England v Paraguay - 2pm KO

wheres me jumpa

Rickylovesuall wrote:

If england win all their games like this, i cant see too many fans being upset, hehe

Im sure they wouldnt but will a good defence and midfield be more than happy to play against this system? What happens when it doent work? When they need a more creative approach?

eirebhoy

There we are. Paraguay come out and pass the ball and England are back to the team that they've looked like all throughout the qualifiers. I like the look of Acuna (no.10).

zAbbo

Crouch having a good game, but the more Eng sit back, the better Para look.

Acuna has always been classy, but Valdes(right wing) is showing himself as the main threat

Lemlin

Just saw the first half. England looked very ordinary. The only bit of creativity was coming from Cole and Beckham, and even that was small.

They'll need to improve dramatically to go further in the competition than the second round or quarter finals.

Rikand

BBC text commentary saying crouchinho getting some hassle from the referee, i wonder will Sven bring on walcott before crouch gets in trouble!

eirebhoy

zabbo wrote:

Acuna has always been classy

I don't watch much Spanish football but he has really stuck out this afternoon. Same type of player as Xabi Alonso.

KdjaCL

eirebhoy wrote:

I don't watch much Spanish football but he has really stuck out this afternoon. Same type of player as Xabi Alonso.

Didnt see him at all this season just checked he made 5 apps as a sub for Depor.


kdjac

zAbbo

eirebhoy wrote:

I don't watch much Spanish football but he has really stuck out this afternoon. Same type of player as Xabi Alonso.

He's been involved in the last 2 word cups and is Paraquays most capped player, near a 100 caps now, he's 34 now and plays for Depor, used to play for Real Zaragoza.

England looking very ordinary now, no shape at all.

wheres me jumpa

The dude on the phone coming over the commentary on rte was class!

county

not a great performence but happy with the points:)

besty

All over. Poor second half performance from England. Joe Cole was outstanding throughout though.

BrookieD

county wrote:

not a great performence but happy with the points:)

agreed, and with such a poor ref ill take the 3 points

PiE

Wretched game. Just stop worrying about the papers Sven, grow some balls and drop Lampard or Gerrard.

mike65

The ref was sh1te. How many times did an England player get "called" for fouling when he did'nt.

Parguary were so good in the second half they did'nt score once. Robinson had two (?) moments of serious action maybe. I dunno what Sven thought he was at subbing Owen for Downing, he should have brought on Carrick and subbed Lampard and let Gerrard get fowards.

Still 3 points in the bag that'll do for now.

Mike.

besty

PiE wrote:

drop Lampard or Gerrard.

Why would you do that?

Ruu_Old

Very poor game, but its the win that counts and no goals conceded for England, they'll be happy with it.

PHB

Poor preformance from England.

Gerrard and Lampard were ****e today, both wasted in a system that doesn't suit them.
Crouch couldn't cut it today. Owen is unfit as is Cole.
Beckham was off his game today, Cole was the only bright spark, but not really.
Terry made a mistake which will be punished by a better team.

I love RTE commentary, it's just so funny, like a group of guys sitting around in a pub.

el rabitos

besty wrote:

Why would you do that?

because u play a defencive midfielder in a dm position, gerrard isnt a a defencive midfielder, he's and attacking midfielder, he's a marauder. more importantly, in that england team he's a waste of space right now.

eirebhoy

Houghton has it right, how in the name of God are England and Germany 2nd and 3rd favourites respectively? I'd fancy Argentina, Italy, France, Holland, Spain and Portugal over them and would have before the tournament. England and Germany's odds are now drifting after their 1st match, you'd think they'd have watched the teams before the cup started.

besty wrote:

Why would you do that?

Because England are an average team with both players in a 4-4-2. The BBC panel like to think that England took the foot off the gas in the 2nd half but it was Paraguay that changed the game by actually getting it down and passing.

Lemlin

besty wrote:

Why would you do that?

To allow a holding midfielder to play.

