Who England need to copy next

[Fez of Mahrez]

I feel sorry for the poor old FA. First we were meant to be copying France and that Clairefontaine place. Then it was Spain. Then Germany. But Real Madrid thrashed Bayern Munich so maybe it should be Spain again. Although they're now out of the World Cup so we need to can that B team idea. It ain't 2010 any more, grandad.

Who'd be a stuffed suit down Soho Square. They can't win.

What the FA needs is a little guide to who to copy and how, so they can crack on as soon as we know who's won the sodding thing this time.

France - Got to be in pole position at the moment, they're 3-0 up and it's only half time! Attack with pace. Nice shirts. Couple of their lot play in the French league though and one of them plays for Newcastle!

Argentina - Need to start dosing our toddlers up on growth hormones and letting them off taxes when they're older.

Chile - Let's get some tiny midfielders who got relegated to the Championship last season and play them at centre back. Ideally someone who got released by a mid-table Championship team too.

Brazil - Could really do with a defender who plays like a twelve year old on a Playstation. This one has come straight from our assistant manager.

Colombia - Maybe start pronouncing all of our best players' names in a ridiculous way.

Germany - Everything, especially the fans and that. We need to sing more songs, drink more beer and have a general air of arrogance wherever we go (NB: been trying this for decades and it hasn't got us anywhere. Might be doing it wrong).

Uruguay - Offer Liverpool £100million for that toothy chap up front. Or Branislav Ivanovic's left leg smothered in caramel yoghurt.

Italy - Grow more beards.

Holland - Place our faith in a misfiring Manchester United striker (what?)

Costa Rica - Give up.

[Guest Sharpe's Fox]

Leicester.

Back four with roving full backs. Two midfielders that are comfortable on the ball, but with one sitting further back to pick up loose balls and give it to a more energetic midfielder further forward with an eye for a pass. Two inverted wingers that will take players on and get in the box. Two strikers with one who drops into midfield and help out supplying a more pacy, direct finisher who can get in behind the back four.

Oh yeah that's what England tried to do and it was shit.

[MooseBreath]

With respect to Chile, most of their players seem to be heavily tattoo'd. Can we start up a nationwide tatooing programme for primary school boys? We need at least a full sleeve and neck markings done by age seven. Bonus ability points will surely be achieved for making the tatoos all look exactly the same and equally shit.

[Stadt]

With respect to Chile, most of their players seem to be heavily tattoo'd. Can we start up a nationwide tatooing programme for primary school boys? We need at least a full sleeve and neck markings done by age seven. Bonus ability points will surely be achieved for making the tatoos all look exactly the same and equally shit.

Vasquez has the Air Jordan logo on his neck

[Pride_Of_The_Midlands]

Belgium are the flavour of the month.

[Dan]

Copy no ****er. Invent our own style, polish it, make it effective, drill it into all of our youngsters and make them want to play like the English. Stick with this style through the tough times. Emphasise on youth. Get the English playing the proper English way and not the shite hybrid of Spanish.

 

Believe in our own game - not others'.

[Guest Col city fan]

The Germans for me. I think they have a really good chance of winning the World Cup this year. They are strong at the back and attack very quickly. They can also get goals from anywhere.

[leicesterisme]

The Germans for me. I think they have a really good chance of winning the World Cup this year. They are strong at the back and attack very quickly. They can also get goals from anywhere.

If their arses don't go then yeah they'll probably win it they look impressive.

[Lionator]

Honduras.

 

If you can't beat them, kick the sh*t out of them instead. 

[BoneDog]

Australia - no fear.

[ScouseFox]

it doesn't really matter cos we don't have the players to copy most good teams anyway 

[anotherharboroughfox]

Half of Uruguay's team wouldn't get in any PL team, same goes for a lot of national teams. Ours is a collection of over-paid wankers (mostly). The PL is the problem.

[Manwell Pablo]

Half of Uruguay's team wouldn't get in any PL team, same goes for a lot of national teams. Ours is a collection of over-paid wankers (mostly). The PL is the problem.

 

Ludicrous statement, you've got two La Liga winners the Premeir Leagues runaway stop goal scorer and his 30 million pound strike partner before you even start thinking about it.

 

Wish people would engage their brains before posting today has been painful.

[anotherharboroughfox]

Ludicrous statement, you've got two La Liga winners the Premeir Leagues runaway stop goal scorer and his 30 million pound strike partner before you even start thinking about it.

 

Wish people would engage their brains before posting today has been painful.

 

Okay, maybe not any PL team but certainly not a top team.

 

Point stands for Chile and Mexico also, two stand out teams for me so far but no where near the English team on paper.

[Narborough_fox]

England don't need to copy any style of play of any other national team, as Dan said you need to have your own identity when playing football but what they do need to do is look at how Germany have developed their latest crop of youngsters. 

 

At Euro 2000 and Euro 2004 Germany went out at the group stages and the German FA realised something needed to be done, despite a World Cup final in 2002 so decided to change the youth set-up that they have in Germany. Ever since they've been teaching a much more technical game than they used to and since Euro 2004 they've produced plays such as Gotze, Ozil, Muller etc. something different to the type of players they used to have like Ballack and Matthaus. If Germany can do that in 8 years then there is absolutely no reason that England can't if the FA are proactive and react to the situation.

