England vs Lithuania

[philpvfc]

Haha. Load of nonsense. Henderson had a decent game and there were far worse players on the pitch.

 

He did have a far better game...worst player on the pitch on Friday. Last season Henderson was playing exceptionally well, this season he has been no way near as good, Carrick is playing far better at the moment but he is getting on a bit. There has to be better options than Henderson but please no Jones!! He was shocking again last night, slightly better in defence but any center forward would love to play against him.

[cheshirevaliant]

Phil Jones tackles like he has been fired out of a cannon.

[kevin_struggles]

Poor first half, much improved second, which coincided with first Jones going back to centre-back (he'll never be a midfield player!) and then also Delph going off, the latter who's passing was abysmal all night. When you consider who we had out in an attacking sense I'm still very optimistic what we can do against sides on the counter with the buckets of pace and movement we have.

 

Hart 7

 

Clyne 5

Jagielka 8

Smalling 6

Gibbs 6

 

Jones 6

Delph 5

Henderson 7

 

Walcott 6

Rooney 7

Kane 6

 

 

Carrick 7

Barkley 7

Townsend 8

 

The problem is the better teams will intercept our predictable sideways passes and run through the non existent midfield, nutmeg the donkey at the back and smash it past Hart.

 

We dont hit teams on the counter because when we win the ball back we pass it sideways or backwards. We hardly played one quick ball forwards last night, off the top of my head I can only think of the one Rooney played in for lightweight-walcott who predictably got eased off the ball.

[kevin_struggles]

He did have a far better game...worst player on the pitch on Friday. Last season Henderson was playing exceptionally well, this season he has been no way near as good, Carrick is playing far better at the moment but he is getting on a bit. There has to be better options than Henderson but please no Jones!! He was shocking again last night, slightly better in defence but any center forward would love to play against him.

 

Henderson is not ready for international football and perhaps never will be and the same goes for wilshire who will probably be first choice when hes fit. Delph would frustrate me playing for us never mind England. The quality just isnt there in our midfield.

 

We need to play to our strengths and that means playing balls over the top and out wide but the quality of the balls in from the wide areas has to improve.

[valiant_593]

Henderson isn't ready and neither is Wilshire?!?! Don't make me laugh. Two good midfielders.

[TylerB]

If Henderson is used correctly he's a very decent player. He plays a high energy game and can press the opposition better than anybody, along with having decent passing ability. I think some people here simply spout nonsense about him from what they read in the papers when he first joined Liverpool and was struggling for form and confidence, as he's actually been one of Liverpool's most consistent players for a season and a half now.

 

Also, whoever said that England don't counter was talking a bit of nonsense too. We countered Italy a number of times in the 2nd half, and that's despite not having the pace and running ability of the likes of Sterling, Welbeck and Sturridge on. Granted in the first half we did pass the ball far too slowly, but that was always going to happen with Phil Jones playing where he was.

[cheshirevaliant]

Henderson is one of the best we have. Unfortunately, that helps to show why we are a second rate side at international level. Our best midfield 3 (if we are playing that system) is Carrick, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

Henderson is one of the best we have. Unfortunately, that helps to show why we are a second rate side at international level. Our best midfield 3 (if we are playing that system) is Carrick, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain.

 

And that just about sums it up, an aging midfielder as good as he is, a winger and a very average workhouse midfielder in Henderson.

 

We have two hopes and Bob has just left the building!

[kevin_struggles]

Henderson isn't ready and neither is Wilshire?!?! Don't make me laugh. Two good midfielders.

 

Two averge midfielders who arent ready for international football if we actually want to have a chance of winning anything.

 

Playing square passes on the edge of the box and giving possession away when they do make the odd failed attempt at a longer forward pass isnt good enough.

 

They dont have quality.

[valiant_593]

Two averge midfielders who arent ready for international football if we actually want to have a chance of winning anything.

 

Playing square passes on the edge of the box and giving possession away when they do make the odd failed attempt at a longer forward pass isnt good enough.

 

They dont have quality.

 

Alright then, if you say so.

 

I couldn't disagree more, both have shown quality and Henderson wasn't that bad last night, a draw in Italy is a decent result. Both make forward passes and Wilshire especially makes forward runs. I noticed last night Henderson passing to forward positions and actually receiving the ball in dangerous attacking areas. A midfield 3 of Wilshire, Carrick and Henderson is decent. Again you say no quality but have you not seen Henderson this season?

 

The side isn't ready to win anything... We just performed awfully at the World Cup and are building again, but both are ready for international football, that's pretty obvious. Didn't notice Henderson give the ball away once and Wilshire rarely does it. I do wonder why English players get such a hard time off fans, I guarantee if these two weren't English and were welsh people would be jealous as hell.

