Once again England disappoints at a major tournament; this is slowly becoming the norm for the Three Lions. England was eliminated from Euro 2016 after losing 2-1 to Iceland in the Round of 16 of the tournament on Monday. England was astonishingly poor throughout the tournament as they failed to produce any meaningful performance. Unsurprisingly England’s manager Roy Hodgson stepped down from his post after the shock defeat to Iceland. The wounds of England’s football goes way deeper than the manager. Even with that said, Roy Hodgson should have never been the manager in the first place. We saw in the Euros that his tactical vision was lacking from as early as the opening game when we saw Harry Kane taking ‘set piece’ to their last game when we saw he took 15 mins to insert Marcus Rashford who was arguably their best player in that game. Roy Hodgson showed us that he did not have the brilliance to change a game from the bench. I can tell you that after 4 matches and over 360mins of football Roy Hodgson still doesn’t know his best eleven.
Hodgson made a huge blunder in the selection process; the players that he selected for France 2016 were not all deserving of a spot. Jack Wilshere is a player that managed to play only 3 games for Arsenal the entire 2015/16 campaign due to his injury problems yet still, he was named a member of the team. Raheem Sterling was not impressive for Manchester City in what was an underwhelming season and he was also in the squad. Wayne Rooney is another player that was not particularly good at his club in the previous season yet he was in France in the thick of the action for England. The fact that these players were selected showed that Roy Hodgson picked the team on reputation instead of on current form.
The squad was not the best that it could have been, players such as Danny Drinkwater, Jermain Defoe, and Kevin Nolan could have all made the squad based on their performance for the clubs during the regular season. The English squad was also lacking experience at the tournament as we saw that the hope of the team rested with players that were playing at their first ever major tournament. Such players, Eric Deir, Dele Alli and Harry Kane all saw a lot of minutes at the tournament. They were given too much of a responsibility and they simply folded as the pressure mounted.
The inexperience of the team was evident in that last game against Iceland; We saw an English team that was not able to change the game in their favor. They were incredibly poor in that game and we saw a sight that was all too familiar a ‘failing English team’.
This brings me to my next point. There have always been huge expectations placed on England’s squads of the past and there was no difference this time around. The huge expectations come from the fact that these players are household names, we watch them week in, week out playing in the best league in the world. The English Premier League is certainly the most competitive league in Europe, hence why many believe it is the best league in the world. The best players in the English Premier League, however, are not English players. Over the last decade only twice has an English player been voted the player of the year in England. This shows that the best players in the league are usually foreign players. English players are overrated and overhyped, they are not particularly good. This is part of the reason they continually fail on the big stage.
England going forward does not need to be hyped up. The sooner the world forgets that they can play football the sooner they will actually surprise us at a major tournament by at lea.st getting to the finals.
Those were my thoughts on English football. What are yours? Share them in the comments below
Belgium vs Wales will be a highly anticipated clash. Belgium are the favorites to win but I will not right off a potential upset by the Welsh. Belgium has some quality players but the problem that I have with Belgium is the coach. I simply don’t think he is a good tactician; we saw what happened when they faced Italy. Italy came with an approach that Belgium wasn’t used to and the coach could not respond to those tactics with similar adjustments of his own. Having quality players is one thing but having the tactics necessary to change a game is another thing. If you need an example look no further than Argentina, quality players but not enough fight and guts to get the job done. I will visit the Argentine ‘curse’ in another post but you get the point.
According to many many experts, the three top players in the draft are Louisiana State University’s Ben Simmons, Duke’s Brandon Ingram and International player Kris Dun from Israel. Ben Simmons filled the stats sheet while playing in the NCAA, he averaged 19.2 PPG (points per game) along with 11.8 RPG (rebounds per game) and 4.8 APG.(assists per game) These numbers are pretty amazing for a college player, among former NBA players that had similar averages while playing in the NCAA are Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson. If the stats are anything to go by, Simmons has a very promising future in the NBA.
Chile was excellent against Mexico as they ended Mexico’s 22-game unbeaten run. Chile is a dangerous proposition when they are scoring at will. We know they will be sound defensively so if they are allowed time and space on the ball they will devastate the opponent. Chile is in a good position to validate their Copa America triumph from 2015. Chile, with the likes of Sanchez and Vidal, will be tough to stop and if Colombia doesn’t do a better job of getting Carlos Bacca involved they will lose.
The NBA Finals has boiled down to a game 7 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on Sunday (June 19) . There may be some controversy about how we got to the game 7, whether it be the suspension of Draymond Green for game 5 or Steph Curry fouling out in game 6, however, there is no denying that Cleveland showed up big time to win the last two games. We should all be looking forward to a thrilling game at the Oracle Arena. LeBron said after game 6 “the two greatest words ever invented were game 7”, judging by his comments I would say he will be ready for this game 7. Steph Curry after being fouled out in that crucial game 6 will also be ready for battle on Sunday. Now that we know the stars will be ready, the question that lingers is who will walk away as the champions.
There is a major concern for the Warriors coming into this game 7 and that is the uncertainty surrounding Andre Iguodala’s availability. If he can’t play quality minutes in this game 7 the Warriors. will lose on their home court. Taking into consideration that they are already without their centre, Andrew Bogut, if Iguodala is unavailable they will be short-handed. I am expecting another explosion from Steph much like we saw in game 4 when he went off and scored 38 points. Another 38-point performance might just be good enough for him to win his second ring. I am not concerned about the stars for Golden State, the role players, however have been absent for the past two games. If guys like Harrison Barnes and Shaun Livingston can get into their groove offensively the Warriors will be on their way to another title. Draymond Green will also be pivotal in this game 7, Green has to be the primary rim protector for the Warriors. In game 6 Lebron had his own way in the paint as he exploded for another 41 points, this simply can happen in Oracle if GSW are to win come Sunday.
