Southgate finally played only 2 CBs. Playing an attacking lineup against a completely outclassed defense will yield that 1H.
Maguire looks great in a game where his primary responsibility is to win headers in the opposition box. He will get exposed immediately when he has to repeatedly defend pace on the turn.
USA is arguably THE weakest Pot 2 side and and Iran is one of the weakest Pot 3 sides. England also loves Wales as its UEFA opposition. The Round of 16 matchup against Group A is also very fortunate as opposed to a matchup with a Spain and Germany level group. Not debatable.
Whoever wins our group does have a straightforward path to the quarters where France likely awaits.
England has been very fortunate in its draw over the past couple WCs and their 2020 Euro draw was also relatively tame.
In 2018, their path to the quarters consisted of beating Tunisia and Panama during the group stage and then beating Colombia on PKs in the Round of 16.
In 2022, they have to top a group consisting of Iran, USA and Wales and then likely face Ecuador or Senegal in the Round of 16.
I hear you but I like a winnable Game 1 and prefer the Wales buildup (solely about the game) to the circus that would have surrounded a buildup to Iran in Game 1.
The early group stage during Thanksgiving week is going to be fantastic. Although I will watch most if not all of the games, the most interesting games (IMO) during the first week are as follows (all times ET):
Monday (Group A and Group B) - (Fantastic group of games for Group B fans)
England v. Iran (I am listing all Group B games for obvious reasons) 8 a.m. FS1
Senegal v. Netherlands (the two favorites in Group A and likely opponents for whoever emerges from Group B) 11:00 a.m. FOX
USA v. Wales 2:00 p.m. FOX
Tuesday (Group C and Group D) - (Any day on which Saudi, Tunisia and Australia all play is going to be relatively weak on paper)
Mexico v. Poland (the battle for 2nd in Group C) 11:00 a.m. FOX
Wednesday (Group E and Group F) - (Better than Tuesday but pretty average due to CONCACAF duo and Morocco)
Germany v. Japan (Japan has a chance to make Group E the real Group of Death with a result here) 8:00 a.m. FS1
Thursday (Group G and Group H) - (All four games are intriguing. These groups will only become more interesting as the tournament progresses)
Brazil v. Serbia (Can the favorites get 3 points against a tricky Serbian side?) 2:00 PM FOX
Friday (Group A and Group B) - (Group B gets serious)
Wales v. Iran (We probably want a draw here. Record this and watch it instead of Qatar v. Senegal) 5:00 a.m. FS1
England v. USA 2 p.m. ET FOX
Saturday (Group C and Group D) (Great matches between group favorites)
France v. Denmark (the battle to avoid Argentina?) 11 a.m. FOX
Argentina v. Mexico (Mexico could be violently desperate here depending on Poland result) 2 p.m. FOX
Sunday (Group E and Group F) (Clash of the Titans and meh)
Spain v. Germany 2 p.m. FOX
Here is The Guardian's expected Starting 11 for Wales (5 EPL, 2 Championship, 2 Ligue 1, 1 Serie A, 1 MLS):
Hennessey (35): Nottingham Forest
Ampadu (22): Spezia
Rodon (25): Rennes
Davies (29): Tottenham
Roberts (27): Burnley
Williams (21): Nottingham Forest
Ramsey (31): Nice
Allen (32): Swansea City
Bale (33): LAFC
James (25): Fulham
Johnson (21): Nottingham Forest
Exactly. If they all suck, play and select the guys in form at their best position. I have no problem with ggg picking Wright over Pefok because they are redundant in the Berhalter System and Wright is in form. I do have a problem with picking Jesus (out of form and really a 10 not a 9) or especially Morris (move Sargent to the wing and bring in Pepi) over Pepi (in form and obviously a 9).
Yeah, we are advocating for the guys international scouts have identified and moved to Europe over the guys stuck in MLS.
It's questionable whether ggg even made the worst decisions on this roster (4 RBs, Morris, Roldan) given that they all involved selecting an MLS player over a Euro-based player but all of those decisions are indefensible. The selection of every MLS player on the roster other than Acosta and Zimmerman is questionable. The only questionable decision involving a Euro-based player is Wright.
You bring someone who could possibly contribute in a positive way like Djordje Mihailovic who earned a transfer to AZ in January or an emerging talent like Tillman.
You don't need 5 FBs. That's the point. Cannon made sense as a 5th FB because he's actually a CB so he provides depth at both positions. Bringing Yedlin AND Moore makes zero sense. Just a waste of a roster spot. Just like Morris.
Here is the starting lineup against Wales:
GK: Turner
RB: Dest
RCB: Zimmerman
LCB: Long
LB: Robinson
6: Adams
Left 8: McKennie
Right 8: Musah
LW: Pulisic
9: Jesus
RW: Weah
As we all knew, greggg is the dumbest fuck on the planet and should be publicly executed.
This asshole is going to start Long and Jesus for sure. Group stage exit guaranteed