The Three Lions

BC pls.

Townsend and Lambert scored in their debuts too, plus it was a jammy goal that came off his knee

Welbeck has 5 in his last 6 for England, if Kane did that the world would be wanking so hard it would form cracks in the earth.

Lambert even scored with his first touch on his debut. It's really not something that amazing.

Kane, for me, is a good option to have on the bench. The fact that Welbeck and Sturridge are more comfortable in wider areas and offer more pace make them more suitable partners for Rooney if we were to play two up front.

To add to that, this England team is becoming more about winning the ball back quickly and playing on the counter as of late. Welbeck's work rate is much better suited to that.

It's not like Welbeck is lacking in goals for England, either. He's the top scorer in qualifying at the moment.

So in my mind, Kane doesn't bring anything different to the team that Rooney and Welbeck don't already offer.

Rooney has said that "England are frightening". I would keep such statements to myself after the World Cup fiasco.

I would actually subscribe to such thoughts if we didn't have such a shit midfield.

BBC raising this debate

"Should england take their best possible team to the U21 Euro Championships?"

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBMkDvNVAAIbUXs.png

They should..... I don't think they would win............... but they should go.

wilshere is 23 though

I'm not sure Jones and Wilshere actually qualify, since they didn't play in any of England qualifiers when they were 21.  

But yes, the likes of Barkley, Chamberlain, Sterling, Berahino and Kane should all go. If these guys are the future for the senior team then they should be playing together as often as possible.

Reality will be that only Berahino will go and the others will be deemed too good for the U21s.

I don't think playing together in the u21s would be of significant aid in the future in the first team.

GoonerJay29 wrote:Lambert even scored with his first touch on his debut. It's really not something that amazing.

Kane, for me, is a good option to have on the bench. The fact that Welbeck and Sturridge are more comfortable in wider areas and offer more pace make them more suitable partners for Rooney if we were to play two up front.

To add to that, this England team is becoming more about winning the ball back quickly and playing on the counter as of late. Welbeck's work rate is much better suited to that.

It's not like Welbeck is lacking in goals for England, either. He's the top scorer in qualifying at the moment.

So in my mind, Kane doesn't bring anything different to the team that Rooney and Welbeck don't already offer.

Kane's workrate is not bad either tbf. I can agree that it's hard to see him make a spot for himself under the current setup, but Kane has shown that he is both consistent and can do it against high level opponents, so this may merit a starting spot as CF, freeing Rooney to drop back a bit and play at his natural position of CM.

RealGunner wrote:BBC raising this debate
"Should england take their best possible team to the U21 Euro Championships?"

I guess Horst Hrubesch will send one of the best teams he can muster into the match against England U21 on Monday. Here's the German U21 call-up, by the way, seven of which already played in the senior team: http://www.goallegacy.net/t186p702-ze-german-thread#1395644 (Julian Draxler is still not fit yet, or he'd have been included, too.)

BarrileteCosmico wrote:

GoonerJay29 wrote:Lambert even scored with his first touch on his debut. It's really not something that amazing.

Kane, for me, is a good option to have on the bench. The fact that Welbeck and Sturridge are more comfortable in wider areas and offer more pace make them more suitable partners for Rooney if we were to play two up front.

To add to that, this England team is becoming more about winning the ball back quickly and playing on the counter as of late. Welbeck's work rate is much better suited to that.

It's not like Welbeck is lacking in goals for England, either. He's the top scorer in qualifying at the moment.

So in my mind, Kane doesn't bring anything different to the team that Rooney and Welbeck don't already offer.

Kane's workrate is not bad either tbf. I can agree that it's hard to see him make a spot for himself under the current setup, but Kane has shown that he is both consistent and can do it against high level opponents, so this may merit a starting spot as CF, freeing Rooney to drop back a bit and play at his natural position of CM.

pls be joking BC lol

England U21s 35-pass winner against Germany U21s last night:



Southgate doing some good things with this age group.

FFS if we lose against these scrubs

Robespierre wrote:FFS if we lose against these scrubs

U wot m8.

We got this tbh, mainly because you have dropped all the Italian players for Brazilians.

