England v Costa Rica - Tuesday

[Bert]

I think throughout the tournament. We were set up to be hard to beat whilst trying to attack. By doing that you need to play in a certain way when we attack which we didn't.

Whenever we did go Forward there was minimal support for Sturridge as we only ever had 4 people going forward. Two of them were out wide as well. Whenever the wide players had the ball on the touch line we had no-one in the box. No-one busting a gut to get in there. The only two times this actually happened we scored.

I said it before the tournament and I still stand by it now. We should've just gone for it. There was too much caution in our play. We could've played with one less holding player to free up a bit more of attacking freedom.

Let's hope that the promising youngsters we have coming through will be able to perform better at the next tournament.

[Guest ttfn]

I think throughout the tournament. We were set up to be hard to beat whilst trying to attack. By doing that you need to play in a certain way when we attack which we didn't.

Whenever we did go Forward there was minimal support for Sturridge as we only ever had 4 people going forward. Two of them were out wide as well. Whenever the wide players had the ball on the touch line we had no-one in the box. No-one busting a gut to get in there. The only two times this actually happened we scored.

I said it before the tournament and I still stand by it now. We should've just gone for it. There was too much caution in our play. We could've played with one less holding player to free up a bit more of attacking freedom.

Let's hope that the promising youngsters we have coming through will be able to perform better at the next tournament.

 

Was our biggest problem not that Gerrard and Henderson were completely exposed in central midfield? Ditching Henderson for, for example, Barkley, would have exacerbated our problems.

[Dan]

Smalling's distribution at times was horrendous but he didn't have a bad game.

 

Costa Rica played as underdogs and it's worked a third time.

[foxes_rule1978]

Not been a great tournament for many of the European clubs... Portugal look like going out, we already have lost Spain, Italy and England. Germany while impressive against Portugal they were tested against Ghana and looked vulnerable. France look great and so do the Dutch. Shows you how tough it is when playing in such environments... the teams that are use to it are looking better

[lcfcsnow]

Not been a great tournament for many of the European clubs... Portugal look like going out, we already have lost Spain, Italy and England. Germany while impressive against Portugal they were tested against Ghana and looked vulnerable. France look great and so do the Dutch. Shows you how tough it is when playing in such environments... the teams that are use to it are looking better

 

All the boring teams are going out, fingers crossed we can add Greece to that later.

[Grandad.]

Was our biggest problem not that Gerrard and Henderson were completely exposed in central midfield? Ditching Henderson for, for example, Barkley, would have exacerbated our problems.

 

Spot on mate. 

[MooseBreath]

Was our biggest problem not that Gerrard and Henderson were completely exposed in central midfield? Ditching Henderson for, for example, Barkley, would have exacerbated our problems.

Exposed how? They played as two holding midfielders, being exposed to opposition attacks is what they were there for. We had a back four, then two more defensive players, how much more defensive did you want us to go?

The problem for me was that despite an abundance of good attacking options, roys tactics meant our attacks usually consisted of full backs trying and mostly failing to beat players in order to put crosses into the box where a lot of the time none of our attacking players even were. You might as well field ten defenders when your attack strategy relies on glen Johnson suddenly becoming a brilliant winger and Daniel Sturridge on his own getting the better of the entire opposition defence in the box. Roy totally wasted our potential on crap tactics he lifted straight from the premiership without considering how they were actually supposed to work.

[purpleronnie]

Players seem very happy about the performance today....very strange.

[Corky]

Apparently we are the only team with no players playing club football outside that country.

[Grandad.]

Exposed how? They played as two holding midfielders, being exposed to opposition attacks is what they were there for. We had a back four, then two more defensive players, how much more defensive did you want us to go?

The problem for me was that despite an abundance of good attacking options, roys tactics meant our attacks usually consisted of full backs trying and mostly failing to beat players in order to put crosses into the box where a lot of the time none of our attacking players even were. You might as well field ten defenders when your attack strategy relies on glen Johnson suddenly becoming a brilliant winger and Daniel Sturridge on his own getting the better of the entire opposition defence in the box. Roy totally wasted our potential on crap tactics he lifted straight from the premiership without considering how they were actually supposed to work.