The Clevland Cavaliers have done a great job to put themselves in a position to rewrite the history books. I think they are in a very good place and could win another game to cap their season off with a championship win. Credit must be given to Tristan Thompson, he has been very good in these last few games. His intensity has been through the roof and I can argue that he has been the best defensive player in these finals. He has out fought Draymond and others from GSW. The Cavs will need his intensity and fight in this game 7 on the road at one of the loudest Arena in the NBA. As with Steph Curry, we know what we will get from LeBron James (he will be ready), so for the Cavs, much depends on the output of the role players (JR Smith, Richard Jefferson and others). There is a minor concern surrounding Kyrie’s foot as he injured it in game 6, if it bothers him in game 7 then Cavs will be in trouble because they will be losing valuable offense. Cavs have to out-rebound the Warriors and increase their physicality if they are to get the Win in the bay area. As I said in my preview to game 6, Kevin Love should not be starting for the Cavs. Love is becoming a liability for the Cavs on both offense and defence. He has not shot the ball and when he does shoot his percentage has not been good. Richard Jefferson has done well when called upon, I think coach Lue should call upon him once more.
I believe that Argentina will overpower this Venezuela team to move on to the Semi-Finals and one step closer to winning the tournament. I will be looking to see Lionel Messi playing from the start, as good as Argentina is they are a completely different proposition when the ‘little magician’ is playing. Argentina has scored 10 goals in their first three games in the tournament, this statistic can be deceiving so it important to point out that 8 of those goals came against Panama and Bolivia. I know that Venezuela is better than Panama and Bolivia so Argentina has to come with guns blazing to avoid an upset. With that said I am predicting a comfortable victory for Argentina, they will win this game by three clear goals (4-1).
This game between Mexico and Chile will be the most anticipated of the four quarter finals game. This Mexican team has been playing some lovely football and I think they are well positioned to stake a claim for this trophy. Mexico has experience in their backline with long time veteran, Rafa Marquez marshalling the troops at the back. Rafa Marquez will ensure that the players are ready to go for what will no doubt be their toughest challenge thus far in the tournament. Mexico in this match has to stick to their game plan, that is they cannot allow the Chileans to force them into playing a physical game because they won’t be able to win that way. They need to get down the flanks and play balls into the box for Chicharito to get on the end of. If Mexico can get an early goal, they will be able to sit back and allow Chile to have all the position and play on the counter which they are deadly on. Mexico has to be disciplined, keep their defensive shape and play the game simple.
The Chilean are the defending Copa America champions and they will be looking to do a repeat. This game will be a good test for Chile and they will have to be at their best if they are going to get past the Mexicans. The pace of Alexis Sanchez will be very important for Chile in this game; as I noted above, Mexico has veteran Rafa Marquez in their backline so if Sanchez can play the ball into Vargas he can run at Marquez and Chile will have a good chance of scoring goals. Arturo Vidal will also be very important for Chile in this game, he has to dominate the midfield and ensure that his team doesn’t lose a lot of balls in front of the Centre Backs. Chile plays at their best when their two superstars are at their best so if Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal are playing at their best Mexico will be in trouble.
The US men’s national team made their way into the quarter-finals after securing two wins from their remaining two group games having lost their opener against Colombia. The US were superb against Costa Rica as they blew past the team from central America (4-0) before easing past Paraguay with a (1-0) victory. The US team will be without their starting right back, Deandre Yedlin for this game against Ecuador after he received a red card in the last group game against Paraguay resulting in a one-game suspension. Yedlin’s absent will be heavily felt against an Ecuador team that plays a lot of their football on the flanks. They will also miss his pace going forward and his ability to get balls into the opponent’s penalty area.
Ecuador will be looking to build on their performances from the group stages that saw them drawing two games and winning one. This US team provides a nice challenge for the South Americans; if they are to progress into the Semi-Finals, making a statement against the US would be a nice way of sending a warning to their rivals. This game will be won in the middle of the park; whichever team wins the midfield battle will win the game. Team USA has to come out with the mentality of getting Michael Bradley on the ball in areas where he will be able to get balls up to Clint Dempsey and cause problems for Ecuador. Ecuador should be looking to get the ball on the flanks through Jefferson Montero and Antonio Valencia, if those two can get quality balls into the box then Ecuador will be very tough to beat. Ecuador will also be very physical and the USA has to be prepared so they don’t get caught off guard and allow the game to slip away from them. I am predicting a heavily contested match and we will see some beautiful football but in the end, Ecuador will prove to be too strong for the USA
Peru made it to the quarter-final after defeating Brazil (1-0) with a controversial handball goal, nevertheless, they made it and they could create some problems for Colombia. One thing that we have learnt from this Peru team is that they know how to defend; they kept two clean sheets in their three group games. They will be looking to sit back and let Colombia have all the ball and then try to hit them on the counter-attack.
This Colombian team doesn’t give much away either so it will be an interesting game when the two meet on Friday. Colombia should be looking to dominate position and getting the ball to James Rodriquez so he can find pockets of space to play balls into the box for Carlos Bacca to get on the end of. Colombia has the better team and they have more dangerous weapons on the attack. They can play the ball through the middle with James or play down the flanks with Juan Cuadrado. This diversity will cause problems for Peru as they won’t be able to adapt to the playing style of Colombia. I am predicting a masterclass from Colombia some of what we saw two years ago in Brazil.
48-NINETY SPORTS 