plan might be to play 4-2-3-1 when looking to play more cautiously and then 4-3-3 as the 'plan b' option when looking to play more expansively. That's what he experimented with in the friendly matches prior to the World Cup anyway. Before that, he seemed to be favouring 4-3-3.

Agreed, I've said a few times already this world cup how well I think Roy has done to move us away from 4-4-2 though some people just can't let it go.

[Razzler]

People have been falling over themselves about Uruguay and they're playing 4-4-2, it's about the players and how they play whatever system. 4-4-2 doesn't have to be dull and 4-2-3-1 can be ****

I think Hodgson has shown his willingness to be positive, which is a good thing

Looks like Suarez will play then. Is he 100% though? I mean, Uruguay got nothing to lose, they need a result too but I don't mind facing a Suarez that isn't quite 100%. He's going from no games for a fair while to starting ... that's a big test

That said, not sure if I prefer a not 100% Suarez or Forlan. A not fit Suarez probably still more dangerous :/

[Anti Spiral]

Rooney hitting out at the press again. Saying he's "working really hard" and "doesn't get what the press are getting at".

Same excuse as always. Has he ever admitted to being below par? Think it would help him if he did.

[skybluedave]

What exactly have the press been saying? I've not noticed much, but then I don't really read much

[CaptainPlanet]

All of the managers and players support is embarrassing. The public aren't on an agenda for no reason. We're not randomly picking on someone, or judging on the odd performance.

[darren1983]

Rooney hitting out at the press again. Saying he's "working really hard" and "doesn't get what the press are getting at".

Same excuse as always. Has he ever admitted to being below par? Think it would help him if he did.

Do you even know what he's talking about? He's not talking about the people that are saying he's not playing well.

What exactly have the press been saying? I've not noticed much, but then I don't really read much

A few papers today were saying he was training with the "reserves" (the ones not picked on Saturday) the truth is he done the light training with the players that played on Saturday but also took part in the full training with the other players in order to keep working on his fitness and to make sure he's in the best shape he can be.

[Rob1981]

BBC on top of the big issues

Brazilian officials say they confiscated 39kg (86lb) of caramel spread from Uruguay's football team as it arrived in Brazil for the World Cup.

The spread, called dulce de leche, is extremely popular in Uruguay but the Brazilian authorities said that as it was made with milk, it needed sanitary documentation which was lacking.

Some fans are already blaming Uruguay's shock 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica on the lack of dulce de leche.

Uruguay will play England on Thursday.

The dulce de leche was seized from the team after it landed at Confins airport near their training camp in Sete Lagoas.

An official with the Brazilian agriculture department told Reuters news agency that the Uruguayans could have the dulce de leche back "as soon as they can produce the necessary documents".

"Or they can pick it up on their way out of Brazil," the official added.

It is not clear if one person carried the entire 39kg-stash or if the jars of the popular sweet paste had been distributed between the players.

Former Uruguay goalkeeper Juan Castillo said the team had also taken dulce de leche to the World Cup in South Africa, where they had not had any problems at customs.

Dulce de leche is made by cooking down milk with sugar, baking powder and vanilla extract.

It is very popular spread on bread, pancakes and biscuits, or poured over fruit or ice-cream.

[UTT]

He's been having more strenuous training regimes than any of the other players if reports are to be believed

[CaptainPlanet]

[themadsheep2001]

Do you even know what he's talking about? He's not talking about the people that are saying he's not playing well.

A few papers today were saying he was training with the "reserves" (the ones not picked on Saturday) the truth is he done the light training with the players that played on Saturday but also took part in the full training with the other players in order to keep working on his fitness and to make sure he's in the best shape he can be.

Aye seems to be a fair few missing the point on this. It annoyed England enough for then to actually post about it on the twitter feed.

[themadsheep2001]

All of the managers and players support is embarrassing. The public aren't on an agenda for no reason. We're not randomly picking on someone, or judging on the odd performance.

Theres a difference between criticising his performance (rightly so, though that said if we wanted someone uber tracking on that left side we shouldnt have put Rooney there at all, just play Welbeck/Milner.) and completely spinning a story about training. For example Matt Hughes knew Rooney requested additional training, but instead wrote that he was subjected to it. Why spin it?

[aggressive minor]

All of the managers and players support is embarrassing. The public aren't on an agenda for no reason. We're not randomly picking on someone, or judging on the odd performance.

The support is good (in public is should always be support, behind the scenes is different)- what's more embarrassing is how the press constantly looks for a scapegoat.

[Bliss Seeker]

All of the managers and players support is embarrassing. The public aren't on an agenda for no reason. We're not randomly picking on someone, or judging on the odd performance.

No it's not, they're right. We do have an obsession with Rooney, we have since 2003. If they're constantly being asked about Rooney in press conferences they're obviously going to mention him which brings up new reports and the circle continues.

I'm actually quite surprised at the lack of criticism/focus being directed at Gerrard. Thought he was positionally poor against Italy, didn't make enough tackles and seemed to be off the pace. Of course he's captain so not droppable, but Henderson's energy is a complete contrast to his lethargy.

[jmr]

A few papers today were saying he was training with the "reserves" (the ones not picked on Saturday) the truth is he done the light training with the players that played on Saturday but also took part in the full training with the other players in order to keep working on his fitness and to make sure he's in the best shape he can be.

And yet he'll still come back to Man Utd after a month off an overweight mess.

[Razzler]

You can do a lot of eating in that month