The Official *England's Passage to Paris 2016* Thread

[Duty281]

First topic message reminder :

Onwards, we go. Latest England squad has been named for the friendly against Norway, and the opening qualifier versus Switzerland.

Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Hart (Manchester City)
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Everton)
Midfielders: Jack Colback (Newcastle United), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
Forwards: Rickie Lambert (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)

You know, such a squad does not fill me to the brim with optimism!

Best side we can muster out of that, assuming Roy takes a 4-2-3-1 shape, would probably be:

Hart, Stones, Jagielka, Cahill, Baines, Henderson, Wilshere, Sterling, Rooney, Oxlade, and Sturridge.

[Hammersmith harrier]

Doesn't look like a diamond team to me, standard Hodgson 433 but could be wrong.

[sportform]

Not sure I would have gone three in midfield against Lithuania. Surely Carrick and Henderson could cope? Why not play two wingers and two up top? Then try 433 out against Italy.

I would have gone:-

Townsend, Henderson, Carrick, Young (should have been picked)

Rooney

Kane

Against Italy I would have tried:-

Henderson, Carrick, Delph

Walcott, Rooney, Sterling

[Stella]

Welbeck deserves his place, based on past England performances.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

4-3-3 against Lithuania with the leading goal scorer in the league on the bench. I've lost faith in woy

[Mad for Chelsea]

I know we'd all have liked to see Kane start, but reallistically Wellbeck was always going to be ahead of him at this stage (with reasonably good cause it must be said). I really really hope Kane gets a chance in the second half though, great way to ease him into international football in what should be a relatively pressure-free environment.

[Stella]

Welbeck and rooney at it again.

[Duty281]

Ah yes, it is 4-3-3, I do apologise.

Comfortable start for England as well.

[Mad for Chelsea]

good work by Wellbeck there, average goalkeeping really. Just the start England wanted.

[NickisBHAFC]

So far so good.

[sportform]

I would like to see England play with two wide players and try to stretch Lithuania. There is so much space wide. So far England have been playing far too narrow.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Hurrikane would've had a hat trick by now

[mystiroakey]

We need to score another quick . As it's the only way I feel HURRIKANE will come on.

[mystiroakey]

Sweet.

Kane should come on now.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

We need to score another quick . As it's the only way I feel HURRIKANE will come on.

#HURRIKANE

[Mad for Chelsea]

all a bit slow and ponderous from England at times, looked at their most dangerous when Wellbeck or Sterling have been having a run at the defense, and Henderson't played a couple of fine passes, but overall you feel England should really be more than 2 goals to the good.

Having said that, Wellbeck has probably justified Hodgson's faith in him. Clyne has been a bit below par for me, given the ball away too easily. Carrick keeping things ticking over nicely, but not the sort of game where he can make a real statement.

[Duty281]

Easy enough for England, breezing to their seventh victory in a row.

Lithuania are sub-standard; poorer that I thought they would be.

Hope Harry Kane gets the entirety of the second half or, at least, the last thirty minutes.

[Duty281]

Cute Raheem gets the third.

Time for Harry Kane?!

[mystiroakey]

Come on Woy ffs

[Fernando]

Barkley & Kane coming on (nick jst cummed himself - Clean up in aisle gay)

[Fernando]

Henderson & Rooney off

[Fernando]

Now Nick has just spunked across the half of England

4-0

[Crimey]

Surely that's got to be the quickest debut goal for England?

[mystiroakey]

On my god.

His first ever england touch.

HURRIKANE

[Duty281]

Hmmm....couldn't have scripted that better!

Gorgeous touch by Sterling, though.

[NickisBHAFC]

INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!! 

This guy is God.

[mystiroakey]

Actually no it wasn't his first touch it was his second.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

IT'S THE HURRIKANE

[Fernando]

Walcott on for Welbeck.

[NickisBHAFC]

Time for everyone to be depressed now.

[Fernando]

Sterling has crippled the LB seemingly.

[Lowlandbrit]

Actually no it wasn't his first touch it was his second.

#overrated

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

I feared international football at peaked when Germany scored that fifth against Brazil before 30 minutes - little did I realise there was a HURRIKANE on the horizon

#hyperbole

[Guest]

We've got KANE & the top goalscorer in the qualifying campaign in Welbeck. What could possibly go wrong?

[Guest]

Another good win, but let's face it, it's more difficult not to qualify than actually qualify for 2016, given these groups. Welbeck being top goalscorer across Europe tells us everything we need to know about this opposition. Pleased Kane scored, would like to see him against Italy from the start & see the problems he can give them & be able to judge him against the kind of level that we will face come Euro 2016.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Rooney motm

[Duty281]

Surely that's got to be the quickest debut goal for England?

Surprisingly not, it was only the third fastest.

The quickest was by Bill Nicholson in 1951 after nineteen seconds - he never played for his country again, interestingly enough.

