In that order of who have performed for England at their given role and can face little to no criticism in any game
Stones definitely. Walker hasn't done much wrong either considering he's playing out of position. Lingard works tirelessly as well.
Disagree on Walker - he is the one that worries me, and has made two bad errors (penalty vs Tunisia and the ball giveaway vs Columbia)
Has a slightly impetuous and reckless side to his game, that may cost us yet.
Would also have liked to have seen him use his explosive pace to get forward more, on the channel inside Trippier - similar to Stones on the other side.
This. Walker is the one player that concerns me. He is not a defender.
He’s the weak link. Just imagine Gomez in this defence, would’ve completed it
Completely disagree. He may not be as strong in the air as the rest of the defense and he has made a couple of mistakes but I think he is doing well. The whole point of the Southgate setup and the system we are playing is that we have players who all fill specific roles and complement each other well in order to work as a system. Walkers one on one defending has been excellent and his pace has got us our of trouble on a number of times as he has been able to get across and cover for a ball over the top or through the channels or when one of stones/Maguire have taken the ball up the pitch.
Yes if we were looking at individual players you would say Gomez (and Cahill and Dier) are better defensively and in the air than him but in terms of picking a 3 that work together and fit the system complementing each other he is perfect.
In that order of who have performed for England at their given role and can face little to no criticism in any game
Stones definitely. Walker hasn't done much wrong either considering he's playing out of position. Lingard works tirelessly as well.
Disagree on Walker - he is the one that worries me, and has made two bad errors (penalty vs Tunisia and the ball giveaway vs Columbia)
Has a slightly impetuous and reckless side to his game, that may cost us yet.
Would also have liked to have seen him use his explosive pace to get forward more, on the channel inside Trippier - similar to Stones on the other side.
This. Walker is the one player that concerns me. He is not a defender.
He’s the weak link. Just imagine Gomez in this defence, would’ve completed it
Completely disagree. He may not be as strong in the air as the rest of the defense and he has made a couple of mistakes but I think he is doing well. The whole point of the Southgate setup and the system we are playing is that we have players who all fill specific roles and complement each other well in order to work as a system. Walkers one on one defending has been excellent and his pace has got us our of trouble on a number of times as he has been able to get across and cover for a ball over the top or through the channels or when one of stones/Maguire have taken the ball up the pitch.
Yes if we were looking at individual players you would say Gomez (and Cahill and Dier) are better defensively and in the air than him but in terms of picking a 3 that work together and fit the system complementing each other he is perfect.
It also allows us to drop into a back 5 out of possession, Walker supporting Trippier on the right, and Magurie with Young on the left. Just like Venables and Hoddle did in '96 and '98 respectively - two systems Southgate played in.
Any top premier league side in need of a centre back, surely has to be looking at Maguire. The guy is a beast, decent on the ball, quick, brilliant in the air and a constant danger in both boxes.
Well i didn't say he'd been faultless! But 2 mistakes in 4 matches, one of which i thought was harsh, and the other which came to nothing isn't that bad. And as i say, he is playing out of position.
But yeah i agree he could get forward more, unless he's been specifically told not to by Southgate.
I was gob smacked when Southgate decided to play Walker as a defensive player in a 3 and not as a wing back where he has excelled at for Spurs and City. Was it 4 friendlies before the world cup that he played this position for England for the first time. This gave Trippier a chance to show his skill in the right wing back position and now Kyle will find it hard to play in his favourite position. Walker has always been prone to defensive mistakes but so far there has only been a couple. 3 months ago John Stones was Man City's 4th rated CB when Company was fit, Harry Maguire was just beginning to force his way through and Walker was still an England full back.
In that order of who have performed for England at their given role and can face little to no criticism in any game
Stones definitely. Walker hasn't done much wrong either considering he's playing out of position. Lingard works tirelessly as well.
Disagree on Walker - he is the one that worries me, and has made two bad errors (penalty vs Tunisia and the ball giveaway vs Columbia)
Has a slightly impetuous and reckless side to his game, that may cost us yet.
Would also have liked to have seen him use his explosive pace to get forward more, on the channel inside Trippier - similar to Stones on the other side.
This. Walker is the one player that concerns me. He is not a defender.
He’s the weak link. Just imagine Gomez in this defence, would’ve completed it
Completely disagree. He may not be as strong in the air as the rest of the defense and he has made a couple of mistakes but I think he is doing well. The whole point of the Southgate setup and the system we are playing is that we have players who all fill specific roles and complement each other well in order to work as a system. Walkers one on one defending has been excellent and his pace has got us our of trouble on a number of times as he has been able to get across and cover for a ball over the top or through the channels or when one of stones/Maguire have taken the ball up the pitch.
Yes if we were looking at individual players you would say Gomez (and Cahill and Dier) are better defensively and in the air than him but in terms of picking a 3 that work together and fit the system complementing each other he is perfect.
Just to clarify, I don't think he has been poor by any means, but two serious errors in four games, does indicate that he is the weakest defensively of the three.
Having said that, he is still the best option for that position, as the other candidates are all mediocre at best (Jones, Cahill, Dier).
