It’s the BIG game today. I am on enemy territory but that is NOT going to stop me from engaging in the activity of BIG drinking in a local USA bar.
America is a bit weird with away fans, they kind of don’t fuss over them too much. I’ve sat at games next to away fans in a home section, and they sing. In the UK, you’d get a slap, here, they shrug. In fact, at a basketball game, I once asked why no one was going after the away fan in the home end.
‘Sir, this is a civilized country, we don’t do things like that here’
Ok.
Will that attitude carry over onto the international scene? Who knows, I’m about to find out.
All that matters this afternoon is a win, a Bukayo Saka masterclass, and no injuries to our players.
I was a little unnerved to see Neymar ruled out for the rest of the group stages with an ankle injury. This is the problem with World Cup games, subpar players can’t win, but they can be the guy that smashed up one of the best players in the world. I don’t want that happening to our players.
Brazil didn’t start with either of our two players. They rolled with Richarlison as the 9 and he scored one of the best goals I’ve seen this year. An unreal bicycle kick. Some were making the point that he only got himself into that position because of a janky first touch, but whatever, he delivered two goals. If that means he gets more minutes than Jesus, I’m not against it, though I do suspect his limitations will be exposed as the tournament progresses.
So what have we learned so far?
England, Brazil, Spain, and France are all pretty decent.
I really don’t know if anyone is head and shoulders above the rest, but at the very least, England is in with a shout.
They have to do it against USA today. The Americans aren’t in a good shape, which is odd, considering some of the talent they have. The worry is this game will be like a derby day for them, they might show up with a point to prove, and we might think it’ll be easy because the culture in the UK is write off anything America does in the beautiful game.
My gut says that this side just has too much quality these days. There are too many winners in our side. Too much technical know-how at the highest level.
… but I guess Germany thought that as well and look where they are right now. Mudded. Wiping their spectacles clean. Not good.
I also worry that Trippier and Harry aren’t the full ticket and Southgate is in fuck around / find out mode with them as he thinks they are besties. Get Benny Blanco into that backline and we’re cooking on the finest of fumes.
Little bit of Arsenal news before we go. The hot talk on the internet is that we’ll move on Danilo to cover us at #6. I honestly have no idea how good he’ll be, but Edu knows that market, and Arsenal haven’t missed too many times lately. It’s just a shame we can’t get him to our training camps early so he can bed in. Or can we? I am not sure of the rules. Anyway, one to watch!
ON THE WHISTLE AFTER THE GAME. MAKE SURE YOU TUNE IN BELOW!
USA should have more than two points tonight
Clinical kane lol
A draw or defeat makes literally no difference to the USA’s predicament so hopefully they chuck some bodies forward.
Goona
England have had 3 openings if I remember correctly. The Saka cutback that deflected wide from Kane, Mount’s low shot and Rashford 10 minutes ago. Saying that Kane had a really good chance there.
CRAP!
Good refereeing keeping yellows in his pocket
Utter shite
This is what taking your favorites and keeping them on the pitch for the full 90 looks like. The moment I saw the line up I knew nothing good would come off. Wales will fold as they are even worse. USA have no striker and trust me there are many teams that will finish chances against England after this rounds are over. Meeting a Spain or trust me lesser teams like Japan or Saudi Arabia and England are as good as out.
Not sure how anyone could ever rate Southgate after yet another garbo performance. England are supposedly the best team in the tournament LOL
Argh why didn’t he cross.
Anyway England are through now. Iran Vs USA will be a serious game.
Another 0-0 is shit though.
Balogun would have scored tonight if he had picked to play for USA.
If England meet France, I can’t see them beating them in the quarter final.
Southgate showing why he isn’t the biggest problem in English football
Keep taking the knee muel head
That’s your level
Nice!!! Now maybe Pedro will stop taking shots at US… Our midfield is better then Englands and Matt Turner was very good E-stroller needs to hang his head in shame
Antonee Robinson though was a boss
Habesha
We would beat Brazil
Mid
Told ya
Why is IS the biggest problem
Un – we didnt win dude we have drawn England before a win would have been epic like I said
Didn’t win, didn’t lose, forget it and move onto the next game.
XG
England 0.48- 0.93 USA
Sums it up right. It is criminal to have that XG with that amount of attacking talent at your disposal from southgate though.
God what a yawn. I kind of wonder whether they should
sub Kane for someone much faster. Thought Saka was off the boil. Needed more people to draw defenders like Grealish.
Un
You would have to meet Brazil in the final if you go through as group winners.
Middy
I’ve liked Robinson for a while, impressed me in his debut PL season for Fulham a couple of years back.
US have a decent team. Not as strong as Canada’s imo but close.
