England and midfielders

[Modo]

Just watching The Overlap on YouTube while having some Gong Bao chicken.
They’re chatting about England’s inability to keep hold of the ball and control matches in the big games, unlike sides like Spain, France etc.

I’ve got a theory on this: England simply lack that kind of midfielder.

If you look around the Prem, how many English midfielders do you see at the top clubs who genuinely dictate play?

For us, it’s shared between Gravy and Macca.

City have Rodri. Arsenal have Zubi. United have Bruno. Newcastle, Bruno again or Tonali. And so on...

Even if you go back 15–20 years, the last proper English playmaker I can think of is Carrick.

That’s the crux of it, really. England don’t control games because they haven’t had that type of midfielder for over a decade. It’s not about tactics, it’s about personnel.

Any truth to this?

 

[Fabio]

Just watching The Overlap on YouTube while having some Gong Bao chicken.
They’re chatting about England’s inability to keep hold of the ball and control matches in the big games, unlike sides like Spain, France etc.

I’ve got a theory on this: England simply lack that kind of midfielder.

If you look around the Prem, how many English midfielders do you see at the top clubs who genuinely dictate play?

For us, it’s shared between Gravy and Macca.

City have Rodri. Arsenal have Zubi. United have Bruno. Newcastle, Bruno again. And so on...

Even if you go back 15–20 years, the last proper English playmaker I can think of is Carrick.

That’s the crux of it, really. England don’t control games because they haven’t had that type of midfielder for over a decade. It’s not about tactics, it’s about personnel.

Any truth to this?

It's true for me, but I think it's slowly changing. English playmakers for the longest times seemed to be all action, but now they're slowly starting to change.

I half think that it's down to a lot of English midfielders are coming through mid to lower PL teams, before being bought by a big club around 20. Those clubs are still very focused on workmanlike midfielders.

Only outlier for me is Wharton. Maybe Jones? He's a lot more controlled than most mids out there.

 

[Modo]

It's true for me, but I think it's slowly changing. English playmakers for the longest times seemed to be all action, but now they're slowly starting to change.

I half think that it's down to a lot of English midfielders are coming through mid to lower PL teams, before being bought by a big club around 20. Those clubs are still very focused on workmanlike midfielders.

Only outlier for me is Wharton. Maybe Jones? He's a lot more controlled than most mids out there.

Yeah I had Wharton in mind, also Jones.
I just remembered Declan, so right now he has to be that player for England, but he's more of box-to-box midfielder.
Jones loves the ball too much to be dictating play. He ruins it for us in transition at times.

Wharton is inexperienced and he might develop into that type.

One that actually fits the bill, but is far too young, is Nyoni.

 

[Fabio]

Yeah I had Wharton in mind, also Jones.
I just remembered Declan, so right he has to be that player for England, but he's more of box-to-box midfielder.
Jones loves the ball to much to be dictating play. He ruins us in transition at times.

Wharton is inexperienced and he might develop into that type.

One that actually fits the bill, but is far too young, is Nyoni.

I had Nyoni in mind when i said it was slowly changing!

Rice for me is the all action, standard england midfielder. Very good but thats it.

I asked AI over midfielders who got caps over the last 10 years. Out of all of them? arguably 2, maybe 3 controller/dictator types. A fair few floaty attacker types, a fair few aggressive all action mids. Cunts even put trent in there

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

I can't be the only person wondering what Gong Bao chicken is.

 

[Modo]

I hate "bigging up" Everton players, although this one is a boyhood red:


View: https://x.com/The_Forty_Four/status/1886005943567098358

He's had a great start to the season.

 

[Fabio]

I hate "bigging up" Everton players, although this one is a boyhood red:


View: https://x.com/The_Forty_Four/status/1886005943567098358

He's had a great start to the season.

I'm probably being a prick, but thats fucking horrendous defending

 

[KopRed]

All the talk about when Arsenal get a more defensive midfielder, Declan Rice will be more effective blah blah. Now that Zubimendi is in, nope, don't see it. He is hardly box to box. He runs around neat and tidy but he doesn't pose much of a threat. Maybe it's Arteta's tactics but I only notice he is playing when he takes forever to take a corner kick.

He's hardly a 100m midfielder.

 

[keniget]

I hate "bigging up" Everton players, although this one is a boyhood red:


View: https://x.com/The_Forty_Four/status/1886005943567098358

He's had a great start to the season.

The best thing about the move is the striker lining up to take a touch but then realizing he didn't have to and he could just wait for the right moment a split second later to shoot.

 

[binomial]

The best England midfielder today, is without a shadow of a doubt, Trey Nyoni. LB, CB, #6, #8, #10. Even played a bit on the left wing last pre-season. My boy's got all bases covered.

We've gone from the post Ramsey era of Hoddle, Wilkins, Robson, Waddle, Platt to the golden era of Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, Beckham, Butt, Cole etc

Allllllllll the way to Curtis Jones & Basmati Rice.

 

[moron]

Curtis Jones is the answer to all of Englands midfield issues.