2015/16 Football/Soccer thread

[Rowan]

don't see how you can laugh at rooney being in the squad. starting is a different matter of course, but it'd be stupid for him not to be included in the squad

yeah also have no idea why stones is funny, the only other CB i can think of is jagielka ?_?

rashford is just lucky that welbeck got injured, don't expect him to make the final 23, bar an injury to another striker

i expect 3 out of rashford, townsend, wilshere, henderson and delph to not make the cut, and it probably rests on wilshere and henderson's fitness

 

[Random Passerby]

To be honest I find it worse to see Rashford than Rooney, kid hasn't proven anything gameplay-wise, even if he has scored some goals.

And dunno what's wrong about Henderson, Delph and Stones, not like England has much depth on those positions anyway, who would you have selected? Townsend is awful and Wilshere hasn't been fit in ages so I'll give you those. But I mean, there aren't really many good midfielders so taking a risk with Wilshere seems fine.

Though honestly, can somebody explain how Sterling and Townsend fit as ''midfielders'' considering Hodgson has been playing 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2? Unless he's referring to wingers as midfielders too it doesn't make any sense to me.

Rashford is on-form and he has been carrying MU's attack alongside Martial. Has pace and finishing. Well, I'd think Defoe could make it too but yeah...
Henderson has been plagued with injuries all season and been poor in most games that even Joe Allen is ahead of him in the pecking order.
Delph always struck me as average and I don't think he has set the lights this season. Not playing much games for City either.
Stones is playing in Martinez's side and make a lot of mistakes which leads to goals especially this season.

Wingers are also classified as midfielders, I think. Judging by the players he picked, he will either play 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 diamond.

EDIT: Rooney is awful and has been for several seasons now. Not sure why he must be included at all costs.

 

[destinyunknown]

Rashford is on-form and he has been carrying MU's attack alongside Martial. Has pace and finishing. Well, I'd think Defoe could make it too but yeah...
Henderson has been plagued with injuries all season and been poor in most games that even Joe Allen is ahead of him in the pecking order.
Delph always struck me as average and I don't think he has set the lights this season. Not playing much games for City either.
Stones is playing in Martinez's side and make a lot of mistakes which leads to goals especially this season.

Wingers are also classified as midfielders, I think. Judging by the players he picked, he will either play 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 diamond.

EDIT: Rooney is awful and has been for several seasons now. Not sure why he must be included at all costs.

If by ''on-form'' you mean he has had a goalscoring lucky streak, then sure. His play has been average by all accounts, and yes, he's a youngster with room to improve, doesn't mean he's any more than that and deserves being called, as of today Rooney is still the better player despite his horrible season, and Rashford has definitely not been better than Rooney even this season, it's just that since there's lower expectations for a 18-year old, he looks good in comparison to someone we expect to be a superstar.

As for Henderson, he has been a starter except for when he's been injured, and as long as he's fit, he deserves a spot on England's starting XI as well, no questions asked. Not sure what you mean by ''has been surpassed by Allen'', unless you mean when Henderson couldn't walk, then sure.

As for Delph and Stones, they're going to be substitute players with few minutes, they're fine for that. Who would you have picked instead?


As for Rooney, if he's merely a substitute then I'm fine with that. There aren't many good English forwards anyway, what are the alternatives if it isn't Rooney? Walcott, Carroll, Defoe and... Deeney I guess? At least if Rooney does a good job as captain then it will count for something.

 

[Random Passerby]

Noble > Delph
Albrighton > Townsend
Defoe > Rooney / Rashford

Didn't think of any CBs. I suppose Dier could deputise if needed.

And yeah, what I meant when I said "Henderson has been surpassed by Allen" is his performances have been totally outclassed by Allen. The only reason he keeps starting games at that time (despite being half fit) is because he's captain. Even against West Brom, his play is still too cautious and England already have midfielders who sits and protects the back four with Dier and Drinkwater.

 

[Rowan]

Noble you can make a case for I agree

Id still prefer Townsend to albrighton, whilst I agree albrighton has obviously had a good season, Townsend has always performed well for england, and also brings more of a goal scoring threat

Defoe you could make a case for but either way, him or rashford would be 5th choice striker so it doesn't matter that much

Its not a bad squad tbf, when the highest profile emissions are defoe, Walcott, and noble, I don't think anyone can be too mad at hodgson

 

[shade]

yeah there is absolutely no way rashford will make the final 23 outside of big injuries. i'd have certainly picked walcott over townsend, really feel walcott brings a different dimension to the england squad and he always performs for england. i also personally believe danny drinkwater is the most overrated player in the premier league at the moment and i would not have picked him, got to feel for mark noble because he has had a really good season and is honestly a better player than drinkwater. rooney HAS to go to the euros, it is just whether he should start that is the issue. there is no way the current england captain and most experienced player at this level for us should not be going to this tournament. i would also take ben foster over tom heaton because he is a better keeper, but it doesn't really matter i guess

here's how i'd start:

-----------Hart
Clyne-Smalling-Cahill-Rose
-----Milner-----Hendo
Vardy-----Alli-----Lallana
----------Kane

Bench: Forster, Stones, Bertrand, Dier, Rooney, Sturridge, Sterling

 

[phalanx]

isn't the point of a striker to score goals?
Rashford does this... whats the problem, bin Rooney

 

[manodelrey]

I mean with rashford coming on the way he is, its only right to put him in the squad with welbeck injured, but I wouldn't think he would make the actual team barring something rash. Rooney has to be in the team because no english manager has the balls to not include him in the squad. As for Stones, what other center backs are available that could play in that spot? Not being a dick but actually curious about an answer to that question

 

[Drift Wizard]

Dejan Lovren with that fall-out with the coach, so no Euro spot for him.

 

[Random Passerby]

Gignac > Lacazette in the France squad lol

Interesting that Spain dropped Costa and Torres. A lot of faith in Morata and Aduriz? What's Bartra doing there?

 

[destinyunknown]

Gignac > Lacazette in the France squad lol

Interesting that Spain dropped Costa and Torres. A lot of faith in Morata and Aduriz? What's Bartra doing there?

Morata and Aduriz are the best forwards we have at the moment, sadly. In fact, they're the only decent centre forwards available, which is appalling to say the least. Del Bosque said ''we don't want players with injury concerns - that's why we dropped Costa'', and Torres is well, Torres.

However, the fucking worst part of the Spain squad is the defense:

1. What the heck is Bartra doing there? Hasn't played much this season and hasn't proven anything ever, he has like 25 games in the last 3 seasons, how the hell is that worth being called up?

2. Why isn't Javi Martinez on the team? He has been the most consistent Spanish centre back for the last 3 years, and even if he has had some injury issues lately, he at least deserves getting a tryout on the friendlies. Unbelievable.

3. Wait, there are only 3 center backs (Pique, Ramos, Bartra) in the squad?? Does that mean Bartra is actually going to be part of the final list? No words.

4. Why there is only 1 left back in the squad (Alba, who is a mediocre player for Barcelona, and an awful one for Spain) and 3 right backs? And why wasn't Bernat called up, when he's head and shoulders above Alba?


For some reason, I have the feeling the final team will look even worse than the 23-man squad we have now. Oh well.

 

[latinoheat]

Torres has actually been really good for 6 months probably better then all the strikers except Aduriz. I would have taken him.

Costa doesn't fit the system and has been poor each call up. Should of stuck with Brazil.

Alba is good, had a decent season, Azpilcueta is the backup left back.

Martinez has only been fit two months still should have gone. even as a more defensive midfielder.
Busquets holds everything together and I don't think Bruno makes the final cut.

 

[Random Passerby]

4. Why there is only 1 left back in the squad (Alba, who is a mediocre player for Barcelona, and an awful one for Spain) and 3 right backs? And why wasn't Bernat called up, when he's head and shoulders above Alba?

Alba is better at diving for penalties :-P. Had some masters to learn from in Busquets, Neymar and Suarez.

And yeah, I don't understand why Bartra gets called up - to call him a squad player at Barca is being generous. But then Ramos and Pique will start every game anyway (even though I think Pique has been poor this season) because the coach/ manager didn't call up Martinez.

 

[manodelrey]

Everyone concentrating on the forwards and defenders called up. Lol like spain isn't going to play with 6 midfielders minimum every game

 

[destinyunknown]

Everyone concentrating on the forwards and defenders called up. Lol like spain isn't going to play with 6 midfielders minimum every game

That's kind of the issue though... not sure if we have the players for a 3-man defense (Javi Martinez and Bernat would have been great for that), and Spain's performances during the last 3 years have been... mediocre at best. I don't expect any innovation from Del Bosque either, we are going to see the same 4-2-3-1 in every game, he will change one of the midfielders and the forward after seeing the team doesn't play well, but obtain the same results because the problem is beyond a simple player change.

Well, guess it's better to not have any hopes for the tournament, that way I won't be disappointed.


Thoughts on Germany's squad btw? Lack of good fullbacks is the bane of the team as usual, guess we'll see Löw try to implement a 3-man defense at some point of the tournament, unless Can / Hector / (maybe Boateng like in WC??) do a good job as fullbacks.

Pretty happy to see Brandt getting a call up, he's a great player with a lot of potential, though it's unlikely he'll make it to Euros.

 

[Random Passerby]

Thoughts on Germany's squad btw? Lack of good fullbacks is the bane of the team as usual, guess we'll see Löw try to implement a 3-man defense at some point of the tournament, unless Can / Hector / (maybe Boateng like in WC??) do a good job as fullbacks.

Pretty happy to see Brandt getting a call up, he's a great player with a lot of potential, though it's unlikely he'll make it to Euros.