Southgate is adverse to playing free flowing attacking football. Strangles the life out of the limited number of creative players he has by either keeping them on the bench or inhibiting their creativity through his regressive tactics. The ball kept going backward for huge chunks of the game.
Neville 100% dying his hair
Mid
Didn’t say you’d win
Said you could very well get a result here
And you did
Eagle- true Canada is good I think we are better defensively then Canada though. I want them to get through… as well.
Comes down we have to win a group match and thats how it should be… so Im happy.
Izzo
You got the eye mate
Totally
Ain’t mad! America, fuck yeah!
Habesha
Enaglnd or France will win this World Cup
Brazil will not
Freedom is the only fuckin way yeah Murica
Y’all can see why I wanted Tyler Adams when we were linked with him he ould easily hold down the Partey role
Un
Let’s see then. You don’t like Brazil it seems 😂😂😂.
AHhhh well Im gonna drink more now.. USA USA USA.. hahaha
Midwest
I am impressed. He could have been a great pickup. He can improve in passing through the lines though. He is very good at reading the game and breaking up play. Like prime Coquelin on steroids. Really good player.
Would love to get Tyler Adams in at The Arsenal. Been watching him for a while now and he would be a great successor to Thomas Partey. Wonder if poaching him would be feasible. He will want to start most games but Partey is getting older and he could own the position for years to come.
Habesha
I love Brazil
I just don’t think this Brazil are all that
And I’m sticking to my guns on this one
I’ve been right so far on this World Cup
England and France are the teams to hear
Southgate is the only thing trust can hold this team back
Thats my view
“Enaglnd or France will win this World Cup
Brazil will not”
What are you smoking? One half of that sentence is mental ..:
Habesha yep… he signed a 5 year deal with Leeds though so I gave up the dream.
Un
Fair enough.
Midwest
Yep. Leeds replaced Phillips with him. For £20 mil too. Arteta values players who can pass the ball more than him though. He was never coming to Arsenal imo. It was a good suggestion. That Musa kid was also impressive. 20 years old. Mckennie also did well with the driving runs. You have got a good future in your midfield.
Baying mob
I stand by it
Un
England are not winning the world cup. That Iran game didn’t tell the true story. The moment they face an organized energetic and higher quality technical team, and well tonight is all the proof!
France or Spain will win it. Brazil has an outside chance as does even the likes of Portugal and even Germany assuming they start scoring freely.
Frankly I think that a combination of the Manager and media talked the England into believing that
this would be a difficult game and so it proved.
We were lethargic and completely devoid of ideas. The midfield was non existent.
This was a game that England should have won comfortably, but we made the USA look better than they are.
Having said that we should finish top of our group. I cannot see Wales getting a result in the last game.
GreGG waited way too long to bring on Reyna and Aaronson. Feel like we could have (should have?) gotten more from that game. Damn crossbar denied Pulisic.
Getting out of the group isn’t England’s problem. Its the next round we should be worried about. Southgate need to overhaul his tactics and have the team play on the frontfoot and attack attack attack otherwise get knocked out. Playing the ball backwards and CBs passing the ball among themselves for 70% of the game doesn’t translate to winning football matches
Pulisic the best player in the USA team has started only 3 games for Chelsea! Most of the other players
in their team would not get a starting place in an EPL team.
How many of the USA team would get into Arsenal’s starting lineup?
Un, England win the WC when it’s held in England……………..and in 1966.
Emiratesstroller
Tyler Adams starts for Leeds. McKennie starts for Juventus. Reyna plays a lot for Dortmund. Aaronson plays lot for Leeds. Robinson starts for Fulham.
Twitter – “The United States men’s national team has played England three times in the World Cup and has never lost.”
How embarrassing for english, even us canadians have managed to defeat the yanks.
Turgid stuff.
England were second best all over the pitch.
USA will beat Iran.
England should beat Wales.
Favourite team to date…..Japan!
jwl
I agree.
When Maguire is your best player you know its not a good performance !
Southgate cost us in the Euro’s with his negative tactics.
To be honest, I also think Kane is a detriment to the team.
Shoot me!
Where’s Foden?
Squawka – Phil Foden created as many chances against the USA as Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Harry Kane.
Phil Foden did not play …
Izzo
Reyna has started 3 games for Borussia in Bundesliga.
Yes Adams and Robinson have started regularly for Leeds and Fulham but I doubt that they would be
of interest to any of the top 6 clubs in EPL. They would certainly not make Arsenal’s starting X1.
ES,
Turner is in the Arsenal team for sure if Ramsdale is injured my only USA pick!
USA high energy good midfield were all over Rice, Bellingham and Mount.
