I don't think it was a great showing from both ex-blades, but to be fair to them the rest of the team massively underperformed apart from Sterling and maybe Sturridge and Welbeck.
Welbeck was appalling. The bloke relies too much on other people's craft to get opportunities for him and out on the wing he is ineffective. I fail to see over last season what he had to offer to gain him an England shirt. He is not an out-and-out attack option in that setup and has less ability than Sturridge who can at least make opposition defences work hard to nullify. With Welbeck, the back four don't have much to do, just block his advance and force him backward or into an error, of which you can put cash on him making. He's not like Sterling or Walcot who will at least punch the ball into space and get round the back with pace. Elsewhere I thought Lallana was a huge disappointment and proved he has a couple of more years to go toward showing true England potential, if at all. Over the past two games Rooney has been shit. I don't buy the 'he set one up and scored one' crap. Whilst true, I watched him for ten minutes or so during the Uruguay game and he trotted round with the game bypassing him. When he did get the ball and try to work the opposition he was dispossessed - something that Wayne Rooney in 2008-09 would never have done. He used to be particularly difficult to take the ball off (and keep hold of it) and he never gave daft free kicks away ten metres into out half like he did when he bundled Egidio Arévalo over in the second half. Its a sad decline ion a talented player's ability and its all down to mismanagement and his over inflated opinion of himself if you ask me. In midfield Gerrard needs now to step down. In two key games - Liverpool vs Chelsea and Uruguay vs England, his failings have cost key competition positions. Jags needn't hide either. If I were Hodgson, he wouldn't pull another England shirt on again until I'd seen his performance and judgement improve. Suarez's first was Jag's schoolboy error and really, he should have been living inside Suarez's shirt for 80 of those 90 minutes, no matter if Suarez moved out to the wing or whatever. Pisspoor defending in my humble.
Hart 6/10. No chance with any of the goals so far
Baines 6/10. Works hard but no real wing penetration
Johnson 2/10. Liability
Jags 4/10. Not good enough
Cahill 7/10. Best defender
Gerrard 5/10. Fading fast
Henderson 5/10. Room to improve
Sterling 7/10. Our only attacking option
Rooney 3/10. Sussed out and now no longer an England player
Welbeck 1/10. Rubbish
Sturridge 6/10. Good finish vs Italy
Lallana 3/10. Disappointing
Barkley 7/10. One for the future (as long as he doesn't start believing the hype)
Lambert 5/10. Won't be at the next Euros
In a strange way, I am glad we are out. We don't deserve to go on any further and now need to fuck Hodgson off with the old school and start work on pace and attacking football, with emphasis on good defensive strategy.
pommpey
,a new era coming in,John Stones of Everton looks the most likely candidate for Cahill to partner,not just Jags tho,Baines,Johnson,Rooney,Gerrard,Henderson(for the time being),not up to it,mainly age or just not good enough.
