I've been suggesting all along that, despite having some good players, England would almost certainly play badly against the Scots, and not only were we bad, but they were pretty good. When Jason Pickford is your best player, despite his iron hands and wrists, you perhaps don't need to say more. But as usual I will!
Stones and Mings struggled a bit to hold Dykes and Adams, but at least they did. Luke Shaw's Kenny-Sansom legs convince me he is ordinary going forward and vulnerable when defending, whilst Reece James was so overawed by the situation last night he persisted with the easiest option, taking no risks and presenting no threat throughout the game. In midfield Rice was handicapped by blinkers and an anchor, and would have been ordinary in the Sunday League. The Yorkshire Pirlo tried, but the most he managed was scrapping rather than creating. Mason Mount was simply abysmal. Being outbattled by John McGinn in understandable, but by a nine-year-old apprentice jockey from the same stable, Billy Gilmour? Sterling had all the right notes on his song sheet but never got near playing them in right order, Foden was the epitome of lightweight and early on realised it was largely up to him to carry a dysfunctional team and that was outside his weight limit, whilst the Kane we got was the loanee who was trawled failing round several clubs, before coming home to Spurs to rule the world. Our manager added nothing. How much was down to Scotland being good and us being awful is hard to judge, but it comes to something when Stones is berated for actually managing to hit the post early on and providing the one moment in which we looked like a team others should fear.
My own suggestion for a team would be, (and be as critical as you like):
Iron Wrist Pickford in goal.
Back three of Walker Maguire and Stones
Wing backs would be the real Reece James rather than his rabbit twin and Ben Chilwell, who is a goal threat or failing that Trippier who definitely is .....
Midfield starts by saying Grealish comes in and is told go central or wide as he feels necessary, just play your game Jack, then we choose which lightweight we pick for his incisive skill, Mount or Foden, and we finish off with one of the 4 defensive midfielders with which Southgate has lumbered his squad. He'll go for Henderson, me I'd go with Bellingham against the Czechs as we are almost certain to qualify anyway and no result is going to guarantee us an easy game next up.
Up front Southgate has handicapped us by leaving out of his squad both Watkins and Bamford, who might have replaced Kane OR played alongside him. We have the one-dimensional Calvert-Lewin instead. That leaves Kane as the only option so we hope the real one has brought his shorts, and his partner would be Rashford / Sterling / Sancho. For me that would be Rashford every time.
As for the Scots, excellent as they were, out they go. I can't see them scoring against Croatia. Dykes and Adams won't scare their centre backs. And I'm afraid a committed Petkovic might just scare Scotland's back three. Hope I'm wrong. Last night deserves better reward. They did really well.
Stones and Mings struggled a bit to hold Dykes and Adams, but at least they did. Luke Shaw's Kenny-Sansom legs convince me he is ordinary going forward and vulnerable when defending, whilst Reece James was so overawed by the situation last night he persisted with the easiest option, taking no risks and presenting no threat throughout the game. In midfield Rice was handicapped by blinkers and an anchor, and would have been ordinary in the Sunday League. The Yorkshire Pirlo tried, but the most he managed was scrapping rather than creating. Mason Mount was simply abysmal. Being outbattled by John McGinn in understandable, but by a nine-year-old apprentice jockey from the same stable, Billy Gilmour? Sterling had all the right notes on his song sheet but never got near playing them in right order, Foden was the epitome of lightweight and early on realised it was largely up to him to carry a dysfunctional team and that was outside his weight limit, whilst the Kane we got was the loanee who was trawled failing round several clubs, before coming home to Spurs to rule the world. Our manager added nothing. How much was down to Scotland being good and us being awful is hard to judge, but it comes to something when Stones is berated for actually managing to hit the post early on and providing the one moment in which we looked like a team others should fear.
My own suggestion for a team would be, (and be as critical as you like):
Iron Wrist Pickford in goal.
Back three of Walker Maguire and Stones
Wing backs would be the real Reece James rather than his rabbit twin and Ben Chilwell, who is a goal threat or failing that Trippier who definitely is .....
Midfield starts by saying Grealish comes in and is told go central or wide as he feels necessary, just play your game Jack, then we choose which lightweight we pick for his incisive skill, Mount or Foden, and we finish off with one of the 4 defensive midfielders with which Southgate has lumbered his squad. He'll go for Henderson, me I'd go with Bellingham against the Czechs as we are almost certain to qualify anyway and no result is going to guarantee us an easy game next up.
Up front Southgate has handicapped us by leaving out of his squad both Watkins and Bamford, who might have replaced Kane OR played alongside him. We have the one-dimensional Calvert-Lewin instead. That leaves Kane as the only option so we hope the real one has brought his shorts, and his partner would be Rashford / Sterling / Sancho. For me that would be Rashford every time.
As for the Scots, excellent as they were, out they go. I can't see them scoring against Croatia. Dykes and Adams won't scare their centre backs. And I'm afraid a committed Petkovic might just scare Scotland's back three. Hope I'm wrong. Last night deserves better reward. They did really well.