Engalnds Downfall can be explained in one simple term...

4-5-1

only when there was 4 (4-4-1) in midfield did we look any good, now think what we would have been like with 2 strikers....

No fault of anyones but sven and mclaren

(wnkr)

 

Disagree

Thought that system was what was needed to allow our "top" players, namely Gerrard and Lampard, to get at 'em.

In that system, Gerrard and Lampard should have been better than they were.

Players fault.

Although he should have taken more strikers.

Owen Hargreaves, 1st name on teamsheet next match. Its a must.

 

Missing penalties.

See my post yesterday about inquests after penalty shootouts.

The bottom line is we were level going into the penalty shootout - the sending off, the formation etc did not mean we lost the game, might have contributed to us being unable to win in normal play, but the reason we are out is purely and simply because we could not put the ball in the net from the penalty spot enough times even with the opposition put 2 wide.

 

Robinson didnt look like he was gonna get any in the shootout.

He looked like he was trying to 2nd guess the players , when to me all he should do is dive one way and hope.</p>

This seemed to be the tactic of the Portuguese guy and it worked fine for him.</p>

 

Sven's big failing...

..was that after 4 years he failed to sort out the midfield problems its been obvious to most that Beckham, Gerrard and Lampard certainly couldn't play in the same team together and that Gerrard and Lampard is never going to work as a central two. Teams are about balance and even Brazil pray with a defensive midfielder; the best team is not necessarily built from the best eleven players Beckham or Lampard should have been sacrificed two years ago for a Carrick/Hargreaves type. Couple that with the ridiculous choice of only three strikers in the squad (I refuse to include Walcott) and you end up with 'lets play 4-5-1 and pray it works'.

 

Ah, the good old 4-4-2 Brigade!

I'm not siding with Sven, but we've played 4-4-2 before and "failed".

I don't hear many people singing the praises of Scolari this morning either. Portugal were second best on the day (and they didn't even have a "proper" stiker on the pitch for most of the game).

HTH
Stephen

 

RE: Sven's big failing...

Lampard had chances to score yesterday and couldn't take them. Maybe it's a simple as that.

 

RE: Sven's big failing...

Possibly if we were talking about a system that had been proved to work over a few games I could accept that. Its the managers job to give the team the best opportunity to win games by the tactics he plays I just don't think Sven did that over the last few years. I'm not saying 4-5-1 can't work but that we only played it because of Sven's lack of forethought in squad selection and failing to address an obvious problem in the years since that last world cup.

 

We shouldn't...

...manufacture systems to try & accomodate all our so-called 'best players' & a fading captain. We have to accept that we can't play Gerrard & Lampard together as they are at their best playing the same role (good job we don't have two world class Right Backs!) Maybe now Beckham has relinquished the captaincy, he wont be the automatic selection that he always seems to have been and allows Lennon to progress. Manufacturing systems to accomodate these players and only taking three selectable strikers, led to playing Rooney alone and not getting the best out of him.

 

Rubbish! People have been moaning for years that sven only played 442. This system was ideal for lampard and gerrard but they didn't perform - that's where it went wrong. lampard was a big let down - left his shooting boots at Chelsea.

Hargreaves was sensational in this world cup - think he'll be a premiership player sooner rather than later

 

What should have been a great strength (having Lampard to cover for Gerrard and vice versa) became our great weakness (trying to play them together at the same time).