Midweek International Games

[MR IMAINEROAD]

Sounds like Hart was pretty poor tonight. Couldn't watch, is this true?

[youtube]EQhuE3b_GBU[/youtube]

I think this should be put in perspective.
Whilst the scissors kick was a peace of sublime skill (cf Rooney's in derby match)

1. This was a friendly
2. Sweden were at home
3. It was the last few minutes of a game Sweden were already winning
4. Hodgson had just rearranged the defence - I think Hart was pissed off with this IMHO
5 Hence the pressure was completely off.

Still would take the arrogant prick though.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

What do you lot take from this game?

My conclusion is that there's a very positive vibe about the Swedish national team at the moment.

Not sure about that, This current side is not good enough to go the last 16 of the World Cup. Take Zlatan out of the team and they are a very average side. Stick Zlatan in a host of sides like Ireland or Norway and they would be better than Sweden.

Spot on.

What do England take from that game? What England managers always take from them - decide to go back to the old tried, tested and failed regulars. Gerrard and Lampard in midfield, a right footed cent midf playing on the left, a 4-4-2 formation, scrape through qualification at which results in a spell of tabloid tub thumping only for the team to exite the World Cup when they face the first half decent team in the knock-out stages.

Cue a cry from Hodgson of a new era and things have to change, and then he announces the squad in Aug 2014 and the usual suspects appear again. Yawn.

An erudite, perceptively accurate and completely valid synopsis.

Well done.

[Ted Hughes]

What do you lot take from this game?

My conclusion is that there's a very positive vibe about the Swedish national team at the moment. We're not organized, we'll probably never be under this manager, but we'll play some great games at least. For a nation of our calibre I guess it's all that can be asked really. If only there was a carling cup for nations.

I've got to be honest & say I thought Sweden were even worse than England for a large part of the game & won due to some good finishing & a well struck free kick & a speculative but excellent last min 'golazo' by Ibrahimovic.

The two goals from outfield play, most 1st division teams would not have conceded though, it was truly shocking defending.

I was expecting Sweden to outclass England after their result v the Germans & was quite surprised how poor they were for most of the game.

[Alioune DVToure]

An erudite, perceptively accurate and completely valid synopsis.

Well done.

*flicks ash from end of pipe and dusts off tweed jacket*

[Hazy2]

What do you lot take from this game?

My conclusion is that there's a very positive vibe about the Swedish national team at the moment. We're not organized, we'll probably never be under this manager, but we'll play some great games at least. For a nation of our calibre I guess it's all that can be asked really. If only there was a carling cup for nations.

I've got to be honest & say I thought Sweden were even worse than England for a large part of the game & won due to some good finishing & a well struck free kick & a speculative but excellent last min 'golazo' by Ibrahimovic.

The two goals from outfield play, most 1st division teams would not have conceded though, it was truly shocking defending.

I was expecting Sweden to outclass England after their result v the Germans & was quite surprised how poor they were for most of the game.

The start of the season has a lot of teams looking like the Dog & Duck when it comes to basic defending. Us the rags, Germany, Joe was punished for reading the situation a poor placed header, After that genius. The free kick Joe's fault 100 %. Zlatan last night was full of energy in the dying seconds as he is clever with his runs, takes a breather drops off, top player, but against average defenders he looks amazing. TBF we were due... as he has been poor in the past against us.He is also benefitting from less needed week in week out in Ligue 1 imho, I see a few French games live and the intestity is not there, technical better than the Prem, less running for him.

[Rag_hater]

tells me that the prem is an echo chamber for the press and english players alike. For starters, england don't have anyone that even approaches Ibra's quality, but if you listen to commentators every weekend, Welbeck probably runs him close and Rooney is miles ahead.

Ibra's comment about Gerrard was pure satire. What top team doesn't already have a player in Gerrard's position that is just flat out better?

world class player in any position? GK? maybe, Hart needs to get his swagger back though, there are others that have earned it over many years. LB? Maybe only because there is a lack of truly class left backs in the world right now, so Ashley MIGHT get a shout. Midfield? No ... striker? No. Defense? No.

England need to stop equating Premier League as best in the world meaning that England will be the best team in the world, just not true. Same story to baseball in the states. the MLB is the best league in the world, has the best talent from all over the world and the most money. Our national team can't beat tiny Caribbean nations for fucks sake. It's not as important in baseball though, we don't really do national games much ... much different story for England, obviously ... and the first step is to kill the delusion, because as the Prem gets better and better, I can see the English national team getting worse and worse.

My prediction is that England will start to progress as a team only when players start going abroad to play. It's too comfortable for them now, no one is forced to grow in an echo chamber.

That all sounds a bit gloomy.

[Ted Hughes]

tells me that the prem is an echo chamber for the press and english players alike. For starters, england don't have anyone that even approaches Ibra's quality, but if you listen to commentators every weekend, Welbeck probably runs him close and Rooney is miles ahead.

