Euro 2012 predictions/Discussion Thread

[Prodigy]

I'll do whatever, the 5 alive kinda sucks though.

 

[Doink]

I'll do whatever, the 5 alive kinda sucks though.

Did it before on the other forum and was going well until the whole clusterfuck restart thingy so yeah

 

[Keith]

Right tomorrow Hodgson picks his squad for the Euros. Question is what would your squad be?

Goalkeepers
Hart
Robinson
Ruddy

Defenders
Ferdinand
Jagielka
Baines
Cahill
Richards
Cole
Jones

Midfeld
Lampard
Gerrard
Barry
Young
Walcott
Parker
Oxlade Chambelain

Stikers
Rooney
Defoe
Holt
Bent
Crouch

And my XI to play France would be: Hart, Ferdinand, Jagielka, Cole, Baines, Lampard, Barry, Young, Walcott, Defoe, Crouch.

 

[Doink]

GK: Joe Hart
GK: John Ruddy
GK: Paul Robinson
DL: Leighton Baines
DL: Ashley Cole
DR: Kyle Walker
DR: Glen Johnson
DC: Michael Dawson
DC: Phil Jagielka
DC: Phil Jones
DC: Gary Cahill
ML: Ashley Young
ML: Stuart Downing
MR: Theo Walcott
MR: James Milner
MC: Scott Parker
MC: Jack Wilshere
MC: Frank Lampard
MC: Steven Gerrard
ST: Peter Crouch
ST: Daniel Sturridge
ST: Danny Welbeck
ST: Jermain Defoe

My 1st Line up:

Hart, Baines, Walker, Jones, Jagielka, Young, Walcott, Parker, Lampard, Sturridge, Crouch

 

[Keith]

I considered Parker, but wasn't sure if he would be fit for the first game.

 

[Doink]

Maybe not, if not, I'd probs take Gareth Barry

 

[Dale]

And my XI to play France would be: Hart, Ferdinand, Jagielka, Cole, Baines, Lampard, Barry, Young, Walcott, Defoe, Crouch.

Two left backs would be disasterous.

Englands goalkeeping situation is pretty fucking dire because if Joe Hart gets injured then I fear for who we might have to turn to, John Ruddy or Robert Green? Paul Robinson would be m #2 but he's retired and same with Ben Foster but that department is extremely weak.

 

[Aniking]

It doesn't sound "extremely" weak to me, but the fact Ben Foster and Paul Robinson have "retired" from International football really doesn't help. If anybody was gonna convince Foster to return, it would be Roy Hodgson. Personally I'd pick Joe Hart, Foster and John Ruddy, but if Foster doesn't come back then you've only got Rob Green left. Surely there's another England goalkeeper of some quality?

I'd pick my England team, but I'd need a big list of English players before I'd pick directly. Just wouldn't wanna miss anyone.

 

[AZUCAR!]

England squad for Euro 2012:

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Man City), Rob Green (West Ham), John Ruddy (Norwich)

Defenders: Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Man United), John Terry (Chelsea), Joleon Lescott (Man City), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Leighton Baines (Everton)

Midfielders: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Man City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Ashley Young (Man United), James Milner (Man City)

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Man United), Danny Welbeck (Man United), Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)

Standby players: Jack Butland (Birmingham City), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea).

 

[Aniking]

I've always thought that in a 23-man squad, using the basic 4-4-2 formation, that you need 3 Goalkeepers, 2 Right Backs, 4 Centre Backs, 2 Left Backs, 2 Right Mids, 4 Centre Mids, 2 Left Mids and 4 Strikers. Really that's just common sense, but I noticed that Hodgson has an extra mid and one less defender, specifically in the Right Back position. I get that Phil Jones has been playing Right Back for Man Utd and is primarily a Centre Back, but I still don't know about that. Why the extra Centre Mid too?

This is who I would pick in the starting 11, followed by who would replace them if injured etc, in the brackets:

GK - Joe Hart (John Ruddy, Robert Green)

RB - Glen Johnson
CB - Joleon Lescott (Phil Jones)
CB - John Terry (Gary Cahill)
LB - Ashley Cole (Leighton Baines)

RM - Theo Walcott (Stewart Downing)
CM - Steven Gerrard (Scott Parker, James Milner)
CM - Gareth Barry (Frank Lampard)
LM - Ashley Young (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain)

ST - Wayne Rooney (Andy Carroll)
ST - Danny Welbeck (Jermain Defoe)


- My choice for Goalkeeper is obvious, needs no explanation.
- I opted for an experienced backline. Cole has alot more experience than Baines, as does Terry over Cahill.
- With the midfield, I went with a relatively experienced line up, combined with how their Premier League seasons panned out. On the wings, Young & Walcott both had good seasons and have decent international experience, whereas Downing didn't have a great season and Oxlade-Chamberlain has yet to be capped. Through the middle, it was a toss up between Gerrard, Barry & Lampard as all have plenty of experience, but Gerrard has a big impact on games at important times and Barry had a very consistent season, but Lampard was on and off the bench, like Milner. Parker's coming off an injury too.
- My forward line can only come together for the final Group Stage game and possibly beyond, but say Rooney wasn't suspended, then I'd go with Man Utd's first choices purely due to their chemistry. Both Carroll & Defoe have been benchwarmers for a lot of the season, but one of them would need to replace Rooney, and idk which one to pick honestly. I guess Defoe due to experience.


I disagree with Micah Richards and Peter Crouch being excluded, maybe even throw Rio Ferdinand into that list too. Frankly Crouch should be in over Carroll or Defoe as they've both, as I mentioned above, warmed the bench a fair bit this season, whereas Crouch had a great season with Stoke. Although Richards was doing the same near the end of Man City's season, this is an important tournament so there needs to be suitable cover for Glen Johnson instead of throwing in an extra Centre Mid, which I think is unnecessary. Also Ferdinand had a decent season and should really have been picked over Jones for me.

