Didn't realise it was his choice.
Right, someone check when we're next playing Brazil.
Didn't realise it was his choice.
Right, someone check when we're next playing Brazil.
juventus1980
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Quite the jump you've made there. Too much expectation on a 17 year old with very small experience.
Are you being serious?
Bah, I had just seen a screenshot where he was touted as the next Barnes, which was kind of funny as they were both born in Kingston but it appears it was particular to that save. I thought he started off as the next John Barnes in FM :c
England's midfield shift proves more successful than Holland's
England's midfield shift proves more successful than Holland's
England's midfield shift proves more successful than Holland's | Michael *** | Football | guardian.co.uk
It was a weekend of change in the central midfield zones of many major European nations. For Holland, gone are the days of Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong – it's now Jordy Clasie and Kevin Strootman. Spain gave a first competitive start to Beñat Etxebarria, France to Rio Mavuba.
In fairness, Roy Hodgson did use Tom Cleverley in an advanced midfield role – the Cesc Fábregas position, as he put it – but behind the Manchester United player was that old, tried and troublesome partnership of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. Can it work this time around?
Gerrard and Lampard's failure to form a reliable partnership at international level can partly be attributed to their positional evolution for their clubs. The first time they appeared together for England, more than 10 years ago, it made sense. Gerrard had established himself as a tough-tackling, energetic defensive midfielder in the national side; his partnership with Paul Scholes, at its peak in the 5-1 win in Germany, worked because Scholes was an attacking central midfielder who popped up in dangerous positions on the edge of the box while Gerrard provided the mobility, tenacity and tackling ability alongside.
Lampard was yet to prove himself at international level but had enjoyed a solid first season at Chelsea. He partnered Emmanuel Petit in a 4-4-2 and, although the Frenchman's discipline gave Lampard freedom to attack, he was an all-round box-to-box midfielder rather than an outright offensive threat.
In subsequent years, the two made significant strides – both in terms of ability and positioning. Gradually, both reached their peak at the head of a midfield triangle – Lampard in José Mourinho's 4-3-3, where his primary function was to break forward and provide goals from midfield. Gerrard took longer to find his true position at Liverpool but he also thrived with a holding midfielder and a passer behind him, so he could focus on linking up with the sole striker. It was a 4-2-3-1 at Liverpool but the same principles applied – both players had gone from all-rounders to outright attacking midfielders. In 2001-02, the season of their first England appearance together, they scored a combined 11 goals in 98 club appearances. By 2005-06 that figure was 43 in 103.
To replicate their club form for the national side both players needed to be at head of a midfield triangle, which was the first problem. The second was that England frequently used a duo rather than a trio anyway, and so Gerrard and Lampard in a two-man midfield didn't make sense on either level.
That's all history. Now, there's been another change; both players lack the outright directness and energy they possessed in the middle of the last decade, and are forced to play deeper roles for their club sides.
Lampard adjusted admirably to Roberto Di Matteo's European approach last season – he sat deep as part of a flat three-man midfield and played diagonal passes out of defence to prompt counter-attacks. This season, as Chelsea shift to a more proactive side featuring multiple playmakers, Lampard's role has become less certain. He sits deep alongside Mikel John Obi in a position where he neither offers the midfield runs of yesteryear nor the break-prompting passes of last season. He's far from redundant, but his role is much more reserved.
Gerrard's purpose is unclear under Brendan Rodgers – when Lucas Leiva was fit, Joe Allen played the most advanced midfield role and Gerrard bridged the gap between the two. Rodgers wants less direct running and more patient passing, and Liverpool's captain is yet to perform well under the new regime.
Against a side as weak as Moldova there was less need for a deep midfielder like Michael Carrick, but Hodgson's reason for leaving out the Manchester United player was interesting. "I like Carrick very much but his style of play is a bit more similar to Steven's, and to Frank's," he declared. "So with Tom Cleverley I think we get another dimension to our play." This is a surprising judgement – of Carrick, Lampard, Gerrard and Cleverley, it's surely Carrick who is the most unique, because of his patience on the ball, his deep positioning and relative lack of tenacity.
