(1) How the hell is Bendtner in that Squad? - Surely they've better Strikers than him? (2) Love the fact you've a load of Danish names and... Thomas Delaney!!
(1) How the hell is Bendtner in that Squad? - Surely they've better Strikers than him? (2) Love the fact you've a load of Danish names and... Thomas Delaney!!
It's only a provisional squad, no guarantee he'll make the cut. They do have better strikers, but he had a decent season last year for Rosenborg so i can understand why he's an option for them.
The Danes are my dark horse of the tournament. Think they’ll get to the QF.
With France | Peru | Australia they should get through to the Knockout stages, I wouldnt expect them to top the Group though in which case they'll end up with Argentina (should they win their Group)
Probably one of the youngest squads we've sent to a tournament in years - can only be a good thing. Doesn't make you excited but there's talent in there, obviously short of a few 'world class' midfielders but there's potential to be a pretty solid team, with some attacking talent, there.
If we are getting no joy and need a battering ram up front to try and chase a game - what do we do? Always a place for Carroll for me even though he is not the best player we have, he is different and sometimes you have to do something different!
Bar Dele Alli, Shelvey has created the most chances as per the stats this year. Think its a mistake not to take him (but I may be bias due to the Charlton connection) when we're decidedly lacking in creativity in the middle.
Has the 3rd choice goalkeeper ever needed to be used?
From The Guardian
The need to use several goalkeepers is rare – in 1990 the 24 teams used a total of 27 keepers, while as recently as 1998 the 32 sides in France used a combined 36. In all, only four teams have ever used three goalkeepers in a single World Cup tournament. That's out of 371 teams to have qualified for the finals – surely time for Fifa to change the rules.
First to use a trio of keepers were France in 1978. The No1 was Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes who played in Les Bleus' opening game against Italy. In the second group game against Argentina, Bertrand-Demanes smashed either his back or head (it varies between reports) on a post after pulling off a save and had to be replaced by Dominique Baratelli, a 31-year-old who had made sporadic appearances since 1969. He conceded the winning goal against Argentina and was replaced for France's final group game by Dominique Dropsy. The game against Hungary was Dropsy's debut and he would go on to win another 16 caps. Neither Baratelli nor Bertrand-Demanes would ever play for the national side again.
Belgium went into the 1982 tournament with the eccentric (he served a three-month ban in 1980 after elbowing a linesman in a Belgian Cup match) but hugely talented Jean-Marie Pfaff as their first choice. Pfaff had been welcomed, somewhat apprehensively, back to the fold after missing the 1978 European Championships because of his practical joking, but he couldn't keep his inner comedian under wraps. He was dropped following the first group stage after apparently pretending to drown in the swimming pool at the team hotel. His replacement in Belgium's opening game in the second group stage was Theo Custers, whose performance against Poland was so abject it was his last ("Custers's last stand," notes the World Cup historian Cris Freddi). For the Belgian's final game Jacky Munaron took the gloves.
Also in 1982, Czechoslovakia used three keepers. Zdenek Hruska played from start to finish against Kuwait, but Stanislav Seman was preferred for the Czech's game against England. A calamitous performance – it would be his last for the national side – lasted 75 minutes before he broke a finger and was replaced by third-choice Karel Stromsik, who kept the No1 spot for the final group game.
The most recent team to use three goalkeepers in a single tournament were the hapless Greece side of 1994. The Greeks had gone undefeated through qualifying and named the experienced Antonis Minou, who had conceded only twice in five qualifiers, as No1 for the opening game against Argentina. A 4-0 defeat saw 25-year-old AEK keeper Elias Atmatsidis in goal against Bulgaria. Another 4-0 defeat followed and he was replaced by 24-year-old Christos Karkamanis for the final group game. That brought a slight improvement in fortunes – a 2-0 defeat to Nigeria.
Jesus! Where's the freaking midfield creativity going to come from? Dele Alli? Is that it? Should have taken Wilshire imo, at least he offers some unpredictability. Loftus-Cheek smacks of a risky, ill thought-out johnny-on-form selection
Talking of risks, up front I would personally have taken Carroll as a wild card alternative.
Can't get excited about Jones, Stones and Cahill trying to keep the cream of the worlds strikers at bay. But I guess there's no-one else.
Are all our hopes resting on Kane? How long before he gets crushed by the weight of expectation? Welcome to Rooney's world.
