Duchene2MacKinnon
In the hands of Genius
- Aug 8, 2006
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World Cup: National Team threads #2
- Thread starter bleedblue1223
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Savant
Registered User
- Oct 3, 2013
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I mean he (probably) starts for them.
The only forward Italy has (that might be) better is Chiesa, and he hasn’t shown he pre-injury level yet
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
The big question is whether they're just trying to use dual-nationals to bridge the gap while they make changes to the academy system in Italy, or if they're just trying to put a bandaid on a severed limb.
At this point this isn't just a few weaker age groups, like the 97ers-00ers were for us, this is systemic.
John Price
Gang Gang
- Sep 19, 2008
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DAE remember when Germany was good?
Guess they really miss Low...
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
Nah, Germany's never been good. Some times other teams just happen to be worse than us.
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Duchene2MacKinnon
In the hands of Genius
- Aug 8, 2006
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. At least it's not the top 10.
Power Man
Grrrr
Spring in Fialta
A malign star kept him
Agree, he's probably good enough for France one day but for the sake of parity I hope he does.
Savant
Registered User
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Power Man
Grrrr
robertmac43
Forever 43!
- Mar 31, 2015
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This guy is way better than Dier! Well deserved call up.
JPBolts
Registered User
- Jun 21, 2019
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him & Mings are both called-up... & on current form are probably the 2/3 best English CBs around (after Stones).. Well Deserved
robertmac43
Forever 43!
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Savant
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Fair enough haha. Not a big fan of playing from the back with the central defenders anyway (as my selection of Maguire also shows), his job with the ball would always be either shooting it up the field, or a short pass to Shaw on the left, or Stones to his right. Against the ball he's my favourite English defender.
My England team with only fit players right now would be
Pope (Ramsdale)(Pickford)
Trent (Trippier)
Stones (Tomori)
Tarkowski (Maguire)
Shaw (Targett)
Rice (Henderson)
Maddison (Ward-Prowse)
Bellingham (Gallagher)
Foden (Saka)
Kane (Rashford)
Grealish (McNeil)
extras: Tavernier, March, Madueke
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
Feel like our best lineup would be 3 of Musiala, Wirtz, Havertz, or Sane behind Füllkrug. With Can partnering Kimmich in front of Schlotterbeck, Rüdiger, & ter Stegen...Raum or Gosens at LB and Klostermann, Henrichs, Wolf, or a 3rd CB on the right.
Füllkrug
Sane* - Musiala* - Wirtz*
Can - Kimmich
Raum - Schlotterbeck - Rüdiger - Klostermann**
ter Stegen
--------------------------
Werner
Havertz* - Brandt - Hoffman/Schade
Goretzka - Gundogan
Gosens - Ginter - Kehrer/Thiaw - Henrichs/Wolf
Trapp/Leno
Sane* - Musiala* - Wirtz*
Can - Kimmich
Raum - Schlotterbeck - Rüdiger - Klostermann**
ter Stegen
--------------------------
Werner
Havertz* - Brandt - Hoffman/Schade
Goretzka - Gundogan
Gosens - Ginter - Kehrer/Thiaw - Henrichs/Wolf
Trapp/Leno
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ter Stegen (Leno)(Zentner)
Wolf (Kubler)
Schlotterbeck (Sule)
Hummels (Knoche)
Wagner (Raum)
Kimmich (C) (Arnold)
Gundogan (Musiala)
Kroos (Goretzka)
Brandt (Hofmann)
Wirtz (Muller)
Sane (Adeyemi)
extras: Baumann, Mukhtar, Can
I know some players have since retired from the national team but this would be my team right now (with only fit players for this window). Slim picking for defense (especially right backs) and left wing (I like Sane more in the center, or on the right wing) in this generation.
Wolf (Kubler)
Schlotterbeck (Sule)
Hummels (Knoche)
Wagner (Raum)
Kimmich (C) (Arnold)
Gundogan (Musiala)
Kroos (Goretzka)
Brandt (Hofmann)
Wirtz (Muller)
Sane (Adeyemi)
extras: Baumann, Mukhtar, Can
I know some players have since retired from the national team but this would be my team right now (with only fit players for this window). Slim picking for defense (especially right backs) and left wing (I like Sane more in the center, or on the right wing) in this generation.
cgf
FireBednarsSuccessor
Disagree with a lot of this lol.
You're missing Füllkrug & Havertz...at least one of whom should start...and starting Brandt over Musiala would be crazy, even after the last two months.
In the midfield Can needs to start whether we play with 2 or 3...and you picked just 3 of the defenders that I would've (Schlotterbeck, Süle, and Raum).
Edit:
Though Toni's podcast isn't bad and I will always have love for the last star to be born in the same country as me, his NT time has passed. He just doesn't have the legs and we don't have Tchou & Cama to cover for him.
I could get on board with a midfield triangle featuring Kimmich, LeGo or Ilkay, & Can...if we didn't have Wirtz, Musiala, Sane, & Kai to play behind the striker even without Gnabry, Adeyemi, or Moukoko in this selection.
I know Musiala's form cratered after the coaching change, but he has to be in our best 11...ditto Wirtz...Havertz has just been too good for the NT not to be in the mix for a starting spot as well, and benching Sane is a tough sell too...even with Brandt's career year.
I sometimes can't help wishing you were allowed 12 players. Then we could just play a 4-3-3-1 to fit Füllkrug, a creative trio, and a midfield trio in front of the back 4...or even a 3-3-4-1 with all 4 creatives between Füllkrug and the midfield
I think our best 26...ignoring the U21s' needs...would look like:
ST (2): Füllkrug, Moukoko
AM (7): Musiala, Wirtz, Havertz, Sane, Gnabry, Adeyemi, Brandt
CM (4): Kimmich, Gundogan, Goretzka, Can
FB (5): Raum, Henrichs, Klostermann, Baku, Gosens/Günter/Netz
CB (5): Schlotterbeck, Rüdiger, Süle, Ginter, Thiaw/ABK
GK (3): ter Stegen, Trapp, Leno/Baumann
Might replace Klostermann or Thiaw / ABK with Arnold / Andrich / Khedira / Stach / Martel, since Klostermann provides cover at both CB & RB.
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