England Friendlies

[RobRoyal]

You have to admire Spain's ability and dominance. But they are also quite boring.

Their technical ability is second to none I have watched in my lifetime. That's not boring.

Would you watch Mr Woo for 90 minutes every week?

I wouldn't, and neither would I watch Spain doing keepy-uppy. I don't assent to your analogy of what it's like watching Spain demomstrate their technical ability.

[Maguire]

Don't understand why people ever predict a three goal victory for any match unless it's v a serious whipping boy like San Marino.

Told you.

Spain are clearly on a different level to England but all you can do is play it like a cup tie, get behind the ball, work hard and hope you get something. Which, on this occasion, England did.

So well done to them, you couldn't really ask more from them than that. It is a bit depressing to see how much better Spain are though. Made us look like an away team.

[No Fixed Abode]

So Rep of Ireland planning to play England in a 'friendly' before Euro 2012. Not sure this is a good idea......

[cmonurz]

So Rep of Ireland planning to play England in a 'friendly' before Euro 2012. Not sure this is a good idea......

Can’t personally see Walters and Cox causing England much trouble, but you’re entitled to your opinion Kesward.

[Barry the bird boggler]

That'll depend on the group draw as we may get them lumped with us. For the record I presume England will be in the second pot after Italy, Spain, Germany and Holland.

[M-U-R-T-Y]

I wonder if any other countries would bicker as much after beating the world champions.

[Simon's Church]

If Brazil won playing like that the coach would probably be sacked.

[cmonurz]

I wonder if any other countries would bicker as much after beating the world champions.

They've even turned on the England team in Spain, apparently, saying we 'turned into Italy' to beat them (not meant in a complimentary way).

[melonhead]

Their technical ability is second to none I have watched in my lifetime. That's not boring.

Would you watch Mr Woo for 90 minutes every week?

I wouldn't, and neither would I watch Spain doing keepy-uppy. I don't assent to your analogy of what it's like watching Spain demomstrate their technical ability.

i find that style of football very dull to watch myself.
though i do agree its probably the best way to win games, since it guarantees you have the ball for longer than the other team.

[melonhead]

If Brazil won playing like that the coach would probably be sacked.

but we arent brazil, we arent spain, or france, or germany


what our strengths are and have always been is strength, pace, arial ability,pressing and defensive nous, heart and passion, great wing play
these are the things we need to concentrate on, as they are our best bits, and the bits that most strike fear into opposition hearts

[Gordons Cumming]

Remember the way Greece played while winning the European Championship? Negative, but effective and playing to their strengths.

That is how England will have any chance of succeeding in the World Cup. Defend deep, soak up pressure and score first.......on the break or from set pieces.

Boring, yes, but if we win...............who cares?

[Simon's Church]

If Brazil won playing like that the coach would probably be sacked.

but we arent brazil, we arent spain, or france, or germany


what our strengths are and have always been is strength, pace, arial ability,pressing and defensive nous, heart and passion, great wing play
these are the things we need to concentrate on, as they are our best bits, and the bits that most strike fear into opposition hearts

That wasn't a criticism I was just responding to MURTYs question about other countries arguing after beating the world champions. I agree that that's what we should stick to at the moment but I'm still fairly sure we'll be found out on the big stage.

[Royal Rother]

Those strengths are not enough, or certainly not enough in the measure in which we possess them, to win tournaments.

Granted we are not going to radically / sufficiently change the guys currently playing professional football to enable us to win anything in the next decade, it's the next generation we need to be concentrating on. The all-round vision and awareness, the pass and move game that Spain play so well is not something that has been developed in the last few years - they grew up with that coaching.

I don't believe it is anything to do with their climate or temperament etc. With the right vision / leadership we can do it too. But boy is it a big challenge.

[Gordons Cumming]

What Spain do isn't that complicated really.

My only problem with it, is that it's a bit boring at times................