England team. Playing a diamond again:

Hart; Clyne, Jagielka, Smalling, Gibbs; Jones, Henderson, Delph, Rooney; Walcott, Kane

Not a lot of creativity in midfield, nor are the two full-backs that good going forward. Counter-attack the best way forward with that team.

And so it begins again:

Are England U21s Euro 2015 Favourites Even Without Kane & Co?

http://www.whoscored.com/Articles/s_k0iph-k0meuovvnn4vtg/Show/Team-Focus-Are-England-U21s-Euro-2015-Favourites-Even-Without-Kane-Co

That article doesn't conclude that England are favourites, nor does it hype them up to be some great side. All it does is point out the quality of the current side without the likes of Barkley, Chamberlain, Sterling, Kane, etc. in it and makes the argument that they're not needed. Nothing wrong with that.

I just wait for Daily Fail & Co. to pounce on that XD

Tbh it's all a bit irrelevant, because at the end of the day the clubs will put a block on the best young kids playing this summer. Liverpool will stop Sterling, Spurs will stop Kane etc using the old "he's tired, can we leave him out of this one please?" The FA will back down and we'll go out in the quarters.

GoonerJay29 wrote:That article doesn't conclude that England are favourites, nor does it hype them up to be some great side. All it does is point out the quality of the current side without the likes of Barkley, Chamberlain, Sterling, Kane, etc. in it and makes the argument that they're not needed. Nothing wrong with that.

Yes there is.
They are judging player 'quality' based on their own ratings, that's what's wrong with it. Everything.

The provisional England U21 squad for the European Championships has been announced:

Keepers: Jack Butland (Stoke), Marcus Bettinelli (Fulhami), Johnathan Bond (Watford)

Defenders: John Stones (Everton), Eric Dier (Spurs), Michael Keane (Burnley), Liam Moore (Leicester), Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough), Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal), Luke Garbutt (Everton), Matt Targett (Southampton)

Midfielders: Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Will Hughes (Derby), Tom Carroll (Swansea), Jake Forster-Caskey (Brighton), Nathan Redmond (Norwich), Alex Pritchard (Spurs), Jesse Lingard (Man Utd)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Spurs), Saido Berahino (West Brom), Danny Ings (Burnley), Benik Afobe (Wolves), Patrick Bamford (Chelsea), Cauley Woodrow (Fulham)

So no Luke Shaw, Ross Barkley, Ox Chamberlain or Raheem Sterling, who will all no doubt appear in a meaningless England friendly.

It's a good squad, nonetheless. Certainly one of the more technical squads I've seen. Southgate has preferred 433 or 4231 so far, but with so many good forwards I wonder if he'll change that. A potential starting line-up could be:

Loftus-Cheek should start over Chalobah, tbh.

He is the youngest player in the team, but he is real quality.

There is also a real lack of wingers in that team.

England senior squad announced:

Keepers: Joe Hart (City), Rob Green (QPR), Tom Heaton (Burnley)

Defenders: Phil Jones (Man Utd), Chris Smalling (Man Utd), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal), Ryan Bertrand (Southampton)

Midfielders: Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Ryan Mason (Spurs), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Ross Barkley (Everton), James Milner (City), Andros Townsend (Spurs), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Man Utd), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal), Charlie Austin (QPR), Jamie Vardy (Leicester)

Heaton, Mason, Delph, Vardy

Who are these players?

The lack of real talent is shocking.

There are a couple of circumstances outside of Hodgson's control right now: Forster, Carrick and Chamberlain are injured, while Chambers, Stones, Berahino and Kane are with the U21 squad. If those players were available Heaton, Mason, Vardy and Austin etc. don't make the squad.

I think Austin's call-up is justified, since he's scored 17 times this season. He probably deserves a friendly cap. But Vardy has had about five good games all season and is living off some good performances for Leicester in the last month or so. Mason hasn't been good for Spurs since January or so. Delph I just don't think is good enough for this level despite him being involved in the last few squads.

Unfortunately, there aren't any better options currently playing the Premier League. Jonjo Shelvey would be one, maybe, but beyond him there's a real lack of depth.

Anyway, hope this is the team: