Our Internationals 2022/23

[Corky]

Lovely space creation from Maddison. Rodgers would be writing it in his notepad if he did it for Leicester.

[HybridFox]

4 minutes ago, filbertway said:

*Popular Leicester player exists on pitch when other players create/score goal*

 

Foxestalk:

Did you see the space he created?!

 

 

 

*Spots Leicester player's movement but the commentator never mentioned it leading to denial it never happened*

Edited 26 March 2023 by TK95

[Kierzz]

36 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Maddison plays very centrally even off the ball. Occupies the space that Bellingham has but also right behind Kane.

 

I know he's not an out-and-out winger but I wonder if it's intentional?

Yep the balance doesn't look right.

 

I wish Southgate would play less conservative and play maddison 10, Bellingham box-box (8) and then Rice defensive midfield (6). Then swap Henderson for an attacking left winger like Foden, Grealish or Rashford.

 

England could be a serious force with that formation considering the players they have

[st albans fox]

18 minutes ago, Supergray22 said:

Bring grealish on for Henderson and let Maddison roam as a free 10.  

 

6 minutes ago, Kierzz said:

Yep the balance doesn't look right.

 

I wish Southgate would play less conservative and play maddison 10, Bellingham box-box (8) and then Rice defensive midfield (6). Then swap Henderson for an attacking left winger like Foden, Grealish or Rashford.

 

England could be a serious force with that formation considering the players they have

Not from 2-0 up 

[theadmans]

Surprised to see Matt Bianco playing for Ukraine to be fair...

 

...someone told me earlier that he hadn't got out of his lazy bed (must have got there with only half a minute to spare)

 

 

[rico]

1 minute ago, theadmans said:

Surprised to see Matt Bianco playing for Ukraine to be fair...

 

...someone told me earlier that he hadn't got out of his lazy bed (must have got there with only half a minute to spare)

 

 

Im sure he'll be sneaking out the back door with a grin

[Supergray22]

Well done madders. Slightly nervous start but kept going. Made a couple of poor choices in the final phase but was there in the right place and always offered. Affected the game and didn’t look out of place at this level.  

[Ric Flair]

I thought he was very good, the Maddison for Leicester though would have shot with the outside of his foot when he sent that Ukranian down the Co-op and hesitated and blazed wide.

[moore_94]

Todays Results - Sunday 26th March

 

EURO Qualifier:

 

James Maddison (7.8 - 86 mins) - England 2-0 Ukraine

 

AFCON Qualifier:

 

Patson Daka (8.9 + 2 goals + MOTM - 90 mins) - Zambia 2-0 Lesotho

[StanSP]

2 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

I thought he was very good, the Maddison for Leicester though would have shot with the outside of his foot when he sent that Ukranian down the Co-op and hesitated and blazed wide.

Or cut inside on his left. There was the space there to have a clear shot on goal with no defenders there.

[StanSP]

1 minute ago, moore_94 said:

EURO Qualifier:

 

James Maddison (10.0, MOTM and inducted into England Hall of Fame - 86 mins) - England 2-0 Ukraine

 

Agreed. Fair play.

[An Sionnach]

From what I saw , Ukraine were never in it , so one of James's easier matches. Played OK and not injured so onto more important things.

[ACF]

Souttar has tweaked his ankle, will miss second game vs Ecuador. On his way back to Leicester. Should be fine for the Palace game but Socceroos sent him home as a precaution.

[Aus Fox]

8 hours ago, ACF said:

Souttar has tweaked his ankle, will miss second game vs Ecuador. On his way back to Leicester. Should be fine for the Palace game but Socceroos sent him home as a precaution.

Well that’s a waste of a ticket! 😂 I was only going to see Souttar.

[suffolk fox]

Lets hope Souttar is fit for Palace on Saturday ......worrying.

[FoxesWalk]

 

[davieG]

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/james-maddison-england-leicester-b2308327.html

 

James Maddison is the brilliant player England don’t need
Maddison produced a lively show on his first start for England in their win over Ukraine but his talent remains surplus to a manager with so many attacking options to choose from

Lawrence Ostlere

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice
Sometimes a scenario perfectly fits a player, and on 36 minutes, James Maddison received the ball in England’s half and spun away from his marker into space. As the Ukrainian defenders retreated, the Wembley pitch yawned open in front of him and for the first time in the match – his first start for England – Maddison had a canvas on which to create.