 

Unbeaten in 9 games now and hasn't Henderson played in all of those?

 

Henderson is 24

Wilshire is 23

 

Why not back them, they clearly have quality even if you deny so and are still very young. I find it hard to believe how English supporters find huge negatives like this even after we dominated the midfield in the second half last night against Italy.

 

Who else should we play?

[kevin_struggles]

If Henderson is used correctly he's a very decent player. He plays a high energy game and can press the opposition better than anybody, along with having decent passing ability. I think some people here simply spout nonsense about him from what they read in the papers when he first joined Liverpool and was struggling for form and confidence, as he's actually been one of Liverpool's most consistent players for a season and a half now.

 

Also, whoever said that England don't counter was talking a bit of nonsense too. We countered Italy a number of times in the 2nd half, and that's despite not having the pace and running ability of the likes of Sterling, Welbeck and Sturridge on. Granted in the first half we did pass the ball far too slowly, but that was always going to happen with Phil Jones playing where he was.

 

We didt counter them effectively because w eonly scored one goal and that wasnt a counter attack it was a well struck hit and hope.

 

 

lets re-visit this when we play a proper comeptetive game against one of the better teams, if we play like that we will be slaughtered. Henderson didnt play one decent dangerous ball forwards and Barklay just ran into blind alleys before giving the ball away. In the first half we were supposed to be playing Walcott in behind their back three, we managed it once and that was rooney dropping back doing the mdfielders job, what Henderson was conributing lord only knows. Him and Jones were just clueless in possession and delph is/was awful

[TylerB]

I'm guessing the likes of Kevin haven't seen any of the few fantastic assists that Henderson has got this season when playing in a more advanced position for Liverpool? An 'average workhorse' as someone described him, which is absolute nonsense, doesn't have the ability to make these kind of passes. I'm not seeing he's a world-beater or anything like, and he does need to now step it up for England further as he has done for Liverpool, but some people really haven't got much of a clue.

[kevin_struggles]

Alright then, if you say so.

 

I couldn't disagree more, both have shown quality and Henderson wasn't that bad last night, a draw in Italy is a decent result. Both make forward passes and Wilshire especially makes forward runs. I noticed last night Henderson passing to forward positions and actually receiving the ball in dangerous attacking areas. A midfield 3 of Wilshire, Carrick and Henderson is decent. Again you say no quality but have you not seen Henderson this season?

 

The side isn't ready to win anything... We just performed awfully at the World Cup and are building again, but both are ready for international football, that's pretty obvious. Didn't notice Henderson give the ball away once and Wilshire rarely does it. I do wonder why English players get such a hard time off fans, I guarantee if these two weren't English and were welsh people would be jealous as hell.

 

Unbeaten in 9 games now and hasn't Henderson played in all of those?

 

Henderson is 24

Wilshire is 23

 

Why not back them, they clearly have quality even if you deny so and are still very young. I find it hard to believe how English supporters find huge negatives like this even after we dominated the midfield in the second half last night against Italy.

 

Who else should we play?

 

Vale could win the group we are in so dont quote statistics like that at me. Seriously you think Henderson played decent forward Balls last night? Who to? we played with three strikers yet only had about four attempts on goal and henderson wasnt involved in creating any of them. They are reasonable premier league players if they have decent players alongside them but these two england games have been embarrassing, I bet Germany, Holland, France, Italy, Belgium etc are shaking in their boots at the prospect of henderson and wilshire destroying them, and you say I make you laugh.

[valiant_593]

I never said they would destroy them. They are good midfielders. Since when does scaring other clubs matter? If that's the case then we have more than enough quality up top to scare them. Vale could win the group? I know your being sarcastic but Switzerland are a very decent side as are Italy who we looked far better than last night. Stop looking for every possible negative. And yes I though Henderson had a good game considering he was playing along side jones and Delph.

[kevin_struggles]

I never said they would destroy them. They are good midfielders. Since when does scaring other clubs matter? If that's the case then we have more than enough quality up top to scare them. Vale could win the group? I know your being sarcastic but Switzerland are a very decent side as are Italy who we looked far better than last night. Stop looking for every possible negative. And yes I though Henderson had a good game considering he was playing along side jones and Delph.

 

I've been thinking about why I am so negative, I think its years of being optimistic and thinking this time we are going to do it......followed by increasingly backwards movement in terms of results at the major tournaments. We have gone from quarter final hopefuls to will we get out of the group.

 

I remember when I was an optimist where England were concerned, I think it must have run out.