Oh well, I shall expect nothing and hope to be pleasantly surprised.
Some of these squads are mental. Still think being drawn in one of the weaker sections of the tournament means that we can sneak a quarter final but from there we would probably be against Brazil or Germany if they perform as expected in their groups.
Comments
(2) Love the fact you've a load of Danish names and... Thomas Delaney!!
The need to use several goalkeepers is rare – in 1990 the 24 teams used a total of 27 keepers, while as recently as 1998 the 32 sides in France used a combined 36. In all, only four teams have ever used three goalkeepers in a single World Cup tournament. That's out of 371 teams to have qualified for the finals – surely time for Fifa to change the rules.
First to use a trio of keepers were France in 1978. The No1 was Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes who played in Les Bleus' opening game against Italy. In the second group game against Argentina, Bertrand-Demanes smashed either his back or head (it varies between reports) on a post after pulling off a save and had to be replaced by Dominique Baratelli, a 31-year-old who had made sporadic appearances since 1969. He conceded the winning goal against Argentina and was replaced for France's final group game by Dominique Dropsy. The game against Hungary was Dropsy's debut and he would go on to win another 16 caps. Neither Baratelli nor Bertrand-Demanes would ever play for the national side again.
Belgium went into the 1982 tournament with the eccentric (he served a three-month ban in 1980 after elbowing a linesman in a Belgian Cup match) but hugely talented Jean-Marie Pfaff as their first choice. Pfaff had been welcomed, somewhat apprehensively, back to the fold after missing the 1978 European Championships because of his practical joking, but he couldn't keep his inner comedian under wraps. He was dropped following the first group stage after apparently pretending to drown in the swimming pool at the team hotel. His replacement in Belgium's opening game in the second group stage was Theo Custers, whose performance against Poland was so abject it was his last ("Custers's last stand," notes the World Cup historian Cris Freddi). For the Belgian's final game Jacky Munaron took the gloves.
Also in 1982, Czechoslovakia used three keepers. Zdenek Hruska played from start to finish against Kuwait, but Stanislav Seman was preferred for the Czech's game against England. A calamitous performance – it would be his last for the national side – lasted 75 minutes before he broke a finger and was replaced by third-choice Karel Stromsik, who kept the No1 spot for the final group game.
The most recent team to use three goalkeepers in a single tournament were the hapless Greece side of 1994. The Greeks had gone undefeated through qualifying and named the experienced Antonis Minou, who had conceded only twice in five qualifiers, as No1 for the opening game against Argentina. A 4-0 defeat saw 25-year-old AEK keeper Elias Atmatsidis in goal against Bulgaria. Another 4-0 defeat followed and he was replaced by 24-year-old Christos Karkamanis for the final group game. That brought a slight improvement in fortunes – a 2-0 defeat to Nigeria.
Germany amd Brazil named 4 in prelim squads but 1 will be dropped
Where's the freaking midfield creativity going to come from?
Dele Alli? Is that it?
Should have taken Wilshire imo, at least he offers some unpredictability.
Loftus-Cheek smacks of a risky, ill thought-out johnny-on-form selection
Talking of risks, up front I would personally have taken Carroll as a wild card alternative.
Can't get excited about Jones, Stones and Cahill trying to keep the cream of the worlds strikers at bay.
But I guess there's no-one else.
Are all our hopes resting on Kane?
How long before he gets crushed by the weight of expectation?
Welcome to Rooney's world.
Oh well, I shall expect nothing and hope to be pleasantly surprised.
And that's the players LEFT OUT of the French squad!!!
Lloris
Sidibe, Varane, Umtiti, Mendy
Kante, Pogba
Mbappe, Griezmann, Lemar
Giroud.
It's no Jordan Henderson and Ashley Young though, eh?
I hope Alphonse Areola plays in goal as I've thought of a song that's a bit like the Andy Hunt one:
Oh Alphonse,
He plays for France,
Oh Alphonse,
He plays for France,
He's got a name like a nipple.
Oh Alphonse,
He plays for France.
-Benzema
-Martial
-Payet
-Rabiot
-Lacazette
-Laporte
-Coman
-Yedder
-Bakayoko
-Kondogbia
Unbelievable.
Whether they click and play well together we will have to wait and see.. but in terms of individual talent they have such a talented pool of players.