He surged forwards while surveying his options. Directly ahead was Harry Kane, but the pass would need to be carefully threaded through Ukraine’s centre-backs. To his right was Bukayo Saka, lurking on the shoulder of his full-back ready to burst into space. Maddison continued towards the box at full tilt and began shaping his body to pass right, but just as he did so the ball lodged under his feet, and the momentum escaped. Barely a minute later, as if to illustrate how it should be done, Kane dropped deep and swept a pass out to Saka before racing into the box to score England’s opener.

This was by no means a microcosm of Maddison’s performance, which was mostly bright and sometimes crafty, playing in a free-ish role on the left side of a front three. At one point he tied Ukraine’s Taras Stepanenk in knots with a series of head-spinning Cruyff turns, and he produced another clever piece of footwork which sent Roman Yaremchuk down the Bakerloo Line before lashing the subsequent shot a little too high.

His goals and assists for Leicester are the output of someone who can play at a higher level and Southgate was certainly impressed with his “personality” for England. “He found the spaces well and he had a super game,” the manager said.

Yet it was a moment which pointed to part of the reason why Maddison has had to wait until 26 for his first England start, and why he has not appeared for his country in the three-and-a-half years since his only previous international cap. The bald truth is that Gareth Southgate doesn’t really need him. Maddison is in constant competition with a raft of other left-sided attackers like Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden. And here, on a night when injuries had cleaned out most of them and presented a rare chance to play, it was not Maddison but Kane who best executed the job of the roving No 10.

Recommended

Maddison’s talent is refined but his qualities are not necessarily unique when compared with the sum of the parts around him. Saka was outstanding whether stretching the game on the touchline or coming infield, from where he scored England’s majestic second goal. Jude Bellingham provided creative impetus and guile from midfield. Chilwell overlapped down the left and Kane linked play dropping deep. And so Maddison felt like a nice option to have – a smart touch here, a jinking turn there – without providing an essential ingredient.

None of this is Maddison’s fault. He is the victim of a common curse of international football where talent comes in uneven piles. Southgate has a similar problem in the opposite corner of the pitch where he could pick four right-backs and still leave out the one playing for the Premier League leaders right now, Ben White. The inverse is also often true: Spain’s World Cup-winning side of 2010 relied on the functional Joan Capdevilla at left-back by virtue of the defender being one of the few left-footed options with a Spanish passport at the time.

Whereas England are overflowing with attacking stock right now. Maddison may get more chances after what he described as his “second debut”, and perhaps on this performance he should. Certainly his England hiatus feels a little wasteful. But Southgate has strong loyalties with Sterling and will find it impossible to ignore the form of Rashford should his flow of goals continue into the next round of international games in June. A lot can change by then, but it would take a seismic shift for England to be in real need of the neat and tidy touches of James Maddison, a sublime and surplus talent.

[StanSP]

Nice to see a coach take account of a players injury and be on the safe side 

[ACF]

3 hours ago, Aus Fox said:

Well that’s a waste of a ticket! 😂 I was only going to see Souttar.

I’m at wedding out in Gippsland, so am away for the game and the Grand Prix 😤

[Steve Earle]

5 hours ago, davieG said:

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/james-maddison-england-leicester-b2308327.html

 

James Maddison is the brilliant player England don’t need
Maddison produced a lively show on his first start for England in their win over Ukraine but his talent remains surplus to a manager with so many attacking options to choose from

Lawrence Ostlere

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice
Sometimes a scenario perfectly fits a player, and on 36 minutes, James Maddison received the ball in England’s half and spun away from his marker into space. As the Ukrainian defenders retreated, the Wembley pitch yawned open in front of him and for the first time in the match – his first start for England – Maddison had a canvas on which to create.

