Author Topic: England's best XI?  (Read 899 times)

Nearly Sane

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England's best XI?
« on: November 14, 2019, 08:14:58 AM »
As part of the coverage of England's 1000th football international, BBC had people pick their best players for England. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50413011

jeremyp

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Re: England's best XI?
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2019, 11:24:41 AM »
Actually it's surprisingly hard to criticise. If anything, I think they've got too many strikers. I'd drop one of Shearer or Lineker, move Gascoigne forward and put Bryan Robson in.
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Nearly Sane

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Re: England's best XI?
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2019, 11:41:45 AM »
Actually it's surprisingly hard to criticise. If anything, I think they've got too many strikers. I'd drop one of Shearer or Lineker, move Gascoigne forward and put Bryan Robson in.
Yep, it doesn't look balanced there even if the individual choices might be fair. I also think it may miss out some of the more 'vintage' players, e.g. Matthews,  but if people have not seen much of them, can't really be avoided. And I wouldn't be upset had Shilton been picked rather than Banks.

ProfessorDavey

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Re: England's best XI?
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2019, 02:54:18 PM »
Yep, it doesn't look balanced there even if the individual choices might be fair. I also think it may miss out some of the more 'vintage' players, e.g. Matthews,  but if people have not seen much of them, can't really be avoided. And I wouldn't be upset had Shilton been picked rather than Banks.
Perhaps not surprising but it does seem overly stuffed with players from the recent eras and no one from earlier than the 60s, presumably because no-one choosing would have seen them play.

Rather surprised that the defence includes three players who regularly played together, yet I don't remember the England defence from 2000-2007-ish being that stellar. Clearly the 4th member of the back four in those matches must have been particularly useless!! As a personal preference would have liked to have seen Des Walker in that defence - always thought he was phenomenal and totally unflappable.


Nearly Sane

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Re: England's best XI?
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2019, 04:57:48 PM »