The official 2018 World Cup thread

[TheBigLug]

Really apart from Alli who hasn’t had a good minute for England let alone a match. All the players did their job well. Kyle Walker could probably have done better.

I do feel this England team maximise their talent. They are a lesser England team but they are more resilient.

Was RLC injured? To me it seemed he could have replace Alli after about 50 minutes. Alli was having a poor game anyway but he was also injured

Alli was clearly injured in the first game too, and still played 80 minutes, so ***** knows.

I'm very happy with England tonight. I don't think we can take much from the footballing side to the game, it was such a scrappy, dirty, stop-start match that neither team ever got into a rhythm. It wasn't a game where attacking players could do a lot.

What pleases me is that it's the kind of game we would have lost in the past. Colombia started off dirty and i was worried we would be naive and fall victim to their tricks, but in a way, we actually played them at their own game at times, we were no angels either, which i liked. Not that it should be applauded but it's tournament football and sometimes it's needed. This England team seem a bit clever in that respect.

Also happy we didn't fold after their late goal..and of course won on penalties.

I'd say Sterling and Alli need replacing but it's also unfair to judge them too harshly due to the points i made earlier. It was not the kind of game they could shine in but even so, Alli looks off the pace to me and Sterling not offering enough quality. Would rather see Rashford and Loftus-Cheek in there, try to freshen things up. It feels a bit stale in the final third.

[TheBigLug]

Can we just have a second to crush on Harry Maguire aka Norman Bagshaw.

I love that meatheaded f.ucker. I have for about 2 years now

Bagshaw was ****ing sublime tonight

[TheBigLug]

Holding the ball up is the strikers job mayne

It is.

Kane played a brilliant game, the way he held the ball up and tried to bring others in to play or make Colombia commit to fouls was a real old school centre forwards performances. Shearer was great at it.

I think he did drop too deep at times, but it was obviously because he could see we needed more control in the middle.

Anyone that thinks Kane wasn't quality tonight doesn't really understand what they're looking at. People think because of the hype, he's a player that's going to ghost past players and create moments of magic but he isn't that style of player. He's an old school centre forward that works hard, holds the ball up well and finishes his changes when they get them. It might not be great to watch like some players, but he's top notch at what he does. Players of his mould are as rare as rocking horse **** these days.

Some say he's fortunate to have 6 goals. Well look at his goalscoring rate over the past 4 years, it's only a follow on from that. Nothing fortunate about it. Were they great goals? no, but if it was that easy, everyone would be doing it. His anticipation in the box is incredible, as is his mentality for moments like penalties.

[Sparked_26]

Today we have a 20th straight day of blazing sunshine at 30 degrees and the Chances of football coming home remain at 100%

Humidity is low but some produced by the misty tears of our brutally vanquished rivals.

[Sparked_26]

In politics now, and England have sent Sweden a litre tub of KY jelly and a ball gag.

The message being that Sweden will be taken to the woodshed but efforts made to minimise discomfort and silence their screams. It’s a typically a classy move by God’s favourites - The English, completely unlike what Sweden did with England several hundred years ago.

Reports say England will whisper ‘it’s coming home’ into Sweden’s ear at a really opportune time.

When Sweden were pressed for comment they were found s.hitting in a cupboard and eating crayons. A cupboard they assembled using about 3,000 bits of wood of questionable quality and armed with only vague picture based instruction and a bent piece of metal.

[black.ink]

Sweden will be a physical, ugly game. Their main chance is from set pieces, but we will brush the modest-priced furnishing producers aside with guile, pace and precision.

We lack a bastard in the middle. Ali for sure will not be starting the next game and has looked poor throughout. Sterling has offered very little too, but his positioning is something others can't replicate (though a bit pointless if you can't make the chances count), and i'd prefer Rose to start over Young.

My team for next game

Pickford
Walker - Stones - Maguire
Trippier Rose
Henderson
Loftus-Cheek Lingard
Vardy Kane

Subs to utilise: Rashford (for Vardy), Sterling (for RLC) for pace against dead legs, Dier (for Lingard) to shut up shop and make things more comfortable at the back.

Our place is already booked for the semi's.

[MOTHERDUCKER]

RLC would have got sent off vs the Columbians imo

I agree with what was said though.. England managed the game very well for the most part.. kept the ball.. time wasting.. brought free kicks.. The one decent thing Ali did was taking 5 mins to walk of the pitch high fiving everyone

Columbia created nothing.. except the 30 yard shot/goal and when Walker gave Cuardrado a great touch. The back 3 impressed me overall.. but i can see us gifting a goal at some stage (we almost did) by passing it around the back like we do

Also ****ing typical the two Chelsea rejects.. blast those two penalties straight in

[Sparked_26]

Sweden will be a physical, ugly game. Their main chance is from set pieces, but we will brush the modest-priced furnishing producers aside with guile, pace and precision.

We lack a bastard in the middle. Ali for sure will not be starting the next game and has looked poor throughout. Sterling has offered very little too, but his positioning is something others can't replicate (though a bit pointless if you can't make the chances count), and i'd prefer Rose to start over Young.

My team for next game

Pickford
Walker - Stones - Maguire
Trippier Rose
Henderson
Loftus-Cheek Lingard
Vardy Kane

Subs to utilise: Rashford (for Vardy), Sterling (for RLC) for pace against dead legs, Dier (for Lingard) to shut up shop and make things more comfortable at the back.

Our place is already booked for the semi's.

I like the line up but worry that Kane does drop deep when Vardy is there.

I’d go for a bit of a wildcard like Welbzz. Just because he presses extremely well but also because he naturally pulls wide. Tactically might be a better fit if not a better player than Rashford and Vardy.

I thought Sterling did alright tbh. His issue now is that he just isn’t going to score and he is taking up a spot that has to be occupied by someone remotely capable of scoring a goal.

I know he’s done it at City but it’s the not happening for him for England. I’m not sure what range he could score from. Also 1000% he would have taken and missed his penalty yesterday.

I was all over Vardy and Kane partnership before it started but Vardy basically has no game. He doesn’t really like anyone close to him and just constantly spins in behind. That’s not even a criticism he’s just quite basic.

[Dr.Cool]

Viva la France!!!

England should have destroyed the severely overmatched Columbians. They disappointed, but they had one hell of a lucky draw. Croatia is the only team on that side with a chance. Sorry, but France, Brazil, Belgium, and Uruguay all beat England, Sweden, and Russia easily. All day, every day.

[El Fenomeno]

Columbia didn't deserve that (to win).. England back 3 (4 with GK) controlled the game along with Kane..

Sterling and Ali need to pick it up they have done nothing ak far.. Sterling is world class apparently..

Lingard was not good either but he did play well earlier in the tournament

I thought both Lingard and Sterling were good last night.

In a game where chances were minimal I thought those were the 2 at the heart of pretty much anything we created through the middle with their movement and interplay. One would drop in and the other would bomb on past the striker, I remember one instance that Sterling dropped in and played a 1-2 with Alli who put Lingard in (had Kane across the area for a tap in).

Sterling lost the ball too much but he's also the only player we have who can receive the ball in tight spaces and turn a defender to get in at a back 4 - at one point early on last night he turned Mina who literally wrestled him to the floor for about 5-6 seconds. We have enough bodies in there to be able to accommodate a player who will take those chances.

I don't think anyone is calling him world class, for the record.

I literally couldn't name a single contribution that Dele Alli has made in the tounament. I'd have RLC in for him and that would be the only change I'd make for the Sweden game (an argument for Rose-Young too).