[RightJudgeIam]

For some time now I've been arguing with my friends and family that England need to come up with a new way of playing, a new team and formation given that we have singularly unsuccessful with the current crop and formation.

Reaching and losing quarter finals in tournaments in the Sven era was seen as under achievement at the time but given the abject performances since it could be argued that those quarter finals were in fact very successful performances.

In the 4-4-2 system Sven played there was a key partnership which unfortunately has not been available in the last 18 months or so and I am talking about the Gary Neville (81 caps)/ David Beckham link up on the right side. Since Neville has been unavailable Beckhams' performances have suffered and it seems to me that the replacements available for the right back position are just not up to it.

Clearly we have a deficit in top class right backs yet at the same time we seem to have and endless supply of really decent centre backs (Ferdinand, Carragher, Woodgate, King, Terry and some others).

At the same time our midfield lacks a seriously creative playmaker and hence we naturally create very little in attack. All of this lead me to think about this:

play a team consisting of 3 centre-backs, 5 in midfield and two strikers.

You would want to find a combination of 3 centre backs that could work well together not necessarily the best individuals (Ferdinand, Woodgate and Carragher would be my pick.. 3 players who are quick thiking, good at reading the game and have plenty of experience)

then you have the chance to play 5 in midfield and in doing so attempt to solve the problem of 'the missing playmaker' and I reckon there is just one player who could do this job and that would be Wayne Rooney. It might be argued that he is a striker but I just dont see him scoring enough goals in that position and reckon that he be better used linking the midfield and attack.

My team therefore would be something like:

                                Goalkeeper

  Carragher                Ferdinand                Woodgate


                                 Hargreaves(King)


               Gerrard                         Barry                Young(Cole)


                                         Rooney


                         Heskey(Ashton)       Owen(Agbonlahor)


I reckon we have the defenders to make this work and Rooney really could develop into a 'playmaker'. You could probably argue about the individuals, their roles and style of play. The formation would need to be rock solid defensively too (depending on the opposition you might want to play Richards and Ashley Cole as more defensive wide players for instance) but surely this would give us more attacking options.

Mainly though under the 4-4-2 system currently, we have a deficit of right backs, very little attacking flair, are not defensively sound (just look at the goals we have conceded) and are not using our best attacking footballer to our best advantage.

None of my mates agree with any of this LOL!! But I would love to see if it could work.

[theGoingStick]

My big concern with the formation would be in defence, none of then play with three center backs at club level. They'd only have the time with England to practice and get use to it which isn't much. I'd of thought tactically it would be a bad move as the flanks would be exposed by any half decent team at international level.

From memory the recent England teams have tried different variations on formation, wasn't there the christmas tree or something ridiculous like that. I don't think any of them have worked particularly well.

For me it's about personel on the field, ok managers take the responsibility but they aren't doing the running about on the pitch. Don't forget that Erickson and Cappello had serious footballing CVs before they took the job on, if they can't get the trophies then what's the likelyhood any other manager can ? Hopefully Capello will try out some different players in his next friendly because his current set clearly aren't up to it.

[Owl of Minerva]

I see what you're saying about playing to our strengths but I think that team would be a bit exposed down the wings!

[geordie_racer]

if you remember we id go 3 at the back in a wrold cup  under sir bob

that back 3 would work because you have a plaer who can slot back from midfield [hargreaves who can and does play right back] and a left sided defender [carragher who can and does play left back]

so it can move to a 4-4-2 if needed

pllus - while it's right that they dont play that way at club level, its also true that if you pick god enough players [robson used parker, butcher wright with hdge dropping back if needed to LB and parker going to RB] they can do it

which is why you could do it with those 3 or use Micah Richards instead of 1 of them]


2 things for me after yesterday

1 dont pick lampard ever

2 start with joe cole always

[RightJudgeIam]

yes I was aware of the possibility of defensive problems on the flanks which is why I mentioned Micah Richards and Ashley cole to play as wide players... I just would worry that would end up as 5 at the back.

The thing  about playing the 3 centre backs is that we would always have replacements available even if there were suspensions and injuries.

Never gonna happen though ... am completely sick of watching the current England team. Just so many players that cant do it, no attacking flair and defensively poor...

whatever happened to thrashing Germany 5-1 away?

[Ferretio]

[ngreggors]

Ashley Young needs to play left wing.
Bentley needs to replace Beckham. His set plays are almost as good but he is 10 x better in open play.

[accajacca]

[geordie_racer]

acca... i suggest a trip to specsavers old son

beckham was awful last night

theres a lot more to international football than running round and taking dead balls

he almost buried the game for them when we were 2-1 down and his performance was pedestrian

he simply cannot contribute at international level when the ball is moving; he is, however, excellent when it has been placed. not enough

bentley may or may not be the answer [I have my doubts] but FCapello has had 5 games now and has wasted them; we are now into qualifying games and unless he seriously thinks thhat after 2 more years of playing for a poor team in USA Beckham will be physically and mentally sharp enough to take on the top teams at the World cup the purpose of perpetuatng his presence in theengland team in that tim is beyond me

if maclaren had sent that team out to play like that yesterday he would have been pilloried and evryone on here would be baying for his sacking

but Capello's like a master tactician isnt he, a genius, so its ok (ps he is perhaps another performer who is great at club level but cant step up to internationals, we dont know)

look at players whowere there yesterday and tell me how

upson
defoe
heskey
jenas

deserve to be anywhere near an international squad

beckham is past it

lampard wont cut it at that level

and to make matters worse our best midfield player is employed on the elft wing to allow fat frank to waddle around to no purpose in the centre

gerard and barry look excellent together; i dont care how big a pal of "big"phil's capello is, lampard should NOT be there

yes we should be playing differently and different players [get walcott in... pace to burn...] but the time todo so was in friendlies, not in qualifying games

if anyone can point me to a player or a team performance that has been a major step forward under capello i would be interested; yesterday was a shambles

[accajacca]

i think you and i have done this one to death before geordie so i won't bore you with another pro-beckham rant

[Papa 2]

Observations on England games and players will always vary according to the observers expectations, I never expect much, for one reason, lack of consistency, the consistency of the players that got them in the team in the first place.  The biggest example is David James, what a clown/genius at his worst at his best.

[RightJudgeIam]

I know I'm repeating myself but I am convinced Beckham cannot play effectively without Gary Neville behind him (in the England team). Wes Brown is simply not good enough and their partnership on the right flank does not work.

Barry and Gerrard must play in the centre but Barry is wasted as a 'holding' player... he should be used as a play maker if we are going to continue with 4-4-2.

Pick two wingers and two strikers (none of them are really good enough anyway)...

[accajacca]

[penleguin]

[archie mackenzie]

the last decent goalkeeper england had imo was peter shilton, world class
the rest no more than being average
thanks archibald.

[penleguin]

Another thing about some of the players, maybe it just isn't their egos that get in the way of them playing in the same team, perhaps some of them just aren't good enough to be adaptable and I guess Capello is still learning who can and can't adjust to different positions.

[geordie_racer]

[accajacca]

[Papa 2]

Whenever I watch football, I don't anticipate a goal from a corner, a free kick, yes, because free kicks are becoming more inventive, yet corners, which happen more often, are neglected to the extent of none expectation, especially as they rarely get past the nearest defender to the kick.  

[accajacca]

[Papa 2]