[westisbest]

How did Delph play?

[NickisBHAFC]

He was a passenger

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

How did Delph play?

Like most Aston Villa players - couldn't hit a barn door from 2 yards away

[Guest]

baines, jones & delph are the ? for me. i would put welbeck in that category but scoring vs minnows has made people delusional about him, therefore he will remain in the team, only to inevitably fail at the euro's vs the top teams, when you only get one or two chances & not seven or eight a game.

[Duty281]

baines, jones & delph are the ? for me. i would put welbeck in that category but scoring vs minnows has made people delusional about him, therefore he will remain in the team, only to inevitably fail at the euro's vs the top teams, when you only get one or two chances & not seven or eight a game.

Are Switzerland minnows?

[mystiroakey]

Bertrand is being called up . So could start v italy.

Jones is getting better again. I think he could be ok.

Welbeck is going back home so we should see a starting line up of rooney and kane. That could prove to be vital come tournament time.

The defence at last should get a work out. It's strange when the friendly is more important than the qualifying game.

[Guest]

baines, jones & delph are the ? for me. i would put welbeck in that category but scoring vs minnows has made people delusional about him, therefore he will remain in the team, only to inevitably fail at the euro's vs the top teams, when you only get one or two chances & not seven or eight a game.

Are Switzerland minnows?

Welbeck just bangs goals vs weak opposition & him scoring vs these little teams is bad news for us because it delusionally makes Roy think he's good enough for the higher level of the Euro's.

I'd class Switzerland as minnows, what have they achieved.....nothing. They get this ridiculous tag as being a good team & just because they get ridiculously seeded no.1 for a tournament, people class them as being decent. They aren't. France annihilated them in the WC, so did we a few months ago & they aren't even second or on our tails in this group. Apart from Shaqiri, they don't have too much quality.

[alfie]

baines, jones & delph are the ? for me. i would put welbeck in that category but scoring vs minnows has made people delusional about him, therefore he will remain in the team, only to inevitably fail at the euro's vs the top teams, when you only get one or two chances & not seven or eight a game.

Are Switzerland minnows?

In fairness to Wellbeck , the whole team failed against the good teams at the WC. He couldn't do much more than play well against the "minnows" when minnows are all that is currently being served up...and scoring against them is surely preferable to not scoring ? Doesn't make him an undroppable superstar but until several better players prove themselves he surely deserves his spot ; and he should get some credit for today.

[Duty281]

baines, jones & delph are the ? for me. i would put welbeck in that category but scoring vs minnows has made people delusional about him, therefore he will remain in the team, only to inevitably fail at the euro's vs the top teams, when you only get one or two chances & not seven or eight a game.

Are Switzerland minnows?

Welbeck just bangs goals vs weak opposition & him scoring vs these little teams is bad news for us because it delusionally makes Roy think he's good enough for the higher level of the Euro's.

I'd class Switzerland as minnows, what have they achieved.....nothing. They get this ridiculous tag as being a good team & just because they get ridiculously seeded no.1 for a tournament, people class them as being decent. They aren't. France annihilated them in the WC, so did we a few months ago & they aren't even second or on our tails in this group. Apart from Shaqiri, they don't have too much quality.

If Switzerland, one of the best thirty-two teams in the world, are minnows, then what does that make teams such as Moldova, San Marino or Luxembourg?

And, out of interest, are Portugal and Sweden minnows as well?

[Crimey]

I thought Delph played well, his energy is good and something that nobody else in the squad in that position really offers. I think he did himself no harm with his performance, the more he plays the more settled he'll be.

[Guest]

daily mail headline

How can Arsenal solve the Welbeck riddle? He's Euro 2016's top goalscorer but still has much to prove at his club... Wenger must find key to unlocking Danny's direct and deadly international form

Welbeck riddle???? There is nothing to solve, it's quite clear. In qualifying campaigns you face absolutely woeful sides, that give you 10 chances a game. In the PL, whereby the opposition is much, much tougher, Welbeck is anonymous, because he doesnt get the 10 chances a game he needs to bang away a couple of goals. Simple.

Vs minnows - bangs plenty
vs PL sides - pretty much anonymous, misses bagful of chances
vs top sides at international tournaments - massively found out, given only one chance per game, inevitably can't take it.

[westisbest]

How did Delph play?

Like most Aston Villa players - couldn't hit a barn door from 2 yards away

Dont have that problem when we play Norwich

[Guest]

only makes things worse when you read this ''England's performances since the 2014 World Cup will have "frightened" other nations'', says captain Wayne Rooney.

[westisbest]

I thought Delph played well, his energy is good and something that nobody else in the squad in that position really offers. I think he did himself no harm with his performance, the more he plays the more settled he'll be.

Ah good, a grown up answer.

Cheers crimey.

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