It's Just Like Watching Brazil

[bladesfan]

Strainge in the France Germany game at one time there were 11 premier league players on the pitch 4 for Germany and 7 for France. It's just our players who are crap for their national team. At league stage of the World Cup near to 40% of the goals scored were from standard situations. We cannot take free kicks not for England any way. Germany pay their Bundes liga players no were near to huge sums they get in Premier league but most of them stay in their own country. OK most of them for Bayern or Dortmund. But when they put on their national team shirts they are proud, Our players are still looking for other clubs to play for, telling the trainer how many beers they are allowed to drink if they can meet up with their wifes etc. etc. I know the hotel they stayed in for the German World cup it was at the time the best hotel in Germany and how did they play? when you see England playing they cannot do more than 3 passes without loosing the ball, take free kicks, they are always running after the ball not making the ball run for them. They cannot have much respect for the trainer, I don't they look at him sitting on the touch line biting his finger nails. England have already started talking about what they are going to do in the Euros. The first thing the money bags need to do is want to play football for England and want to train hard and want to be a team.

 

[bladesfan]

4 less games in the league, and they only have one cup competition.

And in the winter break they have a national indoor compertition and then they fly somewhere were its hot before the season restarts.

 

[ChrisBlade]

That is another good point in there: It has been a while since the body language (another thing that Germans place great emphasis on if you listen to their commentary) of the England team has revealed players that either are aggressively up for things or, at least, fully enjoying things in a visible manner. Most of them make a living out of looking dour, down-beat or stressed.

The way they look is very close to the way we looked under Weir. You get the impression several players are uncomfortable in their skin, Gerrard and Rooney being prime examples.

Thank God we got rid of looking like England rather quickly by bringing back some enjoyment and team spirit.

After all, the worst thing about international football is the win at all costs culture. This world cup has had highly entertaining periods and matches, but some of the prevailing memories are negative. People like Robben, Krul and Suarez are genuine blotches on the face of world football.

As the English, our place in the grander scheme of things used to be to stand for an alternative universe, play hard, fast and fair. Then fail gloriously in romantic fashion in a combination of sportsmanship or an inability to play the game on the sly. The Irish were our wingmen as the partying pub team that overcame even clearer technical limitations purely by being ecstatic to even be there.

These days all we stand for is being deluded bores who overestimate our abilities before under-entertaining everybody because we try to pick up the bad bits of continental football while forgetting our own traditional fun parts.

Whoever wants England to succeed will need players who recognize that playing or England is supposed to be, above all, fun. Fun that needs to be expressed, win or lose.

To take another Blades example: Hull was an occasion where we expressed our love for the game in the old English way. We had a go and everybody knew here is a team proud to be where they are and who they. The outcome was the same - defeat. But the reaction was totally different because the team reflected something to buy into.

Why do we have so many expat fans? Because like the old Brazil, the old England stood for something pure and different, atmosphere included.

Which Polish, Malaysian or Czech youngster of sane mind would voluntarily pick Brazil or England as their favourite team today? Only a nutter...

 

[metalblade]

4 less games in the league, and they only have one cup competition.

So we have more cup competitions .................................. where Premier league teams in the top 10 spots effectively play their B teams until the later stages, Ah bless the poor overworked souls.

 

[Bladepicker]

For me it's a player who would get a place in ANY current national team and make it better.
Currently only Messi fits my bill. Last one before him Zidane.

Agree. And on that basis, for me, Messi, Ronaldo, Pab Zab and Neuer get into any national side without question. All World Class in their respective positions.

 

[Large Mendonca]

Still the Premiership would love a closed shop of 10 teams no doubt

I wish they would fook off, and leave the rest of us to get on with the football

 

[Kenilworth]

So we have more cup competitions .................................. where Premier league teams in the top 10 spots effectively play their B teams until the later stages, Ah bless the poor overworked souls.

.... and the top teams don't even enter the cups until the latter stages - for that very reason - it's all excuses.

Main difference between English and German footballers is the maturity and the mindset. Our lads are still just boys compared - They work for themselves, only, and not for the team as a whole - Look at some of the goals Germany scored vs Brazil - there were plenty of occasions where our lads would have had a shot in the same situation but the Germans played it to a team mate in a better position to finish.

 

[gordoncharles]

I am a club over country man. And I like my lower league footie. So far be it from me to be campaigning for a winter break. I just felt that the Premier League players almost without exception looked disappointing.

If you add in Portugal and Spain's fiascos - further teams made up of players from teams in larger leagues who competed far into the Champions League, Germany's strength could also partly be in the fact that they easily play 10 to 15 fewer matches a season.

Seeing as Spain had won the three preceding tournaments that argument is a little bizarre. In all of those successes their players had played more games during the season than anyone else, and their entire first choice line-up not only all played in Spain, but had only ever played in Spain - just to address someone else's argument about broadening horizons. Just like most of the German team have only ever played in Germany and most of the Italians have only played in Italy.

Number of games? Kroos played in 61 competitive games last season. Muller played 58 and Lahm 55. Rooney and Gerrard each played in 52.

 

[ChrisBlade]

Must be Pep's fabled doping system then...

The Spaniards suddenly looking positivey English without him, Arjen "Glass Bones" Robben transformed into a rabbit on glenbuterol with a body of steel and all them Germans running like Ethiopians, all after 61 hugely competitive games they tend to win by 3 to 5.

Makes sense.

 

[ponteblade]

You say Brazil were awful, which I agree they were, but the Germans were as good as they were bad. What a great team effort!