08 Sep 2021 20:14:33
Just thinking whilst footy is on.

How donu lot think this england 11 (probably 13) regulars would do 8n the prem this season? Obviously we would have to clone most of them as they play in the prem already.


1.) 08 Sep 2021
08 Sep 2021 22:01:24
Fight for top four but probably just miss out. Not too dissimilar to Leicester city.


2.) 08 Sep 2021
08 Sep 2021 22:48:32
Very similar to us in my opinion. I mean southgate didn't even make a sub tonight.


3.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 00:44:01
I think they are a lot better than Leicester City to be honest Shappy. 4 regulars for city, a chelsea player and 2 united players in the starting line up tonight, along with a striker who has scored in 15 qualifiers in a row, I think they would comfortably finish top 4.


4.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 03:09:37
The big question though is who's going to be the manager?


5.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 08:12:19
Southgate is a similar don’t lose mentality to Ole, so likely England would finish third or fourth and lose the FA cup on penalties having been too afraid to attack Wolverhampton in the final.


6.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 08:19:59
Not sure where they’d finish but I do think they’d be up there. It’s an exiting group of players, I’m expecting them to challenge for and maybe even win coming tournaments. I think England’s main strength is the back 4 of Walker, stones, Mag and Shaw, beast of a defence imo! Southgate is a bit of a nugget though.


7.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 08:23:39
GDS I agree if they had a different manager.


8.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 08:37:47
if is was Ole, they'd be knackered by Christmas.


9.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 08:59:30
God knows why my post has loads of? At the end? Lol.

{Ed014's Note - fat fingers Licky or just questioning your own sanity?


10.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 10:53:39
While there is an argument that the England team is made up of players from many of the top four sides with Shaw and Maguire from United, Stones, Walker, Grealish and Sterling from City, and Mount from Chelsea.

Yet if you went to each of the top four sides and named their three best and most important players how many of them would be English?

City: KDB and Dias definitely after that maybe Ederson, Rodri, Gundogan, Walker or Sterling maybe.

Liverpool: Salah, VvD, Alisson, maybe Mane, Firmino, Henderson, Robertson and Trent might push Alisson as the third best/ important.

United: Bruno, Ronaldo, Shaw. Rashford and maybe Varane might push to be included.

Chelsea: Kante, Jorginho, Mount, with Havertz, Lukaku, James, Rudiger and maybe Saul depending on how he settles.

So I just named arguably the best 28 players at the top four sides, 8 of which are English.

International football is played at a much slower pace and is in my opinion much easier than playing in the EPL.

The EPL is often considered the toughest league in the world, yet the heart beat of most title winning/ challenging teams doesn't tend to be English players. English players tend to supplement their more talented foreign teammates.

As such a team made of the best English players would struggle to challenge at the sharp end without the more technically gifted and intelligent players around them.


11.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 12:42:15
Do you want to dig out your argument from last year saying stones was more influential and important than Dias for city Shappy. ????????????
Sterling and grealish?
Shaw poy at united ahead of Bruno
Henderson is the heartbeat of Liverpool
Kane at spurs
Mount at Chelsea.
You don't half change your opinions depending on your argument of the day.


12.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 13:31:54
Ken, I said Stones return to form was more influential than Dias's great first season. With Laporte's injury record if Stones had continued his poor form then Dias would have likely been playing along side Ake for most of last season which would have badly impacted City's defence.

Grealish is a hard one to judge at City as he has only been there for a few games. He looks promising so far, but he is a long way from being one of their best/ most important players yet. While I mentioned Sterling as one of City's top players. yet is he more important than Ederson? or Rodri? Sterling is a goal scoring forward who was outscored by Gundogan (a holding midfielder) last season.

Shaw might have won player of the year at United last season, yet if you are honest if you had to choose between Bruno or Shaw missing the whole season out injured you'd rather Shaw missed out than Bruno. Ergo Bruno is a more important player to United. I also mentioned Shaw as one of the three most important players for United, so i think given that Bruno and Ronaldo were the other two that's pretty high praise.