Saka, Sterling one at least should of been hooked HT, Foden not getting mins in a game like tonight bizarre from Southgate. Grealish is very effective international football, keeps the ball wins free kicks and at the end however bad England were Kane had a very good chance off the free kick.
Maguire Emglands best player tonight.
Iran v USA be a very good watch.
Emirates – Adams would get into our midfield as a backup and replacement for Partey. He is excellent. Young, great tactical awareness, very good tackler, secure with the ball, excellent engine.
Graham 62
Unless Kane has intelligent runners either side of him (he didn’t tonight) he is negated.
Foden and Grealish should of been on by the latest 55m it wasn’t working we were passing slowly.
Not the end of the world we will get to the last 16 barring a miracle, but a manager has to be proactive rather than reactive and once again Southgate despite having viable options wasn’t.
JJ
Do you seriously believe that Adams gets into our starting X1 ahead of Partey and Xhaka? I doubt.
Arsenal are in the market for DMF/CMF squad players. Adams name is not under consideration.
Emiratesstroller
Adams and Aaronson both start for Leeds. Robinson and Ream both start for Fulham (Ream is their captain). Reyna has a lot of injury issues, but usually starts for Dortmund when healthy. McKennie and Dest play for Juve and Milan, respectively (Dest was at Barca the last couple seasons). This team is a lot more talented than the MLS centric squad that drew with England in 2010.
We didn’t get a Saka masterclass, Instead I saw the first game for ages in which the guys assigned to him had him their pockets. Does that mean he’s not the boy wonder we thought. Not a bit. Merely an experience along the way he will deal with next time. Fact is England were outpaced, outrun all over the pitch. It seemed as if it were two against one.
Saka had the USA fb on toast when we played Fulham earlier in the season.
Different teams different way of playing England rolling slow balls into Sterling and Saka the move will break doen time and again especially Sterling who has been average for Chelsea this season.
If you want to play that way and Southgate time and again does, safe possession, technical security play Grealish at least and or Foden from the start. Sterling has a goal in him back post runs off quick build up play on what we have viewed tonight it’s not happening is it?
Emirates
Adams just signed a five year deal. He also starts every game at Leeds. Why leave to sit the bench?
Pedro I hope all the Americans pointed at you and laughed.
I keed I keed.
For some reason the American team always plays the English tough.
We will see how tough they play Iran in a game that matters.
Cali: “Adams just signed a five year deal. He also starts every game at Leeds. Why leave to sit the bench?”
Kalvin Phillips moved to City though.
Raptora I think you’re getting ahead of yourself with the Balogun supremacy.
He’s having a good loan so far. He’s a highly touted youth prospect. He isn’t setting the world on fire yet. I know Eddie can score in the premier league. We don’t know anything of that about Balogun yet. How many of his loan goals have been penalties, etc.
Calm down on the proclamations about national team status. He has a lot to prove.
This group is quite interesting
Topside NorthbankNovember 25, 2022 23:07:21 Saka had the USA fb on toast when we played Fulham earlier in the season. With all due respect, Topside, that is not how I remember it. Saka got off to a slow start and I think the Fulham game was part of that slow run for him. I remember being frustrated that Robinson held his own against him. I even told my son that I hoped Antonee did that well against him in November. I recall Saka getting in a good position once and dragging a shot wide. But I don’t remember much else… Read more »
Where ya at Pedro? Can’t be bothered to do a recap after your lions were made to look like kittens against a country where professional soccer is the 5th most popular sport? Turns out the best thing about the premier league are the international players. But some of us already knew that.
@ Un …
Care to revise all the hot air and big talk
about yer three little Lions😭😭😭
What a funny dude Un really is …
0-0 against the Almighty Americans😭😭😭
Yeah it’s coming home indeed 😂😂
Emirates – I didn’t say starting XI for Adams but he could get enough starts to manage Partey’s fitness all in the know that Partey will be done in a couple of years. Then he can be the starter for the next 5 or 6 years. He is very young and has time on his hands. Arsenal is a more attractive prospect than Leeds. Our table position alone is attractive.
I sat down to watch my first live game in England vs USA and it confirms why I hate international football. It put me to sleep by 8pm….on a Friday night. … I woke up at 91 minutes.
I might watch a few more once we get to the quarters but not going to waste anymore time on this crap until then.
Games I’m looking forward to in this 2nd round:
Argentina – Mexico
Spain – Germany
Portugal – Uruguay
Croatia – Canada
I expect some dramatic results and worth the watch.
Un
HabeshaEnaglnd or France will win this World Cup
Brazil will not
So France then in that case lol
“Where ya at Pedro? Can’t be bothered to do a recap after your lions were made to look like kittens against a country where professional soccer is the 5th most popular sport? ”
Ouch!