Ibra's comment about Gerrard was pure satire. What top team doesn't already have a player in Gerrard's position that is just flat out better?

world class player in any position? GK? maybe, Hart needs to get his swagger back though, there are others that have earned it over many years. LB? Maybe only because there is a lack of truly class left backs in the world right now, so Ashley MIGHT get a shout. Midfield? No ... striker? No. Defense? No.

England need to stop equating Premier League as best in the world meaning that England will be the best team in the world, just not true. Same story to baseball in the states. the MLB is the best league in the world, has the best talent from all over the world and the most money. Our national team can't beat tiny Caribbean nations for fucks sake. It's not as important in baseball though, we don't really do national games much ... much different story for England, obviously ... and the first step is to kill the delusion, because as the Prem gets better and better, I can see the English national team getting worse and worse.

My prediction is that England will start to progress as a team only when players start going abroad to play. It's too comfortable for them now, no one is forced to grow in an echo chamber.

That all sounds a bit gloomy.

The Premier League is only the best in the world because it has loads of top quality players from abroad, but playing at a higher intensity, v completely different systems every week & (apart from Utd & Liverpool) for the most part not getting over protected by referees all the time like they would in their own countries. It has little to do with English players.

The malaise of English football is the result of decades of mismanagement at every level. Imo, that is changing & eventually, we will start to see decent quality English footballers, not least amongst City's squad.

Football coaching & administration here is slowly starting the climb back up out of a deep dark hole of its own making.

[Cocacolajojo1]

I've got to be honest & say I thought Sweden were even worse than England for a large part of the game & won due to some good finishing & a well struck free kick & a speculative but excellent last min 'golazo' by Ibrahimovic.

The two goals from outfield play, most 1st division teams would not have conceded though, it was truly shocking defending.

I was expecting Sweden to outclass England after their result v the Germans & was quite surprised how poor they were for most of the game.

Yeah you'll get no complaints from me on that assessment. The organization just isn't there. It's the mentality I like and it's the mentality that might see us through to the world cup. If we lose that mentality, god help us all.

[mr_nool]

I've got to be honest & say I thought Sweden were even worse than England for a large part of the game & won due to some good finishing & a well struck free kick & a speculative but excellent last min 'golazo' by Ibrahimovic.

The two goals from outfield play, most 1st division teams would not have conceded though, it was truly shocking defending.

I was expecting Sweden to outclass England after their result v the Germans & was quite surprised how poor they were for most of the game.

Yeah you'll get no complaints from me on that assessment. The organization just isn't there. It's the mentality I like and it's the mentality that might see us through to the world cup. If we lose that mentality, god help us all.

I might be a boring old fart, but I preferred Sweden under the old manager. Well organized, punching above its weight.
I think the "miraculous" comeback against Germany and this win against a very average England side has just brushed a lick of paint over the obvious and huge cracks in the wall.

It's not (only) down to Hamrén, though. The new generation coming through sadly just isn't good enough. Behind Zlatan we have ... nothing. I mean, when the lad who sporadically gets a game for Fulham is our most exciting prospect, things look very bleak indeed.

[I Just Blue Myself]

Guidetti?

[mr_nool]

Guidetti?

The jury is still out on him. He's only played one game for Sweden (friendly). He had a great season at Feyenoord, but he wouldn't be the first player to shine for a short while in the Dutch league.

[Cocacolajojo1]

I've got to be honest & say I thought Sweden were even worse than England for a large part of the game & won due to some good finishing & a well struck free kick & a speculative but excellent last min 'golazo' by Ibrahimovic.

The two goals from outfield play, most 1st division teams would not have conceded though, it was truly shocking defending.

I was expecting Sweden to outclass England after their result v the Germans & was quite surprised how poor they were for most of the game.

Yeah you'll get no complaints from me on that assessment. The organization just isn't there. It's the mentality I like and it's the mentality that might see us through to the world cup. If we lose that mentality, god help us all.

I might be a boring old fart, but I preferred Sweden under the old manager. Well organized, punching above its weight.
I think the "miraculous" comeback against Germany and this win against a very average England side has just brushed a lick of paint over the obvious and huge cracks in the wall.

It's not (only) down to Hamrén, though. The new generation coming through sadly just isn't good enough. Behind Zlatan we have ... nothing. I mean, when the lad who sporadically gets a game for Fulham is our most exciting prospect, things look very bleak indeed.

I liked Sweden during Lagerbäck and Söderberg. Sweden under Lagerbäck was not punching over it's weight if you ask me, rather under, but that conversation has been had five billion times by now and I guess we won't get any closer to a solution on here.

However, you have to agree that there's a better feeling about the team nowadays no? I mean, under Lagerbäck it looked like they wanted to kill each other during certain moments.

You old fart....