Anam

PiE wrote:

Wretched game. Just stop worrying about the papers Sven, grow some balls and drop Lampard or Gerrard.

That would only be a solution if they had a decent holding midfielder,which they dont.

A.Cole and Owen looked unfit.

Terry and Ferdinand did okay,got better as the game went on.

A good passing team like Spain or Argentina would punish this England side.

Thanx 4 The Fish

Along with Neville being hugely exposed for pace and Ferdinand losing his concentration on two occasions that a better team would punish, all around england were crap, and yet they won the first game in the groups, on onf the tensest game in the WC.

wheres me jumpa

Lemlin wrote:

To allow a holding midfielder to play.

I agree with Lemlin. Gerrard and Lampard are world class players but that doesnt give them to right to be in the team. Sven needs to pick a balanced team not the biggest names.

England would have taken a 1-0 before the game so I wont go writting them off yet. With an easy game next up to iron out the problems they could have some momentum going into the next round and then comes the Rooney factor.

eirebhoy

Anam wrote:

That would only be a solution if they had a decent holding midfielder,which they dont.

If Carrick joined Man U last summer he'd be in the team for this world cup.

mike65

Lads it does'nt matter what superior footballing brains here think, Svens in charge (just).

Mike.

RE*AC*TOR

Jesus that was a crap match. England are a bit of a headless chicken. Owen is completely unfit. Ashley Cole was terrible. Gerrard was largely anonymous. When Crouch was up on his own he was fairly crap.

I think PiE might be right, drop one of Gerrard or Lampard. But then who goes into that position? Carrick?

Anam

eirebhoy wrote:

If Carrick joined Man U last summer he'd be in the team for this world cup.

Carrick has had a good season but he is unproven at international level.Plus do you really think Sven would be brave enough to drop either Lampard or Gerrard?

el rabitos

Anam wrote:

Carrick has had a good season but he is unproven at international level.Plus do you really think Sven would be brave enough to drop either Lampard or Gerrard?

nothing ventured, nothing gained

Lemlin

Thanx 4 The Fish wrote:

Along with Neville being hugely exposed for pace and Ferdinand losing his concentration on two occasions that a better team would punish, all around england were crap, and yet they won the first game in the groups, on onf the tensest game in the WC.

I'd leave Neville where he is but Ferdinand should be dropped for Carragher.

eirebhoy

Anam wrote:

Carrick has had a good season but he is unproven at international level.Plus do you really think Sven would be brave enough to drop either Lampard or Gerrard?

You're probably right there. This is the best squad they've had in years and Sven will ruin their chances. Juninho of Brazil is world class, it doesn't mean they'll drop Ze Roberto to fit him in. Sven likes to play his best players and seems to think that'll form his best team.

RE*AC*TOR

Lemlin wrote:

I'd leave Neville where he is but Ferdinand should be dropped for Carragher.

Ferdinand played ok I thought. Terry was unusually shaky. I think Neville has better distribution than carragher, which is important for full-back.

el rabitos

Lemlin wrote:

I'd leave Neville where he is but Ferdinand should be dropped for Carragher.

theres something majorly screwed up, if carragher isnt in any first 11 based on his performances over the past 2 seasons

but to be kept out by ferdinand of all people, jaysus :rolleyes:

Anam

Lemlin wrote:

I'd leave Neville where he is but Ferdinand should be dropped for Carragher.

I dont think Carragher and Terry would make a good partnership,too similar and for me Terry is the better player.

Running Bing

Did I hear Alan Hansen on bbc correctly when he described englands first half performance as "exceptional football" lol. Svens in trouble now. he has rooney who is completely unfit, owen who lacks match practice and was not in the game at all today, crouch who who can score put is hardly someone youd put your house on and a 17 year old who hasnt played first team footbal in over a year, has little international experience and has never played a premiership game. Hardly the strikeforce of world champions is it? Where exactly do they think the goals are gonna come from?