England were battered by a young USA team. It’s not coming home, is it?
GD4
No
It will be england or France
The is England team will beat everyone bar France and the only thing that will hold it back is Southgate
He brings on rashford yesterday when the game was crying out for foden and Callum Wilson
Tom
It was a well organised draw
The jocks did the same thing 2 years ago and we got to the final of a more difficult competition
The euros is harder to win than the World Cup.
It is more competitive
England are a bore to watch, Brazil or France will win it. A month till the PL will resume with a home game against west ham, I can only imagine the atmosphere.. Gapko faded after the
goal he scored against Eguador, but he looks big and strong and means business
Argentina have been completely written of it seems. If they qualify they are still a very dangerous team. They have only lost that Saudi game in 35 matches. I think that might have been nerves. I still think they will qualify.
So we had this Humus Muss in our academy and let him go?. How did that happened please?
Sorry Yunus Musah
Un
I see you’re still digging?
LMAO.
I posted on Thursday that Arsenal should not buy any players based on their performance for National Team in World Cup. Yes the US Team played well yesterday, but then England were pretty poor and I think that a lot of of teams would have looked good against us yesterday. There are no players in US Team that I would want Arsenal to recruit for our squad let alone the first X1. One thing is for sure and that is if England repeat that performance against Wales then there will be some very serious questions to ask about the team… Read more »
Any Tunisians on this board?!?!
Good luck tonight! I’m hoping for a great game!!
Come on the Socceroos!!!
Few good matchups for the run of games today.
I’m hoping France pumps the Danes but I think it will be close.
Argentina vs Mexico should be fun. The argies will have a lot to prove after such a dramatic loss.
Japan should put Costa Rica to bed pretty easily but I feel there will be a few goals each way.
Poland Saudi Arabia I have no real prediction. Will SA revert to type or continue shocking the world?
Interesting either way
Last night’s game reminded me of Arsenal having to go away to play Bodo Glimt!!!
The Group stages of all these competitions are a complete waste of time. Designed only for profit.
Absolutely no-one in their right minds wants to watch these minnow nations (unless of course you are from Saudi or whoever else). Sure, some will get their moment in the sun, but surely we just want to bi-pass these nonsense games and get to the knock out stages.
”The euros is harder to win than the World Cup.
It is more competitive”
Not really considering you still have all the best Euro teams in a World Cup + Brazil and Argentina.
Greece, Portugal and Denmark have all won the Euros within the last 8 tournaments.
The past 8 World Cup winners are Brazil x2, France x2, Spain, Italy and Germany who are all football powerhouses.
Germany x2 as well.
FB: “Absolutely no-one in their right minds wants to watch these minnow nations”
No one’s forcing you.
Eagle
The World Cup eliminates strong European teams in favour of dog shit like Qatar, Saudi, Ecuador, Ghana , Australia and so on
FB is right rap. You’ve got a real snivelling energy about you
Southgate is dogishit
He really is
The game was crying out for creativity and he leaves on Mason wank Mount and slings on Rashford
Middlesbrough level management
Southgate has got a talented squad use it.
Not even talking a brave coach but a proactive one not reactive.
HT was crying out for subs to be made out wide and in the middle.
Going to watch bits of all the matches France seem to struggle a bit against Denmark but all four fixtures today have there own stories. Saudi’s can they press again like they did against Argentina, will Poland come out a bit more.
Argentina in a must win scenario against a decent Mexico team will be the fixture I’m looking forward to the most today.
I actually don’t understand what the following means: “The Group stages of all these competitions are a complete waste of time. Designed only for profit.” I’m all ears about a better idea than the way group stages go. In recent times the likes of Croatia, Uruguay, Turkey, South Korea, Sweden, Bulgaria have all managed to reach the semi finals of the World Cup. The WC holders Germany were knocked out in the Groups of 2018 WC. The WC and EC holders Spain were knocked out in the Groups of 2014 WC. Again in 2014 England and Italy were knocked out… Read more »
Imagine being outplayed by a country in USA who doesn’t even take the sport seriously lol Couldn’t have happened to a worse footballing nation or set of fans.
Samuel
Yet here you are acting the wanker on an English blog following an English team
Sit down and have a little think dumb dumb
Oh no. England drew a group game oooooo how awful. You benders think you’re all high and mighty because we didn’t win a game. Still the highest scoring team in the tournament after a 0-0 draw. We are the joint best team in the world right now so hate all you want Tiny little island on the edge of europe and we’ve dominated the world for centuries and gave you an at of the modcons you no marks take for granted We made America We made Australia We made NZ You divs are us. Only you’re too stupid to realise… Read more »