But Hodgson's perception is telling, illustrating that he believes Lampard and Gerrard are now deep midfielders. At their peak, if you wanted someone 'different' to complete a midfield triangle alongside those two, a holding midfielder would be required. Now, at least according to Hodgson, you need an attacking midfielder to offer different qualities – and that's a very significant shift.
Now, a Gerrard-Lampard midfield is, unbelievably, back on the cards. Both hold their position more, are more conservative with their runs and more patient with their passing. But then, these features are simply a byproduct of them being forced to adapt their style, now their physical powers have diminished. Theoretically they ought to have a better understanding, but they simply aren't in a position to reproduce the raw quality of, say, 2005 – when they came second and third in the Ballon D'Or, behind Ronaldinho in a Europe-wide poll to find the best players on the continent.
Essentially, the possibility of a good partnership has only emerged because both have declined in ability. That sums up how dreadfully mismanaged they've been over the past decade, and the nature of this tale – individuality first, teamwork a handy back-up plan – sums up a great deal more.
Holland's work in progress
Holland's midfield revolution had mixed results in the 2-0 win over Turkey on Friday night. In his first competitive game in charge of the Dutch national side, Louis van Gaal chose a more classically Dutch 4-3-3 rather than boxy 4-2-3-1 favoured by his predecessor Bert van Marwijk. Jordy Clasie was the primary holder, with Kevin Strootman shuttling forward and playing some good left-footed passes, and Wesley Sneijder tucked into a midfield position, much deeper than under van Marwijk.
Holland struggled for creativity, however – their first goal came from a Robin van Persie header from a corner, similar to his winner at Southampton last week. The second goal was scored in injury time, as Turkey pushed forward for an equaliser. Meanwhile, Van Gaal ended up removing Clasie, who he criticised for not passing forward often enough. "Clasie can offer a lot going forward, but he did not," he said.
Instead, he brought on the more physical Twente holder Leroy Fer, a player closer in style to De Jong, who was left out of the squad entirely. Understandably at such an early stage, Van Gaal's side is a work in progress.
The Portugal problem
The side with the most consistent starting XI in Europe is Portugal. Paulo Bento has named the same side for the last eight competitive games – with only one exception, when Hélder Postiga was injured for the Euro 2012 semi-final against Spain, so Hugo Almeida started instead.
Bento needed to change his shape midway through the 2-1 win over Luxembourg, however, a game in which Portugal conceded the first goal. With the score 1-1 at half-time, Bento removed his holding midfielder, Miguel Veloso, in favour of an extra attacker, Porto winger Silvestre Varela. This meant Nani drifted inside into a more central position and Portugal soon found the crucial second goal through Postiga.
Bento must choose wisely between familiarity and tactics – having such a settled side is useful, but in this game Portugal didn't need three central midfielders (Veloso, João Moutinho and Raul Meireles) all playing a similar role, which was frequently the problem under Bento's predecessor Carlos Queiroz.
England's midfield shift proves more successful than Holland's
England's midfield shift proves more successful than Holland's | Michael *** | Football | guardian.co.uk
It was a weekend of change in the central midfield zones of many major European nations. For Holland, gone are the days of Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong – it's now Jordy Clasie and Kevin Strootman. Spain gave a first competitive start to Beñat Etxebarria, France to Rio Mavuba.
In fairness, Roy Hodgson did use Tom Cleverley in an advanced midfield role – the Cesc Fábregas position, as he put it – but behind the Manchester United player was that old, tried and troublesome partnership of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. Can it work this time around?
Gerrard and Lampard's failure to form a reliable partnership at international level can partly be attributed to their positional evolution for their clubs. The first time they appeared together for England, more than 10 years ago, it made sense. Gerrard had established himself as a tough-tackling, energetic defensive midfielder in the national side; his partnership with Paul Scholes, at its peak in the 5-1 win in Germany, worked because Scholes was an attacking central midfielder who popped up in dangerous positions on the edge of the box while Gerrard provided the mobility, tenacity and tackling ability alongside.
