Warm-Up Friendlies

[Uppercut]

Sky reckon England are starting Welbeck instead of Sterling vs. Peru tonight.

I'd be worried if the rest of the team seems first-choice. When someone picks Welbeck instead of a Liverpool player and I think it's a bad move, you know it's a bad move.

 

[Eds]

Yep, all the rest of it is first team. Uh oh.

Hart, Johnson, Cahill, Jagielka, Baines, Gerrard, Henderson, Lallana, Rooney, Welbeck, Sturridge.

If Sturridge is wide I'll hurt someone.

 

[Uppercut]

I don't think he will be. It wouldn't make the team that much worse because Welbeck is miles better up front too. But on principle Sturridge is England's biggest weapon (in more ways than one) so should be having everyone else accommodate him.

 

[GIMH]

I like the midfield though. Didn't expect Lallana to start

 

[sledger]

Not sure if I cbf to watch this.

 

[Cabinet96]

So how was it? Didn't watch.

 

[sledger]

Me neither. Sounds like a typical England World Cup warm up game though (i.e. one in which England were fairly meh for much of the game, but pee'd it late on, and talk of 1966 was then spouted by the pundits).

 

[BoyBrumby]

3-0 very flattering. Two goals from corners. Defence got caught out quite a few times (Jagielka in particular looked off the pace) and needed Hart to be aware to save them.

Peru all kinds of shyte/unarsed.

Positives: Hart, Johnson, Sturridge, Sterling when he came on.

Negatives: Rooney (unfit and looking uninterested), Jagielka, Baines & Henderson. The latter completely anonymous in midfield.

 

[grecian]

I was out last night, someone suggested we moved to a pub showing the match, and I said I couldn't be arsed. Doesn't sound like I missed much.

 

[Nate]

3-0 very flattering. Two goals from corners. Defence got caught out quite a few times (Jagielka in particular looked off the pace) and needed Hart to be aware to save them.

Peru all kinds of shyte/unarsed.

Positives: Hart, Johnson, Sturridge, Sterling when he came on.

Negatives: Rooney (unfit and looking uninterested), Jagielka, Baines & Henderson. The latter completely anonymous in midfield.

Not disagreeing re: Henderson (I didn't see the game), but he did make 100+ passes, almost double the second-highest player.

And dat Sturridge goal.

Sturridge goal - England v Peru 3-0 | Goals & Highlights - YouTube

 

[Nate]

More importantly -

PAPER AIRPLANE launched from TOP of stadium hits player! LMAO [England vs Peru] [RAW FOOTAGE] - YouTube

 

[BoyBrumby]

Not disagreeing re: Henderson (I didn't see the game), but he did make 100+ passes, almost double the second-highest player.

It's the Butch Wilkins/Michael Carrick thang tho; lots of sideways passing to no obvious effect.

Lack of pace a real concern too. Sterling made a real difference when he came on.

Wilshere was hobbling quite soon after coming on as well. Signalled to the bench he was ok at one point, but looked anything but.

 

[GIMH]

We all agree though that Sterling for Wellbeck and that's our best XI? Maybe Ox for Lallana, he's more of a midfielder after all

 

[BoyBrumby]

If he's fit I think we have to go with Wilshere ahead of Henderson. Gives the team more go forward.

 

[Eds]

Hodgson basically strangling all the creative juices out of Henderson by playing him in a 2 in midfield with Gerrard. It's awful. They have to be a proper 3.

 

[Uppercut]

Could play both Henderson and Wilshere with Rooney dropped. Get England on board the 3-man midfield about 20 years too late.

 

[sledger]

BBC Sport - World Cup 2014: England practising penalties a lot - Gerrard

Why does this not fill me with optimism?

 

[Cabinet96]

Three proper defenders and no DM tonight. Hmmm….

 

[Pothas]

That is such a good cross.

 

[wpdavid]

That is such a good cross.

Good header too. Although some sort of challenge might have been nice.