Brendan :Germany and friendly games
Myles,
I thought England played well against Germany,and taking any partisan emotion out I thought Kane was particularly very good (although Vardy’s goal was the best) and Danny Rose was excellent, could have been man of the match.
But the main thing to remember is, and this really really should be trumpeted from the rooftops, Germany has never cared about friendly games.
That’s just not Germany. To quote a horribly cliched old expression : It’s Germany.. go figure.
Why would Germany expend excess energy on it? Germany lost friendlies against opposition which “shamed” them in the past.
In 2012, two years before becoming world champions, they lost to Switzerland and France in friendlies. And drew with Sweden.
Germany doesn’t bother too much with friendlies. You need to get into the German mindset to understand that..
That said, I thought England looked tight and very motivated. I hope we can do that in competitive matches. Usually certain other nations are better at them.. Germany, for example.
From Raj : Does Walcott get into this England team/squad?
Hi Myles,
Hope you had a great Easter break.
Still not into cricket much? If not, you’re missing a really interesting World Cup at the moment. England are in the semis and have a good chance of winning it.
I wanted to get your thoughts on how you think Jack Wilshere fits into this England squad. Keen to get your views on what you think Roy should do, as opposed to what he will do.
It’s hard to argue that Wilshere was a god-send for Roy in the qualifying campaign by slotting into that holding role he couldn’t seem to solve, and getting Man of the Match six out of seven games I believe.
However, Jack’s been out the whole season, as we know.
It seems like he’ll get 2 to 3 games at best at the end of the season, and if that does happen and he’s deemed “fit”, do you think he should go to the Euros? If so, do you think he should start? Most people I speak with (both Arsenal and non-Arsenal fans) seem pretty divided on the issue with the majority leaning to not wanting him in the squad.
I personally think he should be picked for the squad if fit and he’s still a technically gifted player who can slot into any of the central midfield roles Roy plays.
I don’t think he should start though, given how well some other CMs like Dier and Drinkwater have done the whole season.
From Alex Barker :
From Mungo : Berlin and Pochettino
Dear Myles,
Almost the very opposite of Arsenal’s laborious slow paced build-up play.
It made me think about the debt English football may owe an Argentinian if 8 Pochettino-trained players line up for England in the Euros:
Forster, Walker, Clyne, Rose, Dier, Alli, Lallana and Kane.
It is interesting to think how Arsenal was a launch pad for a golden era in French
Football, will Spurs now be the launch pad for England?
Just look at Danny Rose’s remarkable improvement, as an example. Watching him close down and block crosses, in a friendly, (note to Arsenal fullbacks, this is allowed, you don’t have to stop running and put your hands behind your back) brought back memories of Ashley Cole at his best.
And the world class scouting on Delli Alli. Will the professor have a chapter in his long awaited book explaining why we bought Krystian Bielik from Legia Warsaw instead of Dele Alli.
Alli was the player setting up all the goals for Arsenal’s on loan striker Benik Afobe at MK Dons, right under the noses of our scouts. Afobe and Alli were even roommates!
It would be a bold move to attempt to get Pochettino from Spurs in the summer, but if they did it to Saints, could we not do it to them?
Of course it is a shame we didn’t do it last summer. Amazing to think beating the worst Aston Villa side in my memory may have cost us celebrating a double this year!
Keep up the good work.
From Andy: a German perspective of Ozil/Wenger
Read this in the Evening Standard (online) on a German view of Ozil/Arsenal.
At one point the interviewee was asked:
You don’t think he should stay at Arsenal?
Arsenal aren’t that good at all. They aren’t a champion team at all anymore, partly because of Arsene Wenger’s philosophy and partly because they always have a lot of players injured or tired.
Ozil needs to play under a strong leader; he’s had that with Germany. But Arsenal don’t have that, nor do they seem to have the capacity to develop them. There’s no Patrick Vieira at Arsenal, there’s no Dennis Bergkamp.
He needs the leaders around him. Ozil isn’t the boss, he’s not a chief. He’s great but he’s not that.
There are other interesting points in the interview:
“And he’s been impressive for Arsenal, but everyone keeps saying that he doesn’t win the big matches for them.”
Myles says:
On Wenger, denial has become his way of life.
Denial and rebuttal.
I would not take Walcott or Wilshere to Euro 2016.
That pair have two things in common.
The second thing is that each has a brilliant future behind him.
Even the plausible Wenger can’t sell us their future now.