Lampard was yet to prove himself at international level but had enjoyed a solid first season at Chelsea. He partnered Emmanuel Petit in a 4-4-2 and, although the Frenchman's discipline gave Lampard freedom to attack, he was an all-round box-to-box midfielder rather than an outright offensive threat.
In subsequent years, the two made significant strides – both in terms of ability and positioning. Gradually, both reached their peak at the head of a midfield triangle – Lampard in José Mourinho's 4-3-3, where his primary function was to break forward and provide goals from midfield. Gerrard took longer to find his true position at Liverpool but he also thrived with a holding midfielder and a passer behind him, so he could focus on linking up with the sole striker. It was a 4-2-3-1 at Liverpool but the same principles applied – both players had gone from all-rounders to outright attacking midfielders. In 2001-02, the season of their first England appearance together, they scored a combined 11 goals in 98 club appearances. By 2005-06 that figure was 43 in 103.
To replicate their club form for the national side both players needed to be at head of a midfield triangle, which was the first problem. The second was that England frequently used a duo rather than a trio anyway, and so Gerrard and Lampard in a two-man midfield didn't make sense on either level.
That's all history. Now, there's been another change; both players lack the outright directness and energy they possessed in the middle of the last decade, and are forced to play deeper roles for their club sides.
Lampard adjusted admirably to Roberto Di Matteo's European approach last season – he sat deep as part of a flat three-man midfield and played diagonal passes out of defence to prompt counter-attacks. This season, as Chelsea shift to a more proactive side featuring multiple playmakers, Lampard's role has become less certain. He sits deep alongside Mikel John Obi in a position where he neither offers the midfield runs of yesteryear nor the break-prompting passes of last season. He's far from redundant, but his role is much more reserved.
Gerrard's purpose is unclear under Brendan Rodgers – when Lucas Leiva was fit, Joe Allen played the most advanced midfield role and Gerrard bridged the gap between the two. Rodgers wants less direct running and more patient passing, and Liverpool's captain is yet to perform well under the new regime.
Against a side as weak as Moldova there was less need for a deep midfielder like Michael Carrick, but Hodgson's reason for leaving out the Manchester United player was interesting. "I like Carrick very much but his style of play is a bit more similar to Steven's, and to Frank's," he declared. "So with Tom Cleverley I think we get another dimension to our play." This is a surprising judgement – of Carrick, Lampard, Gerrard and Cleverley, it's surely Carrick who is the most unique, because of his patience on the ball, his deep positioning and relative lack of tenacity.
But Hodgson's perception is telling, illustrating that he believes Lampard and Gerrard are now deep midfielders. At their peak, if you wanted someone 'different' to complete a midfield triangle alongside those two, a holding midfielder would be required. Now, at least according to Hodgson, you need an attacking midfielder to offer different qualities – and that's a very significant shift.
Now, a Gerrard-Lampard midfield is, unbelievably, back on the cards. Both hold their position more, are more conservative with their runs and more patient with their passing. But then, these features are simply a byproduct of them being forced to adapt their style, now their physical powers have diminished. Theoretically they ought to have a better understanding, but they simply aren't in a position to reproduce the raw quality of, say, 2005 – when they came second and third in the Ballon D'Or, behind Ronaldinho in a Europe-wide poll to find the best players on the continent.
Essentially, the possibility of a good partnership has only emerged because both have declined in ability. That sums up how dreadfully mismanaged they've been over the past decade, and the nature of this tale – individuality first, teamwork a handy back-up plan – sums up a great deal more.
