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Wanderers Ways. Neil Thompson 1961-2021

England’s depth


Rudy

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I assume I’ve missed a few because this was off the top of my head but I was thinking about England’s strength in depth and how genuinely exciting it is 
 

GK

Pickford 

Pope

Henderson 

Defenders 

Walker

Wan Bissaka

James

Chilwell

Ayling

Alexander Arnold

Trippier 

Stones

Maguire

Ayling 

Dier

Coady

Mings

Keane

Midfielders

Alli

Winks

Barkley

Henderson

Ward Prowse

Maddison

Hudson Odoi

Rice

Sancho

Bellingham

Grealish

Foden

Forwards

Rashford 

Kane

Abraham

Ings

Greenwood

DCL

Wilson

Bamford

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9 minutes ago, BOWTUN BAKED said:

How many would you count as potentially World Class though?

Important to put a good 'team' out if they are going to truly compete at the highest level.

A world class player is a player who would theoretically get into the best teams in the world so Kane, Sterling, Sancho, Rashford. There was a point when TAA was the best full back in the workd

 However, we’ve always had the odd world class player but never such strength in depth across all positions, and I think that will be the difference 

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I don't think depth is great, we need someone who will tear a tournament apart. One player, like Bale carried Wales on. Someone the opponents have to stop, rather than going "oh England have a strong squad but the starting 11 is bang average".

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14 minutes ago, Rudy said:

A world class player is a player who would theoretically get into the best teams in the world so Kane, Sterling, Sancho, Rashford. There was a point when TAA was the best full back in the workd

 However, we’ve always had the odd world class player but never such strength in depth across all positions, and I think that will be the difference 

Just Kane and Sterling for me.  Foden potentially.

Thing is you don't necessarily need a team full of world class stars to be successful.  Look at Leicester when they won the league and Greece when they won the Euros.

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Keepers and defenders not good enough IMO. 
 

Kane brilliant  

43 minutes ago, Rudy said:

I assume I’ve missed a few because this was off the top of my head but I was thinking about England’s strength in depth and how genuinely exciting it is 
 

GK

Pickford  not good enough

Pope see Pickford

Henderson  see Pope

Defenders 

Walker good job he is fast

Wan Bissaka can defend nothing going forward 

James 2nd best right back at Chelsea

Chilwell decent premiership quality not world class

Ailing taken about 100 years to get to premiership

Alexander Arnold have you watched him this season, if he was playing in same city in Blue would not be hyped

Trippier gambler

Stones looks brilliant till he defends

Maguire too slow 

Aylin is this Aillin

Dier see Maguire

Coady see Diet

Mings I like him 

Keane Really ? 

Midfielders

Alli bust flush

Winks 1 good season 

Barkley not even best at Villa

Henderson water carrier

Ward Prowse there is a reason he is at Soton

Maddison disappears 

Hudson Odoi hardly plays

Rice potential 

Sancho needs to maintain form

Bellingham lot to prove

Grealish could be special 

Foden see Grealish 

Forwards

Rashford better than Abraham

Kane world class

Abraham nowhere near go enough

Ings see Ward Prowse 

Greenwood unproven

DCL like him nowhere near world clAss yet

Wilson nowhere near world class

Bamford further off world class than Wilson

You are right that we have a lot of players who good premiership players but few world class.

From you list other than Kane at virtually every club their best player is not English. A front 3 of Kane, Foden and Grealish is exciting but a back 4 of   TAA Maguire Stones and Wan Bissakka has more mistakes in it than a catholic adoption service  

 

Do you think the best English 11 would beat the best non English 11 from Premiership ? 

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Vardy, Loftus Cheek, Harvey Barnes, mason mount, ross barkley, choudury off the top of my head

There isnt a Gascoigne so its a tough job for Southgate to blend all of these 'good' players into a team that can win a tournament.

As we are going nowhere this year again Ive just bought a projector and a big screen for the euros

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3 minutes ago, Ani said:

Keepers and defenders not good enough IMO. 
 

Kane brilliant  

You are right that we have a lot of players who good premiership players but few world class.

From you list other than Kane at virtually every club their best player is not English. A front 3 of Kane, Foden and Grealish is exciting but a back 4 of   TAA Maguire Stones and Wan Bissakka has more mistakes in it than a catholic adoption service  

 

Do you think the best English 11 would beat the best non English 11 from Premiership ? 

Forgot Shaw.

I think so, if you take stones, Sterling and foden out of the city team, Henderson, TAA out of Liverpool, Maguire,  rashford, shaw out of United etc.  Those teams are significantly weaker and don’t have better or as good as replacements 

My main concern is the GK, the best one we have is a no.2 at United

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15 minutes ago, Pablo said:

Im not sure Henderson is even that good, he made loads of mistakes at sheff united...they just dont get picked up on at all, because he is not England number 1.

I think he’s in the “ok nothing special bracket” but he’s not getting the game time

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28 minutes ago, Rudy said:

Forgot Shaw.

I think so, if you take stones, Sterling and foden out of the city team, Henderson, TAA out of Liverpool, Maguire,  rashford, shaw out of United etc.  Those teams are significantly weaker and don’t have better or as good as replacements 

My main concern is the GK, the best one we have is a no.2 at United

To be good enough you have to be the best of the best  

Dias and VanDyke set the standard at Centre half - if they are 100 each  how good are the best English options ? 
 

Stones ? Maguire ? 
 

English midfielder that compares to De Bruyne ? Or Fernandes ? 
 

So the core of the team is simply not good enough when it comes to being world class. Apart from Kane I do not think we have any world class English players, The EPL is massively hyped so very good players get talked up to world class too easily. TAA had 2 great seasons but his stats this season are awful, never gets mentioned on Sky. Pabs might have a better view but Digne at Everton is as good as any I have  see this season at full back. 

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Thing is though Ani, your world class players don't all play for one nation.

Look at any country, and you could look many players and think there is better elsewhere. 

Then there is management of them; not long ago France had problems with players falling out. England once had club cliques which seem to have gone now.

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