Sterling is still a great talent, people forget he's 21 I think. Ask people about Barkley this time last year and they weren't complimentary as they are now. Young players go through dips of form all the time but at his best I think of all recent youngsters, only Alli's season this year tops anything Sterling has done.
I think if we go for the team we started with against Germany (Hodgson will start with the 'safer' 4-3-3 I believe) then Sterling in for Lallana adds another dimension to our attack. His close control for an English youngster is second to none along with his pace/movement along with Welbeck/Alli could be frightening. He is way more intelligent than people give him credit for, for City he seems pretty patient (possible too much so for me) and willing to build up the play along with obviously his ability to go on the break with his pace.
Is his finishing poor? Yes, but as a 20 year old he very oddly had to play as a lone striker for Liverpool and was their top scorer.
Sterling is still a great talent, people forget he's 21 I think. Ask people about Barkley this time last year and they weren't complimentary as they are now. Young players go through dips of form all the time but at his best I think of all recent youngsters, only Alli's season this year tops anything Sterling has done.
I think if we go for the team we started with against Germany (Hodgson will start with the 'safer' 4-3-3 I believe) then Sterling in for Lallana adds another dimension to our attack. His close control for an English youngster is second to none along with his pace/movement along with Welbeck/Alli could be frightening. He is way more intelligent than people give him credit for, for City he seems pretty patient (possible too much so for me) and willing to build up the play along with obviously his ability to go on the break with his pace.
Is his finishing poor? Yes, but as a 20 year old he very oddly had to play as a lone striker for Liverpool and was their top scorer.
#teamraheem
Know what you mean, I just feel (and have done for a few years) that pace is the most over-rated thing in the sport
I don't disagree too much with that but I think Sterling has great balance/agility/acceleration rather than an all out blazing speed like a Walcott or someone which makes him more of a threat.
I don't disagree too much with that but I think Sterling has great balance/agility/acceleration rather than an all out blazing speed like a Walcott or someone which makes him more of a threat.
Probably harsh of me to put Sterling in the same boat...
With him you do get a little bit more whereas with Walcott it is so clear that he has no Footballing brain!!
Much prefer Stirling than Walcott. He's definitely a threat when on form, he was exceptional against Kiev a couple of weeks ago. But, as with most wingers, he's very inconsistent.
Cant afford to take risks on such inconsistent players in a major tournament.
Sterling has suffered from not having a settled role at Man City. A year old Fabian Delph was an England regular, but thanks to injuries and hardly playing for Man City is well out of the picture
Sterling has suffered from not having a settled role at Man City. A year old Fabian Delph was an England regular, but thanks to injuries and hardly playing for Man City is well out of the picture
Dont let Roland hear about this or he'll be sticking kids into the first team who should be enjoying nursery!!
Whilst Rooney isn’t the player he was, he was still key in the qualifiers and would give us a set piece option and he has genuine quality. If he returns to full fitness, and it is an if, but if he does, he ought to be nice and fresh too. In terms of the three advanced players against Germany, I’d probably start with Vardy for Wellbeck and Rooney for Lallana. Rooney has more goals in him and Henderson has a lot of qualities but he doesn’t bring goals to the party and Lallana needs to score more - so I think it is important to bring goalscorers in where you can.
Whilst Rooney isn’t the player he was, he was still key in the qualifiers and would give us a set piece option and he has genuine quality. If he returns to full fitness, and it is an if, but if he does, he ought to be nice and fresh too. In terms of the three advanced players against Germany, I’d probably start with Vardy for Wellbeck and Rooney for Lallana. Rooney has more goals in him and Henderson has a lot of qualities but he doesn’t bring goals to the party and Lallana needs to score more - so I think it is important to bring goalscorers in where you can.
So 3 strikers upfront? You want us to go Karel Fraeye style in a major tournament.
Whilst Rooney isn’t the player he was, he was still key in the qualifiers and would give us a set piece option and he has genuine quality. If he returns to full fitness, and it is an if, but if he does, he ought to be nice and fresh too. In terms of the three advanced players against Germany, I’d probably start with Vardy for Wellbeck and Rooney for Lallana. Rooney has more goals in him and Henderson has a lot of qualities but he doesn’t bring goals to the party and Lallana needs to score more - so I think it is important to bring goalscorers in where you can.
So 3 strikers upfront? You want us to go Karel Fraeye style in a major tournament.
England have been playing a 4 3 3 for a while now...
Not with 3 actual strikers though. Rooney did a job on the left when he was younger but he is way too slow for that to work now. Even though I think he is wasted a bit out wide I can somewhat see Vardy doing a job there but is Rooney on the left better than having Welbeck, Sterling or Lallana there? Almost certainly not, so he shouldn't be shoehorned in.
I know some people have a bit of a downer on Welbeck, but personally think he has done more than enough in an England shirt recently to deserve his place. We can argue until the cows come home about whether or not different players score enough against the big teams (how many opportunities do they actually get when 90% of games are against Lithuania and the like?) but 14 goals in 33 caps is a tidy return and close to Rooney's strike rate. You know you'll get decent work rate and effort out of Welbeck too and we have other players now who can provide the x-factor that Rooney might offer (once in a blue moon).
Rooney has the qulaity to play the Lallana role. I rate Lallana - did well for a goal today, but Rooney has more qulaity where it matters when you don't have that qulaity elsewhere.
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I think if we go for the team we started with against Germany (Hodgson will start with the 'safer' 4-3-3 I believe) then Sterling in for Lallana adds another dimension to our attack. His close control for an English youngster is second to none along with his pace/movement along with Welbeck/Alli could be frightening. He is way more intelligent than people give him credit for, for City he seems pretty patient (possible too much so for me) and willing to build up the play along with obviously his ability to go on the break with his pace.
Is his finishing poor? Yes, but as a 20 year old he very oddly had to play as a lone striker for Liverpool and was their top scorer.
#teamraheem
With him you do get a little bit more whereas with Walcott it is so clear that he has no Footballing brain!!
Cant afford to take risks on such inconsistent players in a major tournament.
It might be in that environment that he thrives.
4 of those goals were in 2004.
He was out muscled, out paced and out battled.
Had that been one of our players for charlton he would be crucified lol.