Henderson is captain fantastic at Liverpool, but is he more important than top scorer Salah? Is be a better/ more talented footballer? While Liverpool were nearly men for Klopps first 3 season in which Henderson was an ever present. It was the signings of VvD and Alisson that transformed the side into UCL and EPL winners. While the absence of VvD last season highlighted just how key he is to them and how they play.

Kane at Spurs is irrelevant as I was discussing the English players at top four sides. Same reason why I didn't talk about Rice at West Ham or Grealish at Villa last season. Or Vardy, Maddison or Barnes at Leicester. All key English players for their clubs but playing at clubs that simply aren't and won't be challenging for titles.

I included Mount as one of Chelsea's top three players, so an irrelevant comment from yourself there.

I don't think this England team would genuinely challenge for the EPL title, they have many talented players but very few are the most important player for their club in a title challenging team.

Much like Leicester they are a talented bunch of players, but ultimately most of them are currently a step down from the very best most talented players in the world. Do you see any of the current England players being in genuine contention for the Balon d'Or for example.

You say Mount was key for Chelsea in their UCL win, yet it is Jorginho is talked about as the only Chelsea player from last season with a genuine chance of winning it. So clearly the footballing aficionados feel Jorginho is a better more important player than Mount.

If you sit and watch England play and think "s**t this team could run away with the EPL", or even seriously challenge City based on the football you see them playing then fair enough. Although I'd seriously question your ability to read a game of football.


13.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 14:02:03
Don't worry about any of my abilities shappy. I have practical experience. You have no footballing qualifications no experience of playing or coaching at a high level so stick to your Google coachhing and arguing black is white 1 day and then the following day white is black.
Empty vessels make the most noise or at least type the most words.
You argue so much and offer an opinion on everything that and contradict yourself so often that you have little or no credibility left at all in anything that you write.


14.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 14:18:39
Ken busy throwing his toys out the pram because he is always being out thought, out argued and outwitted by Shappy. Reasoned and respectful arguments always win against thinly veiled insults disguised as banter. Calling Shappy am empty vessel says more about Ken as a person than it does Shappy IMO.


15.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 14:21:21
Handbags away ladies.


16.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 14:21:42
Ken, Which has less credibility the "empty vessel" or the person trying to engage with it?


17.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 15:02:30
Anyone got any popcorn?


18.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 16:02:40
I think the England squad is a centre back, goalkeeper and manager away from being exceptional.


19.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 17:14:06
Henderson, Jones and Ole then?


20.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 17:19:32
I think you hit the nail on the head there Sepp.


21.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 17:47:11
Sepp a wc sf and a euro final makes them the best squad for 60 years.
How many balon dor winners in man city's squad that keep winning the league? Or Chelsea that won the cl
How many in Italy team that won the euros?
Talented players don't always win the most. But good teams do.


22.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 19:30:14
I think Southgate has done a remarkable job despite letting himself down in the very biggest games. He had managed ego's, created an amazing team spirit and has out performed some far bigger names who had the job before him.

People rolled their eyes when he got the job but a WC semi and a Euro final have shut them up. I think Engkand have had better players but the Managers couldn't figure out how to use them or make them a team. Southgate has done that, he just needs to be more confident and take the game to opponents.


23.) 09 Sep 2021
09 Sep 2021 23:01:20
I agree completely AJH.
I think henderson kane and maguire have helped build a true team spirit devoid of club rivalries.
He is a bit on the cautious side for sure and that's a pity but I think if he is in with a chance again then he will learn from his past mistakes.
Its only a matter of time now until kane takes Rooneys record too he just keeps scoring.


24.) 10 Sep 2021
10 Sep 2021 00:12:34
Arsenal title winning team had lots of english players as did Utds and Liverpool. Chelsea had quite a few too.