BensGrandad
New member
Willshire, Oxo Chamber pot and Sterling should not be included, leave it to those who got there.
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Jake Forster-Caskey and the Under21 finals
- Thread starter Tooting Gull
- Start date
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
If the answer is 'play the best team possible' why wasn't that the answer in the Qualifiers when the Prem League prima donnas couldn't be arsed? Now there's a chance of silverware the greedy little beggars want to come back to the squad that was previously beneath them. That will do the morale of the qualifying youngsters the world of good - not! And with a fractured squad, no doubt the team will lose anyway and then go back to play with the big boys. They've moved on now and Southgate should carry on with the squad that got them there.
jamie the seagull
Well-known member
- Jul 27, 2011
- 2,803
17/11/2014
England Under-21s squandered a two-goal lead as their 11-game winning run was ended with a 3-2 defeat by France.
Gareth Southgate's side led when Harry Kane lifted a clever finish past French keeper Alphonse Areola before tapping a second from Thomas Ince's cross-shot.
But Arsenal's Yaya Sanogo scored two tap-ins for France to level by half-time and substitute Kingsley Coman struck a winner into the top corner.
Danny Ings headed wide and England suffered a first defeat in over a year.
England Under-21s squandered a two-goal lead as their 11-game winning run was ended with a 3-2 defeat by France.
Gareth Southgate's side led when Harry Kane lifted a clever finish past French keeper Alphonse Areola before tapping a second from Thomas Ince's cross-shot.
But Arsenal's Yaya Sanogo scored two tap-ins for France to level by half-time and substitute Kingsley Coman struck a winner into the top corner.
Danny Ings headed wide and England suffered a first defeat in over a year.
Billy the Fish
Technocrat
But there's a valid argument as to what constitutes the best team. England suffered for years under Sven because he constantly played the press's best 11 players but they didn't work as well in the system as it looked on paper.
This U21 side is the opposite, very few superstars and they all work together in the system to become better than the sum of their parts. Just chucking all the best individuals from the premier league won't guarantee results.
I can see the argument about giving the most likely full internationals tournament experience though, but personally I think they'd be better off having a rest in the summer, especially the one's likely to play in the next Euros. No amount of tournament experience will help if your body is knackered.
It's a difficult one and I'm still not entirely sure
GingerBeerMan
3-0
- Dec 29, 2011
- 8,200
France U21's are probably the best in the world, it's a shame we squandered a two goal lead but encouraging we got that in the first place.
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
Should have started with JFC!
They were 2-1 up when he came on!
Because rather than 'couldn't be arsed' they were just in the senior squad?
mejonaNO12 aka riskit
Well-known member
You can hold me to this statement.
France will win Euro 2016 or Russia 2018 (if not boycotted)
They have an amazing crop of youngsters coming through right now.
MattBackHome
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 11,865
Super Steve Earle
Well-known member
I know - just using a little dramatic licence to playfully suggest playing one of our own from the start would have improved the team and the result.
Because when the prima donnas couldn't be arsed, it therefore wasn't possible to put them in the team.
- Feb 22, 2014
- 2,794
I think JFC is our Milner/Barry player. Fans don't see the job he does because they don't watch him. Managers know what they do and usually pick them for a reason i.e. their job is on the line and they want a reliable player they can trust to do a job. JFC is on the plane no matter who drops down from the first team.
Albion 4ever
Active member
- Feb 26, 2009
- 593
I did not realise that Phil Jones is still eligible so our team could look something like this:
Butland
Stones
Chambers
Jones
Shaw
Wilshere
Oxlade-Chamberlain
Sterling
Barkley
Redmond
Berahino
Jon Flanagan and Carl Jenkinson also have a full cap, but would be eligible.
I would argue that that side would do considerably better than the line-up earlier this week:
ENGLAND XI: Bond, Keane, Garbutt, Chalobah, Gibson, Lascelles, Ince, Pritchard, Kane, Carroll (c), Redmond
Butland
Stones
Chambers
Jones
Shaw
Wilshere
Oxlade-Chamberlain
Sterling
Barkley
Redmond
Berahino
Jon Flanagan and Carl Jenkinson also have a full cap, but would be eligible.
I would argue that that side would do considerably better than the line-up earlier this week:
ENGLAND XI: Bond, Keane, Garbutt, Chalobah, Gibson, Lascelles, Ince, Pritchard, Kane, Carroll (c), Redmond
The paper I read this morning, with various quotes from Southgate and Hodgson, seemed to suggest that he is likely to call on Shaw, Chambers, Barkley and Sterling, but not on Wilshere or Oxlade-Chamberlain (as they are considered 'established senior players'). If so, Forster-Caskey's spot on the plane will be secure.
I think you're underestimating, as all associated with England seem to, the importance of building a team. It's not about throwing your best players on a pitch and them performing, England have done that for years, shoe-horning in players that are perceived to be the best and to hell with how the gel together.
This U21 group has grown through qualifying and from what I've seen become a better team as a result. Disrupting it at this stage is counter-productive and begs the question as to whether Sterling/Barkley/Shaw should be in the full England squad anyway.
I'm a firm believer that if the U21's had the chance to play together (including Sterling, Shaw and Barkley) and then those of good enough quality move up to the full squad once they move out of the U21's. England would be a better team for it. As it is, we fast track young players straight into the main team where they sit on the bench for the majority of cases or have all of Englands hopes pinned on them as the next big thing. Counter-productive.
Billy the Fish
Technocrat
I'd love to see those two teams play each other next week. I'd bet money that the 2nd "lesser" team would win over the big names because they've played together for the last two years and are well drilled in a system.
Totally agree with [MENTION=16359]JBizzle[/MENTION] - we need to do it properly and give these players experience together instead of fast tracking them to the bench of the 1st first team.
keaton
Big heart, hot blood and balls. Big balls
- Nov 18, 2004
- 9,963
I think we played Welbeck and Sturridge up front so giving people tournament experience clearly works a treate
Machiavelli
Well-known member
Jake starting tonight. That's some belief in him from Southgate given there's the likes of Ward-Prowse, Loftus-Cheek (who looked awesome for the 20 minutes he played against Sweden the other night), Hughes, Carroll and Chalobah, vying for those midfield starting places.
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