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2023/24 Jarrad Branthwaite

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On a plus side, he gets some rest. On the other hand he would've shined and his price would've gone up. The only reason he's not in the squad is Everton.
 
ToffeeScot said:
Lazy argument though. It really annoys me that people keep saying (not you) that Branthwaite can't play with the ball because his stats at doing so this season are bad. That doesn't mean a player can't do it, it just means that they've not been utilised in that way. Dunk for example did not ball play at all prior to Potter but then he shifted to doing so. I really think for an outfield player it's overstated how hard it is to become a ball player. It just needs the right coaching and setup.
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That’s kinda the whole point though. Branthwaite can and will do it but he doesn’t, Dunk has and does, and an international tournament isn’t the time to figure out what guys are capable of.
 
teppic said:
Aside from John Stones, there's not one player who plays centre back who should be in the squad ahead of Branthwaite.

Yes, Gomes admittedly can play left-back and probably will due to Southgate selecting Shaw, who has been injured all season, and who is expected to play 7 games in 28 days.
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The underrating of Kyle Walker continues unabated
 
Saint Domingo said:
England managers just fear technical players, all of them since Hoddle have done.

Paul Scholes and Carrick, players who dictated games from midfield for a club winning titles every season were dropped in favour of the good old English box to box players who can ‘get around the pitch’ like Gerrard Lampard Hargreaves Jenas Milner and it’s just continued on in the following generation Henderson Dier Rice Phillips Mount and most recently Bellingham and Gallagher. It’s not saying these lads are bad players at all, some are extremely good, but other nations wouldn’t be getting as excited about them as we do.

We love a young striker being let off the leash at 18 for England, but a creative midfielder being allowed to pull strings, or a CB being allowed to play out from the back? Absolutely not.

Possession is absolutely key in international football but conversely we’re so worried about picking creative players (in case they lose the ball) that we pick players who won’t create anything and we lose tournaments because of it.

Even now people are banging on about Jude Bellingham, in that Madrid team though he loiters around upfront letting Kroos and Modric make all the play behind him. Same way Gerrard did with Alonso at Liverpool, and Lampard did with Essien/Ballack. Then when they get to England and have to make the play themselves they can’t.

England should build a team around their best technical players but instead players like Grealish or Foden or Joe Cole before them have to be playing unbelievably to make it into England teams whereas if you’re a box to box plodder you get selected more often than not.
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Great post. Fully agree.
 


Saint Domingo said:
England managers just fear technical players, all of them since Hoddle have done.

Paul Scholes and Carrick, players who dictated games from midfield for a club winning titles every season were dropped in favour of the good old English box to box players who can ‘get around the pitch’ like Gerrard Lampard Hargreaves Jenas Milner and it’s just continued on in the following generation Henderson Dier Rice Phillips Mount and most recently Bellingham and Gallagher. It’s not saying these lads are bad players at all, some are extremely good, but other nations wouldn’t be getting as excited about them as we do.

We love a young striker being let off the leash at 18 for England, but a creative midfielder being allowed to pull strings, or a CB being allowed to play out from the back? Absolutely not.

Possession is absolutely key in international football but conversely we’re so worried about picking creative players (in case they lose the ball) that we pick players who won’t create anything and we lose tournaments because of it.

Even now people are banging on about Jude Bellingham, in that Madrid team though he loiters around upfront letting Kroos and Modric make all the play behind him. Same way Gerrard did with Alonso at Liverpool, and Lampard did with Essien/Ballack. Then when they get to England and have to make the play themselves they can’t.

England should build a team around their best technical players but instead players like Grealish or Foden or Joe Cole before them have to be playing unbelievably to make it into England teams whereas if you’re a box to box plodder you get selected more often than not.
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You lost me when you inferred Bellingham was poo unfortunately
 

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