[TBM]

Spain have the advantage of:

a) majority of their players play in Spain (something like 66% of first team players in Spainish leagues are Spanish, compared to around 33% of first team players in England being English)
b) Barcelona have agreed to play the way the national team want to play
c) from an early age Spanish players are picked/coached and taught the way that the national team wants to play - hence why they have so many decent gifted players

Whereas in England we tend to pick the big strong players [at grass roots] but we dont really coach them to play a way that will benefit the national team in the future.

We need to find "our style" and start coaching it now.....

[Ian Royal]

Spain have the advantage of:

a) majority of their players play in Spain (something like 66% of first team players in Spainish leagues are Spanish, compared to around 33% of first team players in England being English)
b) Barcelona have agreed to play the way the national team want to play
c) from an early age Spanish players are picked/coached and taught the way that the national team wants to play - hence why they have so many decent gifted players

Whereas in England we tend to pick the big strong players [at grass roots] but we dont really coach them to play a way that will benefit the national team in the future.

We need to find "our style" and start coaching it now.....

Wasn't it 9 out of the 11 first teamers for Spain play for Real or Barca? Helps to have that understanding already in place for the partnerships. Not saying we should be picking exclusively from Utd and City obviously... but you have an advantage the better the players know each other's game and the more familiar they are with the system & position they'll be playing.

Changing the culture of English football and making us play better quality stuff is definitely a decades long fight. So nothing wrong with the current national side looking to play to it's strengths against peers or lesser teams and do everything they can to stifle the strengths of better teams. Spain are definitely not a peer.

I think it was an excellent friendly to have, in that if we are to have even the most remote chance of winning the tournament, we need to know how to play to beat the likes of Spain, Germany, Netherlands, and certainly as far as Spain are concerned, that's the way to do it. Obviously the major flaw is now Spain will know how we'd set up against them and may be able to come up with something more against it.

[Gordons Cumming]

Obviously the major flaw is now Spain will know how we'd set up against them and may be able to come up with something more against it.

Play the long ball?

[TBM]

Spain have the advantage of:

a) majority of their players play in Spain (something like 66% of first team players in Spainish leagues are Spanish, compared to around 33% of first team players in England being English)
b) Barcelona have agreed to play the way the national team want to play
c) from an early age Spanish players are picked/coached and taught the way that the national team wants to play - hence why they have so many decent gifted players

Whereas in England we tend to pick the big strong players [at grass roots] but we dont really coach them to play a way that will benefit the national team in the future.

We need to find "our style" and start coaching it now.....

Wasn't it 9 out of the 11 first teamers for Spain play for Real or Barca? Helps to have that understanding already in place for the partnerships. Not saying we should be picking exclusively from Utd and City obviously... but you have an advantage the better the players know each other's game and the more familiar they are with the system & position they'll be playing.

Changing the culture of English football and making us play better quality stuff is definitely a decades long fight. So nothing wrong with the current national side looking to play to it's strengths against peers or lesser teams and do everything they can to stifle the strengths of better teams. Spain are definitely not a peer.

I think it was an excellent friendly to have, in that if we are to have even the most remote chance of winning the tournament, we need to know how to play to beat the likes of Spain, Germany, Netherlands, and certainly as far as Spain are concerned, that's the way to do it. Obviously the major flaw is now Spain will know how we'd set up against them and may be able to come up with something more against it.

Yup

It took Spain along time to get there, remember, but look at them now they are......i for one would be happy if it took 10 years for us to be the best team in the world.

[cmonurz]

Not long ago (well, a while, but I remember it), that we were comfortably beating Spain 3-0 at home. Ugo Ehiogu scored iirc.

[No Fixed Abode]

If I was to pick the england side it would be easy.

Hart

A Cole
John Terry
Rio Ferdinand
P Jones

Lampard
Rooney
Barry
A young

Welbeck
Sturridge


All from the best 3 teams in the Country.