Opinion on the England team tonight - good result but pretty dire overall and only won due to a flukey 30 yarder with the GK off balance and a lucky touch off a heel. Our passing was woeful generally, too many "get it forward quick" telegraphed passes allowing the swedish defenders to intercept. We seem to have no concept of playing the ball around waiting for an opening - probably because 90% of the team can't be trusted to actually hit an english player with a pass with better than a 1 in 3 ratio. May have beat Sweden but they were awful (apart from Zlatan and Mellberg) and still managed to score 2 goals against us. Don't think the fancied teams are quaking in their boots about meeting us.
Squad comments
Joe - Reasonably solid, will be disappointed in letting in 2. Maybe could have come out for 2nd but OK overall.
Johnson - defensive positioning awful, played their first goal onside (and managed to score it for them also). Couple of good covering tackles raved about by the commentators, pity they were only necessary because he'd screwed up his positioning in the 1st place.
Terry - Lost any pace he never had, Aguero will rip him a new one next season.
Lescott - OK game as stopper, will never be a decent passer but no real mistakes.
Cole - Thinks he's a winger (unless told by Woy to get forward a lot). Kept leaving a big gap behind him. OK apart from that.
Young - not sure why he was on the pitch - anonymous. Won't be a starter in the Ukraine game if there is any justice in the world.
Milner - Not a great game, he isn't really a winger. Couple of decent crosses but no trickery or pace - needs to be in CM instead of..........
Parker - Complete waste of fucking rations, I lost count how many times he passed the ball to Sweden.
Gerrard - OK game, good cross for Carroll and unlucky not to get goal. tries too many hollywood passes from deep. I think he's getting confused in his old age and thinks his name is Xabi Alonso.
Carroll - Did OK, put himself about, got a decent goal and helped out at the back. Best I've seen of him for a while.
Welbeck - Anonymous 90% of the time. When he gets put through seems to think all he has to do is run alongside the ball and that will confuse the defender so he won't get tackled - it doesn't work.
Walcott - quick, direct - did good but still don't rate him but fair play on a good 30 minutes from him
Ox - not on long enough
Woy - Did good, it worked and we won. Baffling substitution to bring on a winger when taking Welbeck off late - surprised it wasn't a defensive mid to shut down the midfield.