If we do get through to the final and play France/Belgium, then he will be the key defender, as he is the only one that could stay with Hazard or Mbappe one on one.
Just wish he would push on a bit more, as he has the pace and power to punch some serious gaps in opposition defences.
In that order of who have performed for England at their given role and can face little to no criticism in any game
Stones definitely. Walker hasn't done much wrong either considering he's playing out of position. Lingard works tirelessly as well.
Disagree on Walker - he is the one that worries me, and has made two bad errors (penalty vs Tunisia and the ball giveaway vs Columbia)
Has a slightly impetuous and reckless side to his game, that may cost us yet.
Would also have liked to have seen him use his explosive pace to get forward more, on the channel inside Trippier - similar to Stones on the other side.
This. Walker is the one player that concerns me. He is not a defender.
He’s the weak link. Just imagine Gomez in this defence, would’ve completed it
Completely disagree. He may not be as strong in the air as the rest of the defense and he has made a couple of mistakes but I think he is doing well. The whole point of the Southgate setup and the system we are playing is that we have players who all fill specific roles and complement each other well in order to work as a system. Walkers one on one defending has been excellent and his pace has got us our of trouble on a number of times as he has been able to get across and cover for a ball over the top or through the channels or when one of stones/Maguire have taken the ball up the pitch.
Yes if we were looking at individual players you would say Gomez (and Cahill and Dier) are better defensively and in the air than him but in terms of picking a 3 that work together and fit the system complementing each other he is perfect.
Just to clarify, I don't think he has been poor by any means, but two serious errors in four games, does indicate that he is the weakest defensively of the three.
Having said that, he is still the best option for that position, as the other candidates are all mediocre at best (Jones, Cahill, Dier).
If we do get through to the final and play France/Belgium, then he will be the key defender, as he is the only one that could stay with Hazard or Mbappe one on one.
Just wish he would push on a bit more, as he has the pace and power to punch some serious gaps in opposition defences.
I've seen England get sucker punched on the counter in every tournament I can remember. I'm quite happy that our quickest defender is concentrating more on stopping goals than scoring them.
Great interview with Kyle Walker on 5Live, he was talking about playing with and against Harry Maguire when he was a kid, he said Maguire was that big when he was 9! Lol!
In that order of who have performed for England at their given role and can face little to no criticism in any game
Stones definitely. Walker hasn't done much wrong either considering he's playing out of position. Lingard works tirelessly as well.
Disagree on Walker - he is the one that worries me, and has made two bad errors (penalty vs Tunisia and the ball giveaway vs Columbia)
Has a slightly impetuous and reckless side to his game, that may cost us yet.
Would also have liked to have seen him use his explosive pace to get forward more, on the channel inside Trippier - similar to Stones on the other side.
This. Walker is the one player that concerns me. He is not a defender.
He’s the weak link. Just imagine Gomez in this defence, would’ve completed it
Completely disagree. He may not be as strong in the air as the rest of the defense and he has made a couple of mistakes but I think he is doing well. The whole point of the Southgate setup and the system we are playing is that we have players who all fill specific roles and complement each other well in order to work as a system. Walkers one on one defending has been excellent and his pace has got us our of trouble on a number of times as he has been able to get across and cover for a ball over the top or through the channels or when one of stones/Maguire have taken the ball up the pitch.
Yes if we were looking at individual players you would say Gomez (and Cahill and Dier) are better defensively and in the air than him but in terms of picking a 3 that work together and fit the system complementing each other he is perfect.
Just to clarify, I don't think he has been poor by any means, but two serious errors in four games, does indicate that he is the weakest defensively of the three.
Having said that, he is still the best option for that position, as the other candidates are all mediocre at best (Jones, Cahill, Dier).
If we do get through to the final and play France/Belgium, then he will be the key defender, as he is the only one that could stay with Hazard or Mbappe one on one.
Just wish he would push on a bit more, as he has the pace and power to punch some serious gaps in opposition defences.
I've seen England get sucker punched on the counter in every tournament I can remember. I'm quite happy that our quickest defender is concentrating more on stopping goals than scoring them.
We only got caught on the counter attack because of his horrible first touch, and loss of possession, when receiving an easy backwards ball from Dier.
A small mistake maybe, but it will be a small mistake that will ultimately separate's the winners and losers of the WC.
Brazil got KO'd because of small mistakes - Fernandinho lost his man at a corner, and then Marcelo failed to shut down the space that DeBruyne was attacking in their QFinal.
Generally he has done really well, but a bit like Lovren for Croatia, I just feel that he has a big mistake in his game, possibly due to lack of concentration more than anything else.
In that order of who have performed for England at their given role and can face little to no criticism in any game
Stones definitely. Walker hasn't done much wrong either considering he's playing out of position. Lingard works tirelessly as well.
Disagree on Walker - he is the one that worries me, and has made two bad errors (penalty vs Tunisia and the ball giveaway vs Columbia)
Has a slightly impetuous and reckless side to his game, that may cost us yet.
Would also have liked to have seen him use his explosive pace to get forward more, on the channel inside Trippier - similar to Stones on the other side.