He surged forwards while surveying his options. Directly ahead was Harry Kane, but the pass would need to be carefully threaded through Ukraine’s centre-backs. To his right was Bukayo Saka, lurking on the shoulder of his full-back ready to burst into space. Maddison continued towards the box at full tilt and began shaping his body to pass right, but just as he did so the ball lodged under his feet, and the momentum escaped. Barely a minute later, as if to illustrate how it should be done, Kane dropped deep and swept a pass out to Saka before racing into the box to score England’s opener.

This was by no means a microcosm of Maddison’s performance, which was mostly bright and sometimes crafty, playing in a free-ish role on the left side of a front three. At one point he tied Ukraine’s Taras Stepanenk in knots with a series of head-spinning Cruyff turns, and he produced another clever piece of footwork which sent Roman Yaremchuk down the Bakerloo Line before lashing the subsequent shot a little too high.

His goals and assists for Leicester are the output of someone who can play at a higher level and Southgate was certainly impressed with his “personality” for England. “He found the spaces well and he had a super game,” the manager said.

Yet it was a moment which pointed to part of the reason why Maddison has had to wait until 26 for his first England start, and why he has not appeared for his country in the three-and-a-half years since his only previous international cap. The bald truth is that Gareth Southgate doesn’t really need him. Maddison is in constant competition with a raft of other left-sided attackers like Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden. And here, on a night when injuries had cleaned out most of them and presented a rare chance to play, it was not Maddison but Kane who best executed the job of the roving No 10.

Recommended

Maddison’s talent is refined but his qualities are not necessarily unique when compared with the sum of the parts around him. Saka was outstanding whether stretching the game on the touchline or coming infield, from where he scored England’s majestic second goal. Jude Bellingham provided creative impetus and guile from midfield. Chilwell overlapped down the left and Kane linked play dropping deep. And so Maddison felt like a nice option to have – a smart touch here, a jinking turn there – without providing an essential ingredient.

None of this is Maddison’s fault. He is the victim of a common curse of international football where talent comes in uneven piles. Southgate has a similar problem in the opposite corner of the pitch where he could pick four right-backs and still leave out the one playing for the Premier League leaders right now, Ben White. The inverse is also often true: Spain’s World Cup-winning side of 2010 relied on the functional Joan Capdevilla at left-back by virtue of the defender being one of the few left-footed options with a Spanish passport at the time.

Whereas England are overflowing with attacking stock right now. Maddison may get more chances after what he described as his “second debut”, and perhaps on this performance he should. Certainly his England hiatus feels a little wasteful. But Southgate has strong loyalties with Sterling and will find it impossible to ignore the form of Rashford should his flow of goals continue into the next round of international games in June. A lot can change by then, but it would take a seismic shift for England to be in real need of the neat and tidy touches of James Maddison, a sublime and surplus talent.

Is he? News to me. I'd have thought he and Southgate would believe that having played nearly all his time with us either centrally or off the right, he might be competing for a spot there?

[moore_94]

Amartey is starting for Ghana vs Angola

 

Iheanacho and Ndidi both on the bench for Nigeria vs Guinea-Bissau

[Sunbury Fox]

Really sad to see Wilf's decline. There was a time not long ago when he was a guaranteed starter for both us and Nigeria. Being replaced in their starting line up by a Brentford reserve player sums things up for him at the minute. 

[lcfc_forever]

27 minutes ago, Sunbury Fox said:

Really sad to see Wilf's decline. There was a time not long ago when he was a guaranteed starter for both us and Nigeria. Being replaced in their starting line up by a Brentford reserve player sums things up for him at the minute. 

BR said that he was having personal issues and was given time off earlier in the season. Wonder if that's a contributing factor to his loss in form? 

 

It's ridiculous how his performances have got so much worse, not seen a player drop off like this in some time. 

[moore_94]

Todays Results - Monday 27th March

 

AFCON Qualifiers:

 

Daniel Amartey (6.3 + 1 penalty given away - 90 mins) - Ghana 1-1 Angola

 

Wilfred Ndidi (9 mins) - Nigeria 1-0 Guinea-Bissau

 

Kelechi Iheanacho (unused sub) - Nigeria 1-0 Guinea-Bissau

 

Friendly:

 

Zach Booth (started) - USA Under 19s 2-0 Racing Club

Edited 27 March 2023 by moore_94

[Ryy]