England v Japan

[Mighty Shrimper]

Also, Walcott is simply cow dung

 

[chapperzUK]

Carragher, SWP, Hart, Gerrard and J Cole on.

Huddlestone, James, Johnson, Bent and Walcott off.

 

[Mighty Shrimper]

That's Bent out of the squad then.

 

[chapperzUK]

That's Bent out of the squad then.

Don't you mean Brent? ;)

Lampard misses a penalty. He usually just hammers it in, so why change a successful tactic?

 

[chapperzUK]

Was just about to post saying that the odds on the next goal being an OG is 16/1 at Coral.

 

[chapperzUK]

Heskey about to come on for Lennon

J. Cole on the right with Heskey and Rooney up front?

 

[chapperzUK]

The Japanese crowd are really annoying. How can they scream at such a high pitch!?! It reminds me of playing Sunday football when I was 10 and the mums would scream when we were attacking.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

So we won 2-1 without scoring a goal ourselves!

 

[EastStandBlue]

Distinctly average, but it's about as much as I expected from a friendly just three days before the squad announcement. Nobody was going to run their arses into the ground and risk an injury with so much on the line individually.

Rather predictably, the best performances came from those on the fringes. Both James and Hart didn't have an awful lot to do and looked dependable, Joe Cole looked lively as did Lennon in the spells he actually had the ball and Carragher looked useful in that position.

Bad points. No cohesion in the midfield with Huddlestone and Lampard, probably because they've never played together before. Walcott still struggles to produce an end-product. Bent was either dreadful or just doesn't want it enough and Johnson's tracking for their goal was a Schoolboy level defensive error.

Bit disappointed to see no sign of Warnock or Adam Johnson. Capello clearly doesn't trust anybody else other than Cole in that berth which isn't exactly surprising and this tournament might just come too soon for Johnson... Although I'm always wary of him being kept under wraps to be sprung onto someone when we need impact the most.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Only saw the last 10 minutes.Didn't look I missed too much apart from an own goal and their effort.Thought Joe Cole looked lively.I'd take him.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Midfield of Lennon Lampard Gerrard and J Cole would be my choice. Crouch and Rooney up front and the same back 5 that started today.

 

[Sandbach Shrimper]

Poor. Bit worrying that Capello still doesn't seem to know his best team and is even trying new systems in our last warm-up match. It was a typical flat England performance really, improved slightly in the 2nd half but needed 2 own goals to win it. Their keeper had a blinder though. On the positive side, Hart made a couple of smart saves and looks very calm and confident for someone so inexperienced. Rooney and Lennon had a few bright moments and Joe Cole and Wright-Phillips both looked quite lively in the 2nd half. Bent's probably blown his chance after missing a couple of half-chances although I'd still take him over Heskey who missed a sitter at the end from a perfect Steven Gerrard cross. I now imagine the 7 who'll be cut will be Warnock, Dawson, Upson, Huddlestone, Parker, Carrick/A Johnson and Bent. Can't read too much into these warm-up games though.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Midfield of Lennon Lampard Gerrard and J Cole would be my choice. Crouch and Rooney up front and the same back 5 that started today.

Thought Lampard was poor, too many stray passes.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Poor. Bit worrying that Capello still doesn't seem to know his best team and is even trying new systems in our last warm-up match. It was a typical flat England performance really, improved slightly in the 2nd half but needed 2 own goals to win it. Their keeper had a blinder though. On the positive side, Hart made a couple of smart saves and looks very calm and confident for someone so inexperienced. Rooney and Lennon had a few bright moments and Joe Cole and Wright-Phillips both looked quite lively in the 2nd half. Bent's probably blown his chance after missing a couple of half-chances although I'd still take him over Heskey who missed a sitter at the end from a perfect Steven Gerrard cross. I now imagine the 7 who'll be cut will be Warnock, Dawson, Upson, Huddlestone, Parker, Carrick/A Johnson and Bent. Can't read too much into these warm-up games though.

Who says Capello doesn't know his strongest team? Surely this is more about looking at fringe players and plan Bs?

Thought Lampard was poor, too many stray passes.

As did Gerrard. I really wish he'd cut out those hollywood passes. It's OK if you're a Beckham (or even at a pinch, a Huddlestone) and able to deliver them on a sixpence, but so often a player has to check back to retrieve a Gerrard "pass" and that is just the ones that don't go straight out for a throw.

It's bad enough having to watch League One/Two players do that, I really don't want to have to see it when I watch England.

On that note, surely the likes of the Wright-Phillips, Carragher and Bent have no place in an England squad. Am I really asking too much for an international to be able to control the ball? They just don't have an international class touch. I'm not convinced by Gerrard and Terry's touch either.