Off Topic International Break Thread

He's the N'Koudou to Harry Winks' Lucas Moura

 

Was at the USA match. CCV was never really troubled

 

Dear Argentina,

Thanks for calling up Foyth, but have you ever heard of this other player of yours we have named Erik Lamela?

 

Disgraceful that Coco ain’t been called up.

To be honest, I’m happy for Foyth but are Argentina in that much of a crisis to be calling up a guy that barely plays and has just come back from injury?

 

Argentina are in the same position Germany were in after the '98 World Cup: they'd relied on the same old same old for too long and found themselves needing to blood an almost entire team to see which youngsters can step up in the intervening four years.

 

Who are Tottenham Hotspurs? Is there more than one?

 

Juventuses's is the one that got me...

 

Yeah, but there is more than one Ronaldo

 

Pochettino's pissed at Martinez: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45764516

 

Southgate and Martinez can just eff off at the moment regarding
wholesale use of the Inger/Bel Spurs in the next round of games.

 

Another national team coach to add to the ****list...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45784653

 

Why can't we get savvy and feign injuries

Spurs will not prosper unless they learn the dark arts.

 

What makes it weirder is how, when we have a player who is legit injured (like Bale was for the Bollympics) the pundits all claim we're faking it - which they never do when one of the usual suspects' players cries off an international friendly with a chipped fingernail

 

Actually far more easy/just for the England setup to call a spade a spade.

If players are repeatedly "injured" during the season with no means
for the national physios to easily/cheaply corroborate the injury, then
hold to the following belief :

The likelihood that said players will be able to endure the rigours of a
tournament summer after having both a full domestic season and these
"injuries" is low, and therefore they will not be selected to "spare"
their club the risk of injury.

The Kanes of this world, whose patriotic drive to play for their country
even when fatigue injuries etc could occur, will then be rewarded.
The chipped fingernails brigade will then need to have harsh words
with their clubs, or yield to their clubs and forsake international ambition.

Similarly I do not know what financial compensation the FA give to
clubs if players get bad injuries on duty. I suspect the dogmatic
run players into the ground attitude would soon stop if the FA are
liable big-time to a club for the bill.

 

Sounds like Utopia to me

I can't see it happening therefore for us to help ourselves in our domestic campaigns...we need to tell a few fibs...we won't beat them in the foreseeable future so I say... join them

 

England face Croatia on Friday at Wembley and Spain in Seville in a pair of Nations League glorified friendlies.
Gareth Southgate has called up a fair number of new faces, which is strangely sensible.

Goalkeepers

Marcus Bettinelli (Fulham), Jack Butland (Stoke City), Alex McCarthy (Southampton), Jordan Pickford (Everton)

Defenders

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Harry Maguire (Leicester City), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), James Tarkowski (Burnley), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)

Midfielders

Ross Barkley (Chelsea), Nathaniel Chalobah (Watford), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (on loan at Derby County from Chelsea), Harry Winks (Tottenham Hotspur)

Forwards

Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), James Maddison (Leicester City), Marcus Rashford, (Manchester United), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal).

Tarkowski has pulled out through injury, so he's been replaced by Brighton's Lewis Dunk.

Scotland have a Nations League trip to Israel on Thursday, followed by a friendly with Portugal at home on Sunday.
Wales host a friendly with Spain on Thursday and then a Nations League match in Ireland on Tuesday.
Ireland's other match is also in the Nations League, as they're at home to Denmark on Saturday.
Northern Ireland have two Nations League games too, visiting Austria and Bosnia on Friday and Monday.

 

This is very worrying.

We’re only 8 games in, and have already had to deal with a lot.
I seem to remember 2-3 seasons ago we were extremely lucky with a lack of injuries across the season, but since then we’ve rode our luck big time.
I hope this makes Levy look at the January window as an asset where we can strengthen. We’re not even close to the traditional “busy” point in the season where squad management and injuries can become a real concern, yet have seen 5+ first teamers face time on the sidelines.