This. Walker is the one player that concerns me. He is not a defender.
He’s the weak link. Just imagine Gomez in this defence, would’ve completed it
Completely disagree. He may not be as strong in the air as the rest of the defense and he has made a couple of mistakes but I think he is doing well. The whole point of the Southgate setup and the system we are playing is that we have players who all fill specific roles and complement each other well in order to work as a system. Walkers one on one defending has been excellent and his pace has got us our of trouble on a number of times as he has been able to get across and cover for a ball over the top or through the channels or when one of stones/Maguire have taken the ball up the pitch.
Yes if we were looking at individual players you would say Gomez (and Cahill and Dier) are better defensively and in the air than him but in terms of picking a 3 that work together and fit the system complementing each other he is perfect.
Just to clarify, I don't think he has been poor by any means, but two serious errors in four games, does indicate that he is the weakest defensively of the three.
Having said that, he is still the best option for that position, as the other candidates are all mediocre at best (Jones, Cahill, Dier).
If we do get through to the final and play France/Belgium, then he will be the key defender, as he is the only one that could stay with Hazard or Mbappe one on one.
Just wish he would push on a bit more, as he has the pace and power to punch some serious gaps in opposition defences.
The role he has prevents this - his pace and power are for defensive duties.
Doesn't seem to stop Maguire on the other side - with three at the back, you often need one of the three to come out to produce an overload in midfield.
He may have been told to stay put, but Croatia's left side is weak defensively, so he would be a good man to test it!!
Doesn't seem to stop Maguire on the other side - with three at the back, you often need one of the three to come out to produce an overload in midfield.
He may have been told to stay put, but Croatia's left side is weak defensively, so he would be a good man to test it!!
We're in danger of becoming a couple of armchair generals here KA. Whether Walker is used as an out and out defender or as an occasional auxillary attacker I think it's great that we have genuine pace at the back for once. In Gareth we trust
Walker will be instructed to be the defender that doesn't push on too much. He's our get out of jail free card with his pace covering the other two if either gets caught up field.
Also helps that Walker plays alongside Stones at club level.
That's true and false !
Since Christmas Stones was a fourth choice centre back when Company was fit and 3rd choice on the numerous occasions when Vincent was injured. Walker in most games for City played as a wing back so it's only for England that they have literally played alongside each other. I don't count 5 aside games.
Only thing I hope is that regardless what happens is the fact that Southgate doesnt stick with this eleven JUST because the won the World Cup or got us to the Semi Finals
Yes there is now way that Gomez should get ahead of the current back three yet the Defence shouldnt remain just because of what they've previously achieved - Thats going down the route that Germany and Spain have travelled of late and its bitten them hard on the arse when they've gone to try and retain their World Champion status
Also helps that Walker plays alongside Stones at club level.
That's true and false !
Since Christmas Stones was a fourth choice centre back when Company was fit and 3rd choice on the numerous occasions when Vincent was injured. Walker in most games for City played as a wing back so it's only for England that they have literally played alongside each other. I don't count 5 aside games.
gomez would've been in walker's spot, and walker would've been our wing back on the right. Which means we would've missed out on tripper's great performances.
Comments
Yes if we were looking at individual players you would say Gomez (and Cahill and Dier) are better defensively and in the air than him but in terms of picking a 3 that work together and fit the system complementing each other he is perfect.
Was it 4 friendlies before the world cup that he played this position for England for the first time.
This gave Trippier a chance to show his skill in the right wing back position and now Kyle will find it hard to play in his favourite position.
Walker has always been prone to defensive mistakes but so far there has only been a couple.
3 months ago John Stones was Man City's 4th rated CB when Company was fit, Harry Maguire was just beginning to force his way through and Walker was still an England full back.
It's a funny old game.
Having said that, he is still the best option for that position, as the other candidates are all mediocre at best (Jones, Cahill, Dier).
If we do get through to the final and play France/Belgium, then he will be the key defender, as he is the only one that could stay with Hazard or Mbappe one on one.
Just wish he would push on a bit more, as he has the pace and power to punch some serious gaps in opposition defences.
A small mistake maybe, but it will be a small mistake that will ultimately separate's the winners and losers of the WC.
Brazil got KO'd because of small mistakes - Fernandinho lost his man at a corner, and then Marcelo failed to shut down the space that DeBruyne was attacking in their QFinal.
Generally he has done really well, but a bit like Lovren for Croatia, I just feel that he has a big mistake in his game, possibly due to lack of concentration more than anything else.
He may have been told to stay put, but Croatia's left side is weak defensively, so he would be a good man to test it!!
Could argue that he was a shoe in for one of the Centre Back berths
Since Christmas Stones was a fourth choice centre back when Company was fit and 3rd choice on the numerous occasions when Vincent was injured.
Walker in most games for City played as a wing back so it's only for England that they have literally played alongside each other.
I don't count 5 aside games.
Yes there is now way that Gomez should get ahead of the current back three yet the Defence shouldnt remain just because of what they've previously achieved - Thats going down the route that Germany and Spain have travelled of late and its bitten them hard on the arse when they've gone to try and retain their World Champion status
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43380175