 

There was nobody infront of them to press, Sterling couldn't do it. 

 

So every time Gerrard or Henderson stepped out and pressed the ball there was a gap with exposed them and the side, where the third midfielder just popped into the space and got the ball. 

 

We needed two pressers and a holding midfielder who was free, just like it worked today. 

[Jimothy]

Apparently we are the only team with no players playing club football outside that country.

Fraser Forster - Celtic

[Dr The Singh]

I have had not enjoyable constipated shits then watch England play

[Nalis]

Apparently we are the only team with no players playing club football outside that country.

I think all of Russia's squad play domestically. Seeing how badly they are doing it, I guess it proves the point you might be insinuating.

[Aus Fox]

Apparently we are the only team with no players playing club football outside that country.

An there lies the biggest problem with the England national side, players who do not want to take a risk, look at our best sides of the past 30 years. Italia 90 and euro 96 players like platt, Ince, lineker, Beardsley, Gascogne all had experience to add to the squad of playing on different conditions.

Would love to see Rooney move to Spain, I think his game would move up a level, a big CB playing in Italy a midfielder playing in Germany.

But we have players who stick in tier comfort zones, pick up their pay cheque and dot want to take risks, both in their decisions on and off the pitch.

[Manwell Pablo]

You mention balotelli, De Rossi, Pirlo... but tell me how Italy have done again?

 

Better than England.

[Manwell Pablo]

Apparently we are the only team with no players playing club football outside that country.

 

Entire Russian Team plays in Russia off the top of my head. Would check it but can't be arsed so apologise if I'm wrong.

 

Nothing wrong with that anyway the entire Italian side played in Serie A when they won it in 06.

[Grandad.]

Plus the whole Spanish side that started and won the 2010 Final all played in Spain and only David Silva started from outside of Spain in their 2012 European Championship Final. 

 

Has very little impact, if any. Just our players aren't good enough. 

[Donut]

I dont think the Russian players NEED to play outside of Russia, such are the rewards in that league.

 

Most of our players are domestic based because quite simply, who wants them?

 

(Forster does play in Scotland, but point accepted)

[Manwell Pablo]

I dont think the Russian players NEED to play outside of Russia, such are the rewards in that league.

 

Most of our players are domestic based because quite simply, who wants them?

 

(Forster does play in Scotland, but point accepted)

 

I'm sure they'd have a few suitors if there price tag wasn't tripled for the sole reason that they are English and no other.

[Donut]

I'm sure they'd have a few suitors if there price tag wasn't tripled for the sole reason that they are English and no other.

 

Probably true, it was a sweeping generalisation

[Dan]

We've drawn 0-0 with Costa Rica and the manager claims this was a treat for the fans (he was being serious as well). This is a new low as far as I'm concerned.

[Guest Col city fan]

We've drawn 0-0 with Costa Rica and the manager claims this was a treat for the fans (he was being serious as well). This is a new low as far as I'm concerned.

I said this last week. It dont get lower than this. We are shite and the manager is full of crap.

Rubbish..

[MC Prussian]

I said this last week. It dont get lower than this. We are shite and the manager is full of crap.

Rubbish..

There's two worse scenarios:

 

a) Finishing with 0 points in the group stage of a WC

b) Not qualifying for a World Cup at all

 

So, yes. It can get lower than this.

[Corky]

We've drawn 0-0 with Costa Rica and the manager claims this was a treat for the fans (he was being serious as well). This is a new low as far as I'm concerned.

 

I think Hodgson sounds far too comfortable at the moment. He has no room for error now, a lot of goodwill is ebbing away and he needs an almost faultless qualifying campaign.

[pjckmen]

Nice. Holland will win the World Cup 2014