 

[Doink]

WTF no Crouch, What a shit team, what a shit manager, fuck off Woy. Who the fuck is Jack Butland

 

[Aniking]

WTF no Crouch, What a shit team, what a shit manager, fuck off Woy. Who the fuck is Jack Butland

It's actually a fairly decent team, especially in the Centre Mid position. If all were fully fit, Hodgson would have a massive headache there.

I'm not sure if he's their first choice keeper, but Jack Butland plays for Birmingham and is a keeper that alot of the big clubs have been linked to. Gotta say it's a little strange he's picked, even if it's as a player on stand by, but I guess it goes to show England lack any more decent keepers with Ben Foster and Paul Robinson "retired".

 

[Keith]

Think that is a bit of an overaction Doink, he is the manager and until that squad of players fail then you can't really throw it back in his face.

I think this tourament is a good oppunity to experment because a series of main stays are reaching the end of their international careers and many of them just have not produced often enough for England over the years. Also realistically we can't win this one, so it makes sense to try and few new things which is why I like the inclussion of the likes of Chamblin and Ruddy. I agree that Crouch should be going, Welbeck is worth a place in the squad, but I would have Defoe ahead of him in the team as he is a more natural finisher and has more experience.

 

[Doink]

Think that is a bit of an overaction Doink, he is the manager and until that squad of players fail then you can't really throw it back in his face.

I think this tourament is a good oppunity to experment because a series of main stays are reaching the end of their international careers and many of them just have not produced often enough for England over the years. Also realistically we can't win this one, so it makes sense to try and few new things which is why I like the inclussion of the likes of Chamblin and Ruddy. I agree that Crouch should be going, Welbeck is worth a place in the squad, but I would have Defoe ahead of him in the team as he is a more natural finisher and has more experience.

1 Right Back, taking Rooney after what he did who's out for 2 games, no Crouch who's been our best this year in terms of the league imo, Defoe & Carroll have been benchwarmers and dreadful when deployed, Gerrards past it, had a poor season, Downings been dreadful. Milner doesn't play, Sturridge has been excellent and only on standby. Grant Holt has been brilliant but he's not there. I have a lot of problems with that team.

 

[Dale]

It doesn't sound "extremely" weak to me, but the fact Ben Foster and Paul Robinson have "retired" from International football really doesn't help. If anybody was gonna convince Foster to return, it would be Roy Hodgson. Personally I'd pick Joe Hart, Foster and John Ruddy, but if Foster doesn't come back then you've only got Rob Green left. Surely there's another England goalkeeper of some quality?

I still say it's extremely weak now even with the squad announcement. Rob Green has proved his unreliability in the WC when he let that disasterous goal in against the USA and John Ruddy has just had his first season in the PL so I wouldn't feel secure counting on him in the big environment. The fact that after these two is a goalkeeper i've never even heard of kinda speaks volumes I think.

1 Right Back, taking Rooney after what he did who's out for 2 games, no Crouch who's been our best this year in terms of the league imo, Defoe & Carroll have been benchwarmers and dreadful when deployed, Gerrards past it, had a poor season, Downings been dreadful. Milner doesn't play, Sturridge has been excellent and only on standby. Grant Holt has been brilliant but he's not there. I have a lot of problems with that team.

Phil Jones plays RB, CB & CM so technically there's two RB's even though he's a utility player. Richards is a RB and CB aswell and would have been second choice anyway so it's not really an issue with me even though for me, he would have been first choice right back. Rooney is our best player so he has to go, simple as. Crouch I would have taken and same with Defoe because he's a quality finisher and Carroll would have stayed at home. Gerrard being past it is laughable, he'd still get into most of the top clubs in the world. Downing is piss poor and would never get into my England squad, Milner is a very, very good squad player and can play anywhere in the midfield so he's a must take. Sturridge is meh and Holt is a massive meh, no sleep being lost over those two missing out.

The squad overall is pretty similar to what i'd have gone with except Robinson as #2 in place of Ruddy if I could get him out of retirement, Richards for Jones, Adam Johnson for Downing and Peter Crouch for Andy Carroll.

My team lineups using the official squads would be as follows.

vs France

------------------Hart--------------
Johnson-----Cahill-----Terry-----Cole
----------------Parker--------------
------Gerrard------------Barry-------
Milner-------------------------Young
---------------Defoe-----------------

The back 5 speaks for itself and i'd be surprised if it was anything else. Parker, Gerrard & Barry the 3 experienced guys to fight and work hard in the centre against a good France side. Milner and Young working slightly deeper than the traditional front three and have got the legs to get back for defensive duties, but also to get forward and cause their fullbacks some problems while providing Defoe who'll run the channels playing on the shoulder of the defence.

vs Sweden

------------------Hart--------------
Johnson-----Cahill-----Terry-----Cole
----------------Parker--------------
------Gerrard------------Barry-------
Walcott------------------------Young
---------------Defoe-----------------

Essentially the same team as against France except Walcott comes in on the right as against Sweden we should be dictating the game and he offers more going forward than Milner and shouldn't be needed to do as much defensively.

vs Ukraine

------------------Hart--------------
Johnson-----Cahill-----Terry-----Cole
----------------Parker--------------
------Gerrard------------Barry-------
Walcott-----------------------Young
---------------Rooney---------------

Same justification as against Sweden really. Hopefully we'll have gotten at least 4 points by this time so a win should definitley take us through and be afforded to change a few players around. Rooney would definitley come in having missed the first two games and i'd even be tempted to rest Gerrard for Lampard.