Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Londonvilla on February 10, 2021, 02:39:07 PM
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The uncapped players fighting to reach England's squad for the Euros
James Justin, Ollie Watkins, Patrick Bamford, Matt Targett and Emile Smith-Rowe should be considered for the summer
By Martin Laurence for WhoScored
https://www.theguardian.com/football/who-scored-blog/2021/feb/10/uncapped-players-fighting-englands-squad-euros-euro-202
This is a must-read article by Martin Laurence from WhoScored as it covers Ollie Watkins and Matt Targett who I think should be considered for a place in the squad. No Ezri Konsa which is a surprise but you can't have everything.
Also, I love their England team based on the best rating for 20/21
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Targett should definitely be in. He's had a brilliant season and is consistently excellent at both defending and getting forward. Not as quick as Chilwell, but more consistent I would argue. Can't see Watkins getting a chance unfortunately. You've got the out-and-out strikers like Kane, Ings and Calvert-Lewin who are clearly high up in the pecking order, then the support wide players like Jack, Sterling, Rashford, Foden and Sancho to get past. There's also other English forwards on a similar goal tally to Ollie like Patdick Dickford and Callum Wilson.
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Patdick Dickford can fuck off, the dick.
He's having joy in a unusually well drilled outfit, put in him the England and hed look lost, like his mate Phillips does.
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Targett's improvement since first lockdown has been remarkable. This time last year if you'd have suggested he be in the England frame on here, you'd (understandably) have been laughed out of town.
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They should ask Emi
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What I have incredibly impressed by is Matt Targett's ability to be in the right position to block so many crosses and improvement in his geometry closing down angles for the runs made by wingers.
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I'd just read that article, half the reason I came on. Targett isn't cool enough for the England squad, he's too unfussy and effective. I can see Ollie getting in though, Ings will be injured by the time the Euros start. Calvert-Lewin, Kane and Ollie would be a good shout plenty of options to change the shape up top.
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Abraham is probably ahead of Ollie in the striker reckoning, as well as Kane, Ings and Calvert-Lewin. Ollie can play wide as well but would be behind Sancho, Rashford, Sterling and possibly Jack and Foden as well. His ability to play both roles might appeal, but then Rashford could be considered a rival there as well. Bamford can just do one.
Targett has Chilwell and Shaw ahead of him I reckon, but not much else.
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None of our uncapped players will get a look in. Hard enough for Jack to make the squad
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What I have incredibly impressed by is Matt Targett's ability to be in the right position to block so many crosses and improvement in his geometry closing down angles for the runs made by wingers.
Geometry was his strong point at school. Hence his nickname, Trig(s).
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No Konsa?
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No Konsa?
Good point.
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Konsa should be the next one - based on his quality and form, but also the fact that it's a weak position for England.
Southgate is seriously thinking of playing Dier and Coady there!
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Or Cash?
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Konsa should be the next one - based on his quality and form, but also the fact that it's a weak position for England.
Southgate is seriously thinking of playing Dier and Coady there!
Dier? How has he ended up in the centre of England’s defence? What’s that all about.
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Konsa should be the next one - based on his quality and form, but also the fact that it's a weak position for England.
Southgate is seriously thinking of playing Dier and Coady there!
Dier? How has he ended up in the centre of England’s defence? What’s that all about.
Spurs innit guv.
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I'm not an England fan, though I'm happy for them to do well if there is Villa involvement. However, seems to me they have some of the most exciting players on the planet and should be aiming to win at least one Euros and one World Cup in the coming years.
Just off the top of my head, Grealish, Foden, Sterling and Maddison are all brilliant players. Brazil are the most successful team ever and if those players were all Brazilian, they'd find a way to get them all in the same team. Bare minimum three of them should be in the team running riot.
If England don't win major tournaments this decade it will be because they've been too cautious.
Oh, and picking shite like Dier ahead of form players.
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If Southgate had any balls he'd play a front 6 of:
Rice
Jack
Foden
Sterling
Rashford
Kane
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If Southgate had any balls he'd play a front 6 of:
Rice
Jack
Foden
Sterling
Rashford
Kane
Not quite for me ...
Rice, Mount, Grealish
Foden, Kane, Rashford
With Maddison, Watkins, Calvert-Lewin and Stirling all on the bench as options to change things up. The main reason is that Rashford and Stirling look ineffective on the right so only 1 of them can play and I think Rashford would work better with Jack moving into the same spaces because his movement off the ball is better. I'm not a massive fan of Rice but I don't think we have any better options in there for now.
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No Konsa?
Good point.
Very good point - he's gone under the radar a bit but is consistently excellent and deserves more credit.
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James Justin at Leicester has done his UCL, so that's one of Targett's potential competitors out of the picture for a while.
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James Justin at Leicester has done his UCL, so that's one of Targett's potential competitors out of the picture for a while.
That’s a shame. He’s been storming it for them this season. Good luck to him in his recovery.
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Or Cash?
Nah. I like the lad but his awareness is an issue, and his positional play is naive. He looks every inch a winger turned right back, in the same way as Targett getting forward looks like a defender who gets forward sometimes.
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Or Cash?
Nah. I like the lad but his awareness is an issue, and his positional play is naive. He looks every inch a winger turned right back, in the same way as Targett getting forward looks like a defender who gets forward sometimes.
Can't agree with that view of either of them.
Cash been left exposed down that side with the lack of cover in front him, and yet as still managed to put in outstanding performances. He also defends the back post extremely well and rarely gets caught out of position, despite tear-arsing up the wing in support god knows how many times a game.
Targett I would have said looked the exact opposite of your description until this season, where his defensive improvement and timing have shot through the roof.
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That's fair enough but if I can quote the article as a reference:
"It’s the defensive side to his game that has really developed. He is averaging more tackles per 90 minutes (2.2), is being dribbled past less often (0.8 per 90) and is committing fewer fouls (0.6 per 90) than previously.
One obvious drawback for Targett is the fact that he does not really suit a wing-back role".
And on Cash, whilst Traore may not track back as well as we would like, Cash is often to be found inside the 18 yard box with an attacker having lapped around him and being in a crossing position on the flank. A fullback's primary marking job is that man. The CM should have tracked a forward that is making the inside run to the 18 yd box and the RM or in this case Traore should be picking up the secondary runner on the line. Or have I misunderstood defending?
I've been trying to find the stats for the positions goals conceded are supplied from, but I've had no luck. However my hunch is that a significantly higher number have come from the right flank and probably from near to thwe dead ball line... that is unproven... I will continue to search.
I am hopeful he will improve, he is still new to the defensive duties, it is just an observation of the performances I have watched. A comparison of tackle maps between Cash and Targett would be interesting as Cash DOES contribute a huge amount of tackles per match. Interesting...
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What about Emi? Uncapped for Argentina and has lived in England for 10 years so I think he qualifies?
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I doubt England could get Emi, but if they had the smallest chance they should try.
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Or Cash?
Nah. I like the lad but his awareness is an issue, and his positional play is naive. He looks every inch a winger turned right back, in the same way as Targett getting forward looks like a defender who gets forward sometimes.
Cash qualifies to play for Poland I was reading, through a grandparent. So if England don't want him, he can join my ongoing quest to turn Villa into Poland's favourite English club.
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Or Cash?
He's got a difficult job, as England seem to have about a dozen or more good right-backs to choose from. Cash probably isn't in the frame yet.
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I cant think of a better back 5 than ours in the country currently.
All 4 defenders could easily Make the England teams its that poor at the back.
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Or Cash?
He's got a difficult job, as England seem to have about a dozen or more good right-backs to choose from. Cash probably isn't in the frame yet.
You could probably make a reasonable competitive England right-back first XI.
Even stick Kyle Walker in goal.
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Or Cash?
He's got a difficult job, as England seem to have about a dozen or more good right-backs to choose from. Cash probably isn't in the frame yet.
Talk Poland might approach him in near future as he qualifies for them through his Mum's side of family. Tarkowski another who they've approached in the past but think he turned them down and might've had an England cap.
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I think someone said on here that Poland only pick Polish citizens, and if he becomes one he would have to do military service, so that's a non-starter.
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Not anymore. Conscription ended here in January 2009.
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Ah, thanks. Probably has to be called up to the next set of internationals to have a chance of breaking into the Euros squad and if his hamstring has gone that's probably goodbye to that chance.
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The Athletic reporting that Konsa is in line for an England call-up, but that Portugal want him as well.
His mother's Angolan, so presumably he qualifies through some sort of maternal, post-colonial citizenship thing.
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I cant think of a better back 5 than ours in the country currently.
All 4 defenders could easily Make the England teams its that poor at the back.
Flattered, I'm sure!
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If Southgate had any balls he'd play a front 6 of:
Rice
Jack
Foden
Sterling
Rashford
Kane
Not quite for me ...
Rice, Mount, Grealish
Foden, Kane, Rashford
With Maddison, Watkins, Calvert-Lewin and Stirling all on the bench as options to change things up. The main reason is that Rashford and Stirling look ineffective on the right so only 1 of them can play and I think Rashford would work better with Jack moving into the same spaces because his movement off the ball is better. I'm not a massive fan of Rice but I don't think we have any better options in there for now.
I'd have Henderson in there rather than Rice and Maddison rather than Mount.
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Or Cash?
He's got a difficult job, as England seem to have about a dozen or more good right-backs to choose from. Cash probably isn't in the frame yet.
You could probably make a reasonable competitive England right-back first XI.
Even stick Kyle Walker in goal.
You are Alex McLeish and I claim my five pounds.
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Or Cash?
He's got a difficult job, as England seem to have about a dozen or more good right-backs to choose from. Cash probably isn't in the frame yet.
You could probably make a reasonable competitive England right-back first XI.
Even stick Kyle Walker in goal.
You are Alex McLeish and I claim my five pounds.
Did Steve Bruce field a back four of right backs once?
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There is allways at least 1 ommision to get everyone riled up.
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Calvert-Lewin will get in so that Southgate has somebody to tell Maguire to lump the ball to when England are 2-0 down to a team ranked in the top 10 at the quarter final stage of the Euros.
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Brucie never started a game with four right-backs, though he tried hard!
In his last game, when Chezzie was sent -off, we ended the game with, effectively, four of the same: Axel, who Bruce played at right-back more often than centre-back; Bree, Hutton and Elmo.
Behind them we had Mark Fucking Bunn! A little over two years later, we now have Emi Martinez with Tom Heaton as back-up.
How things have changed!!