Holland's work in progress
Holland's midfield revolution had mixed results in the 2-0 win over Turkey on Friday night. In his first competitive game in charge of the Dutch national side, Louis van Gaal chose a more classically Dutch 4-3-3 rather than boxy 4-2-3-1 favoured by his predecessor Bert van Marwijk. Jordy Clasie was the primary holder, with Kevin Strootman shuttling forward and playing some good left-footed passes, and Wesley Sneijder tucked into a midfield position, much deeper than under van Marwijk.
Holland struggled for creativity, however – their first goal came from a Robin van Persie header from a corner, similar to his winner at Southampton last week. The second goal was scored in injury time, as Turkey pushed forward for an equaliser. Meanwhile, Van Gaal ended up removing Clasie, who he criticised for not passing forward often enough. "Clasie can offer a lot going forward, but he did not," he said.
Instead, he brought on the more physical Twente holder Leroy Fer, a player closer in style to De Jong, who was left out of the squad entirely. Understandably at such an early stage, Van Gaal's side is a work in progress.
The Portugal problem
The side with the most consistent starting XI in Europe is Portugal. Paulo Bento has named the same side for the last eight competitive games – with only one exception, when Hélder Postiga was injured for the Euro 2012 semi-final against Spain, so Hugo Almeida started instead.
Bento needed to change his shape midway through the 2-1 win over Luxembourg, however, a game in which Portugal conceded the first goal. With the score 1-1 at half-time, Bento removed his holding midfielder, Miguel Veloso, in favour of an extra attacker, Porto winger Silvestre Varela. This meant Nani drifted inside into a more central position and Portugal soon found the crucial second goal through Postiga.
Bento must choose wisely between familiarity and tactics – having such a settled side is useful, but in this game Portugal didn't need three central midfielders (Veloso, João Moutinho and Raul Meireles) all playing a similar role, which was frequently the problem under Bento's predecessor Carlos Queiroz.
I have nothing against Sterling but seriously?.... A youngster who has just made a handful of appearances at the top level and lets face it, not really set the world alight in any of them is now part of the senior squad?
That also despite there being better players who were not selected such as Dyer mentioned by Sunil.
Deserved.
That also despite there being better players who were not selected such as Dyer mentioned by Sunil.
Deserved.
Heard he was eligible for Jamaica too, maybe to make sure he won't play for Jamaica he will get few mins? Something I do in FM lol.
Meh if his development goes to plan then he should play for England before long... Anyways the only way I can see Sterling playing for Jamaica is if he messes up in the next few years, I am sure he too would prefer England over Jamaica performances permitting
Seriously stupid to put such a young lad into the senior squad and to think Rodgers did not want him in the U-21 Squad because he was scared Sterling would become too big for his boots
Yeah. That's what the article said. Well done.
Lol, basically what i should have said was i could have told you this without the whole article.
Actually, I think Sunil's right. I heard Jamaica were going to call him up and put him right into their senior squad. This way we can tie him down.
I think this could work out fine for Sterling. Give him a taste of what he can get if he keeps his head down and works hard.
I think its a bit "flavour of the month" But if it stops him playing for Jamaica i'm happy with that. Actually more interested in Livermore.
InValide jr
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rodgers trying not to let him turn out like walcot all those years ago, 17 year old thrust into massive limelight only to fail pretty badly off the stage.
At least wallcott has improved now but he still hasnt lived up to the hype from when he was 17/18
At least wallcott has improved now but he still hasnt lived up to the hype from when he was 17/18
All the Spurs fans I've heard say Livermore isn't that great. I want Thudd.
Not sure what Huddlestone offers us that other players don't.
A destroyer/passer hybrid who can pass long, short and consistently. A physical presence who also positions himself intelligently. A great long range shot, but more importantly the good sense to retain possession over hollywood shooting and passing.
As English players go, Huddlestone is practically unique.
*Looks at alicwkd with rage in his eyes, but decides not to smite him*
His mother wanted him to play for Jamaica, and considering he's just a kid it's a more than considerable influence. And he'd slot right into their first XI without much trouble, too.
Calling up a player just because it stops him from playing for his country of birth is kind of sad, really.