Lemlin

eirebhoy wrote:

You're probably right there. This is the best squad they've had in years and Sven will ruin their chances. Juninho of Brazil is world class, it doesn't mean they'll drop Ze Roberto to fit him in. Sven likes to play his best players and seems to think that'll form his best team.

Exactly. Sven has to realise that he can only play Gerrard or Lampard in a 4-4-2 system (except maybe against the likes of Trinidad & Tobago). He seems tactically inept at the minute.

MisterAnarchy

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

Jesus that was a crap match. England are a bit of a headless chicken. Owen is completely unfit. Ashley Cole was terrible. Gerrard was largely anonymous. When Crouch was up on his own he was fairly crap.

I think PiE might be right, drop one of Gerrard or Lampard. But then who goes into that position? Carrick?

The clowns on BBC though Gerrard was sensational in the first half.
Blinkered vision.

eirebhoy

I couldn't agree with Dunphy's pre-match analysis btw, everything he said I agreed with.

Lemlin

MisterAnarchy wrote:

The clowns on BBC though Gerrard was sensational in the first half.
Blinkered vision.

Thank god for RTE so. He picked up a yellow card and sent a few shots into the sky. That was about it.

el rabitos

eirebhoy wrote:

I couldn't agree with Dunphy's pre-match analysis btw, everything he said I agreed with.

thats a head scratcher

eirebhoy

el rabitos wrote:

thats a head scratcher

Aye, I think I may be slightly sick.

d22ontour

Pretty poor game.

England got the win they just about deserved with some pretty inept football.

kaisersose77

england were awesome in the first half according to the bbc pundits and commentators. Im never going to watch a world cup match on bbc again after listening to motty today! He wouldnt say anything negative about engerland.

Mossy Monk

Babybing wrote:

Did I hear Alan Hansen on bbc correctly when he described englands first half performance as "exceptional football" lol

another reason to watch RTÉ's coverage

gave up on Motson years ago

adox

Were the BBC pundits watching a different game? England were very poor in both halves.I cant believe the talent in the starting line up and they put in a performance like that.

The centre of midfield is a huge problem for England even at this stage.Lampard and Gerrard are just too similar and both want to get forward, as is their natural game, but they are being held back by having to compensate their game for each other.Gerrard was fairly annonymous through no real fault of his own.
I`d have Lampard out of the team,for the sake of the team,maybe put Carrick in midfield which would release Gerrard to play his natural game and be more of an influence.

Owen still doesnt look match fit,either does Ashley Cole.Beckham and Neville gave the ball away constantly in the second half.

As for Sven,well he showed again how clueless he is with his substitutions.

And finally to keep with the negativity,that was the worst match of the three so far both in terms of entertainment and quality.

therecklessone

Anam wrote:

Carrick has had a good season but he is unproven at international level.

True. Its not like they haven't had any meaningless friendliies to try him out in...:rolleyes:

Owen Hargreaves...is he Sven's love child?

eirebhoy

I really don't want this to go into another bashing Lampard debate but you have to ask what Lampard brought to todays match other than about 5 shots on goal? Carrick would do so much to changing this England team by taking doing the passing basics, tracking back and letting Gerrard do what he does best. Both Gerrard and Lampard are being played out of position to accomidate one another.

Mr.Nice Guy

The BBC's pub tits...I mean pundits are a joke. Even Hansen swoons over the team. As for Wright, that muppet lost all credibility when he condoned that dive by Gerrard to get England a penalty.

I really enjoyed RTE's commentary and I thought Eamo was in top form.

Dont be at yourself

England need to kill off teams, there was absolutely no attacking impetus for most of the match, and a better side would have punished them for it - as Paraguay came close to doing on occasion tonight. There are plenty of goals in that team, they just need to put the pressure on their opponents.

wheres me jumpa

Anyone notice the smile on Souness's face today, I think hes enjoying the freedom of ranting about England.

therecklessone

He's a superb pundit.