I agree with this. Can is not a RB (I think he was exposed many times last season and even in a few friendly games for Germany), Hector is OK while Howedes is in poor form. He also didn't call up Schmelzer who could provide cover as a FB. No idea who Brandt is.

Another glaring issue is the lack of forwards in the squad. Sure, Muller can play there but there is no other alternative with Podolski being old and all the others being wingers / AM (Ozil, Gotze are AMs, Reus, Bellarabi, Sane, Draxler are wingers)

 

[destinyunknown]

Most likely Müller and Gotze will play as a 'false forward', but expect to see Germany play with a fluid midfield with no clear forward or 2-3 offensive midfielders switching their position, kind of like Bayern. I guess Schurrle can play as a forward too, and there's Mario Gomez, though unsure if he fits the team playstyle.

 

[manodelrey]

Germany has some problems with their teams but other than maybe france, I don't see any teams troubling them

 

[ZoroDark]

I didn't realize that Germany has the same issues as Belgium until dunk's post. Complete lack of full backs and absence of a striker that fits the system have been Belgium's seemingly unsolvable problems since WC qualifiers. Vertonghen and Alderweireld will almost assuredly take on LB and RB duties because there's no way we're gonna play with a 3-man defense. Carrasco could potentially work as a winger in that kind of formation, but Hazard on the other side would be an unmitigated disaster defensively. We're also a CB short with Kompany being injured for the bazillionth time, so it should be interesting to see who fills in next to Vermaelen / Lombaerts (who are also both currently out D:). "Baby Kompany" Denayer has never impressed in any of his call ups, but he also hasn't really fucked up so fingers crossed he's able to step up.

For some reason Wilmots called up 4 strikers for 1 spot so it's also gonna be very interesting to see who gets the nod there. Lukaku is the best striker we have but he doesn't fit the system + he really needs space to be dangerous and we're not gonna get much of that vs Ireland and Italy. I'm not very excited about Benteke starting either and then the last 2 are Batshuayi who had a good season at Marseille, but he's still unproven. Origi might be the best fit, but he's still really young + he's actually hurt atm.

On the bright side, thank god Hazard got it together in his last couple of matches at Chelsea. He obviously loves France so hopefully that run of form carries over. De Bruyne should be fresh too after missing some time earlier in the year. I'm optimistic that they'll both have great performances, which is key because Belgium will only go as far as they carry us. If we make it out of our surprisingly tricky group (Italy, Sweden, Ireland), Belgium could really make a run at it in my (biased) opinion.

 

[destinyunknown]

I didn't realize that Germany has the same issues as Belgium until dunk's post. Complete lack of full backs and absence of a striker that fits the system have been Belgium's seeminly unsolvable problems since WC qualifiers. Vertonghen and Alderweireld will almost assuredly take on LB and RB duties because there's no way we're gonna play with a 3-man defense. Carrasco could potentially work as a winger in that kind of formation, but Hazard on the other side would be an unmitigated disaster defensively. We're also a CB short with Kompany being injured for the bazillionth time, so it should be interesting to see who fills in next to Vermaelen / Lombaerts (who are also both currently out D:). "Baby Kompany" Denayer has never impressed in any of his call ups, but he also hasn't really fucked up so fingers crossed he's able to step up.

Is Meunier any good? I remember watching Brugge's games on their Europa League run last season and he seemed decent.

Either way, Belgium should have a good run in the tournament despite their issues, because there aren't really many great teams this year, should be an interesting Eurocup unless France/Germany stomp everybody.

 

[latinoheat]

A team that has Gotze, Reus, Muller, A renewed Mario Gomez and Schurrle as options for striker (even if not their ideal position) is a problem pretty much any other team would love to have.

Andy Carroll should have gone as 5th, the goofy fucker can score headers all day long against anyone if plan A,B and C arn't working.

 

[ZoroDark]

Meunier is alright. He's probably better offensively than Alderweireld, but he's not nearly as secure defensively. He was originally a striker when he was playing in the Belgian 3rd tier 5 years ago. Brugge turned him into a RB 2 or 3 years ago and he's still too eager to attack at times. Alderweireld has been really steady at RB and Meunier only has 3 appearances for the senior team, so he's really only gonna be a backup.

 

[HBK]

Giroud > Lacazette in the France squad lol

Interesting that Spain dropped Costa and Torres. A lot of faith in Morata and Aduriz? What's Bartra doing there?

Fixed.

On an unrelated note, was wondering why Kruse wasn't in Germany's provisional squad until I found this: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...osing-60-000-night-need-players-focussed.html

 

[phalanx]

LvG tsaying expectations too high again, yes expecting him to fuck off is far too high

 

[destinyunknown]

Fixed.

On an unrelated note, was wondering why Kruse wasn't in Germany's provisional squad until I found this: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...osing-60-000-night-need-players-focussed.html

I'm more of a fan of this story:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...fix-addiction-Nutella-boss-Dieter-Hecker.html