 

England haven't got further than the quarter-final of a World Cup since 1990 why these questions about the state of the English game are coming up now is a bit odd but if it helps out the England national team then the 2014 World Cup could be a decisive one for the English national team. 

[Manwell Pablo]

Okay, maybe not any PL team but certainly not a top team.

 

Point stands for Chile and Mexico also, two stand out teams for me so far but no where near the English team on paper.

 

Cacres is at Juve, Museleri is at Galatasery Gonzalez is at Lazio and Perrira who was suspended is at Benfica.

 

Gaston Ramierz who Southampton paid a heavy sum for and Oscar Gargano must have over 100 if not much more than that Serie A apperances  with clubs like Napoli and Inter on his CV didn't even get on the pitch.

 

Mexico will go out, Chile have Vidal and Sanchez who are better than anyone we have. More importantly they look up for it. 

[Donut]

I dont understand why everyone brands the teams we are playing as "average" sides and that their players "wouldnt get into top premiership teams" or "go into our international team".

 

The very fact that we are on the receiving end with alarming regularity says that they are better than what we have, or why would we consistently be failing?

 

Its a silly comment.

[Manwell Pablo]

I dont understand why everyone brands the teams we are playing as "average" sides and that their players "wouldnt get into top premiership teams" or "go into our international team".

 

The very fact that we are on the receiving end with alarming regularity says that they are better than what we have, or why would we consistently be failing?

 

Its a silly comment.

 

It's just pure and utter ignorance.

[Donut]

It's just pure and utter ignorance.

 

Complete ignorance. Italy and Uruguay were "average" teams with "average" players. What in gods name does that make us then?

[Dan]

Uruguay have looked very average in this World Cup. I've been very disappointed with them in both games.

 

Costa Rica have genuinely played the best football in our group. They were defensive against Italy when leading but they looked well on top when it was level. I think Italy and Uruguay have both been poor by their standards and England have been average by theirs, and yet both still beat us. It's depressing really.

[MC Prussian]

Complete ignorance. Italy and Uruguay were "average" teams with "average" players. What in gods name does that make us then?

Deluded.

 

Sadly.

 

Most English hate the look in the mirror, though.

(I know there's a few of the realistic kind out there - there's hope)

[Pride_Of_The_Midlands]

Every team at the World Cup is surely above average by definition.

 

I see what anotherharboroughfox is saying though.

 

You do see Gary Medel starting for Chile for example when we all know that no Cardiff player would get in the England squad.

 

Same with Lugano the captain of Uruguay. No outfield West Brom player would get into our squad.

[MC Prussian]

Every team at the World Cup is surely above average by definition.

 

I see what anotherharboroughfox is saying though.

 

You do see Gary Medel starting for Chile for example when we all know that no Cardiff player would get in the England squad.

 

Same with Lugano the captain of Uruguay. No outfield West Brom player would get into our squad.

Apart from stating the obvious, your point is...?

[Donut]

Every team at the World Cup is surely above average by definition.

 

I see what anotherharboroughfox is saying though.

 

You do see Gary Medel starting for Chile for example when we all know that no Cardiff player would get in the England squad.

 

Same with Lugano the captain of Uruguay. No outfield West Brom player would get into our squad.

 

If youre trying to say in a roundabout way that Medel and Lugano couldnt play for England, then why do Chile and Uruguay beat us? Why do Chile make Spain look devoid of ideas and we exit world cups early over, and over, and over, and over.

[Grandad.]

The whole tournament hasn't been the greatest in terms of quality football, our group has just been the worst out of all of them. 

 

England for me need to take the Premier League tempo into International football. Simple as it sounds but we never do it, we never start games like Man City will at home to United or Newcastle at home Stoke, the Premier League is such a quick game especially compared to the European leagues. England change their style for international games and the players aren't a custom to the change, this is where we fall short.

 

Steven Gerrard is an all action midfielder who wants to steam into a tackle, pass the ball first time and take a game by the scruff of the neck, Leighton Baines is a full back who likes to over lap his winger and get involved in the opponents final third, Wayne Rooney is a striker who scores goals on a regular basis, Ross Barkley is a player who plays without fear, Gary Cahill is an all or nothing defender takes the ball and the man, Jordan Henderson is a dog who will fetch you the ball and give you it back, Daniel Sturridge is striker who plays on instinct and Raheem Sterling is the brightest looking player we have had since dare I say Gazza and hopefully Ross Barkley will follow that trend.

 

All of them things I have listed there are what they do week in week out in the Premier League, one of the best leagues in the world yet when they come together for England they have all of that taken away from them. They become conservative, they hold back, they are told to take fewer risks because the results are more important. Is it just Roy who is holding them back from their own natural game or is the fear of failure and the media bashing one of the reasons? 

 

I honestly don't know how England get out of this rut, I think we have been in this situation since Euro 2004, since that tournament exit nothing has changed, literally nothing. We have played the same boring way, I literally can't remember the last time England excited me since Euro 2004 in a game, maybe a 5-0 win v Croatia to seal the World Cup 2010 qualification. 

 

If I was England manager and I seen players with the natural ability Wilshire, Sterling, Barkley, Lallana, The Ox, Rooney and Sturridge have on the ball then I would be rubbing my hands together at the prospect of coaching them NOT worrying about how I'm going to get Danny Welbeck or James Milner in the side to steady the ship and be wary of the opposition.