England will do well to qualify for the Last 16, Uruguay and Italy are much better than England. Argentina always seem to play Nigeria at the world cup, 4th time now (1994, 2002, 2010, 2014) hopefully this time the tables will turn for Nigeria.

I don't think either are much better than England at all, better perhaps but not so much that we should be considered outsiders in that group. Italy's qualification results were no better than ours (they also W6 D4) and Uruguay aren't as good as they were four years ago, very much relying on Suarez and Cavani. Both would be below England in the World Rankings if the Confederations Cup hadn't have happened in the summer.

Croatia's defender Josip Simunic will miss the 2014 World Cup after being given a 10-match ban by FIFA for discrimary behaviour.

 

This is because he led Croatia fans to a pro-Nazi chant following their 2-0 play-off win against Iceland last month.

Good riddance.

 

Interesting graphics in the Guardian, obviously it's all on the rankings but showing how difficult the groups supposedly are.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/intera...gth-of-schedule

Walcott ruled out of the World Cup.

 

Guess Townsend and Sterling will fight it out now, although the former will be living off his form of about 3 months ago.

Not good news. It does at least mean that if Oxlade-Chamberlain has a good rest of the season he should get in with little trouble. If you were to take him, Milner and Townsend I don't think you necessarily need Sterling. Would leave room for another central player, and you could always play Henderson out wide.

Not good news. It does at least mean that if Oxlade-Chamberlain has a good rest of the season he should get in with little trouble. If you were to take him, Milner and Townsend I don't think you necessarily need Sterling. Would leave room for another central player, and you could always play Henderson out wide.

 

If Roy Hodgson takes Townsend over Sterling then the guy's a buffoon. The latter's ceiling is so much higher. Him and Henderson have been magnificent over the past month.

If Roy Hodgson takes Townsend over Sterling then the guy's a buffoon. The latter's ceiling is so much higher. Him and Henderson have been magnificent over the past month.

I said Townsend because I'm not convinced of Sterling's temperament, but either way I think you only need one. It means you can take Henderson, Barkley and Lallana as well.

I said Townsend because I'm not convinced of Sterling's temperament, but either way I think you only need one. It means you can take Henderson, Barkley and Lallana as well.

 

His temperament is fine, he had off the field issues, but they've been resolved now. He's genuinely been such a great player this past month. Few things to work on, but he's 19 and having a massive influence on a top 6 team. If he can develop his shooting boots more, which I'm sure he will, he will become some player.

 

Not convinced we need all three of Henderson, Barkley and Lallana, cos one of them will inevitably be forced out wide. Henderson would be shit as a right/left midfielder, the way Hodgson plays the team.

It's dependent on form for the rest of the season. I'm not convinced Sterling would do as well without Suarez, whereas Townsend will probably play as well in Sherwood's system as he did under AVB. He's also got a really high pass completion rate in the final third as well, far better than Sterling's. We can't afford to be giving the ball away often in Brazil.

I've watched very little of Spurs this season, so it's hard for me to judge Townsend

 

For what it's worth, Sterling was MOTM at the weekend with Suarez making only a small cameo towards the end of the game. He's made a vast improvement in the past few months and has gone from being almost certain to go out on loan to being one of our best and influential players alongside Henderson and Suarez. The erratic form since his debut is to be expected though considering he's only just turned 19 and had only ever played reserve team football

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see them both selected in the squad though

Sterling is TWICE the player Townsend will ever be. I think Milner is going to cover the right side though myself. If we're gonna play 4-3-3 then I wonder if maybe Sturridge might play on the right of the front three.

 

I definitely think Henderson deserves to go and think he'll make a good understudy for Michael Carrick particularly if we're not gonna take Gareth Barry. One of Lalana and Barkley should definitely go, infact I think Barkley and Henderson may be first choice come the next tournament. Depending on if Gerrard retires or not then I can see Henderson and Barkley being the choices fot 4-4-2 and Henderson, Barkley, Wilshere being the choices for 4-3-3.

Either is horrendously flimsy, we don't have a young holding midfielder of the same standard of those three given Rodwell moved at exactly the wrong time. I'd rather have Jones in there.

 

And I hope that his time at Chelsea convinces Hodgson that Sturridge can't be trusted out wide.

Let's face it unless one of them is injured then Carrick, Gerrard, Lampard and Wilshere are all going. With 3 keepers, 7 defenders and 4 strikers (Rooney, Sturridge, Welbeck + 1) that leaves five spaces, Milner will be almost certainly be one and Walcott would definitely have been another. In his current form I can't see Lallana not making it. The remaining three, pick from Barkley, Henderson, Cleverley, Morrison, Sterling, Lennon, Townsend, Chamberlain, Rodriguez, Barry, Huddlestone, Zaha if he's loaned...

Realllly excited for this summer! Its gonna be awesssome! Braziil

England squad for Denmark friendly

 

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart [Man City], Fraser Forster [Celtic], John Ruddy [Norwich], Ben Foster [West Brom]

 

Defenders: Leighton Baines [Everton], Ashley Cole [Chelsea], Luke Shaw [southampton], Glen Johnson [Liverpool], Kyle Walker [Tottenham], Gary Cahill [Chelsea], Chris Smalling [Man United], Steven Caulker [Cardiff]

 

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard [Liverpool], Jack Wilshere [Arsenal], Frank Lampard [Chelsea], Ross Barkley [Everton], Jordan Henderson [Liverpool], Tom Cleverley [Man United] , Michael Carrick [Man United] , Adam Lallana [southampton], James Milner [Man City], Andros Townsend [Tottenham], Raheem Sterling [Liverpool], Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain [Arsenal]

 

Forwards: Wayne Rooney [Man United], Daniel Sturridge [Liverpool], Rickie Lambert [southampton], Jay Rodriguez [southampton], Daniel Welbeck [Man United], Jermain Defoe [Toronto FC]

Think that's about right. Awful to think that Chris Smalling is pretty much going to be on the plane to Rio. Horrendously out of form. And just how Cleverly still gets in the England squad amazes me. I'd rather take Barry.

Our defensive options are awful

 

At LB we are well stocked, but Walker and Johnson at RB haven't been in great form. Caulker, Smalling, Cahill and Jagielka at CB doesn't fill me with much hope either

Probably indicates that Adam Johnson won't be in contention.

 

Am I the only one who thinks it's unwise to only have three CBs in that squad? I know that it's massively unlikely that anyone other than those four and Jones could make it to Brazil but still looks thin.

Probably indicates that Adam Johnson won't be in contention.

 

Am I the only one who thinks it's unwise to only have three CBs in that squad? I know that it's massively unlikely that anyone other than those four and Jones could make it to Brazil but still looks thin.

 

Not sure it matters really, Hodgson admitted as much in his press conference that he will only take 4 CBs and that they will be Jones, Smalling, Cahill and Jagielka. Imagine Shaw will get a run out and depending how well he does, he could get Ashley Cole's place (although I would suspect Hodgson will favour experience over youth). Our defence is really weak though, I guess it currently favours Hodgson's preference of a solid back line. No way could we play possession football, or a higher line with our CBs.