Double Trouble

Per Mertesacker with the only goal at Wembley on Tuesday

We all knew that one loss would be likely, two wouldn't be improbable, yet it still stings. For the masses that are falling out of love with the national side, two back to back losses at home are an understandable reason to channel surf during the international break. Although most neutrals would have expected Germany to beat England, the loss to Chile proved galling, with early predictions from some suggesting that they were there for the taking. As mentioned last week, the Chilean team was no pushover. Although star midfielder Arturo Vidal was absent, there were still a batch of household names in the team from Wigan's Jean Beausejour to Barcelona's Alexis Sanchez so this was a team that no fan should have taken lightly. Across the two games, Roy Hodgson might question whether it was worthwhile picking an experimental side for the game against the Chilean's, especially considering his side was bracing itself for a beating from their old rivals. As things stand, a weakened England side could not beat a mid-strength Chilean team, whilst a full-strength England side could not match a weakened German side.

Sanchez showed why he is a Barcelona player on Friday with two goals

Against Germany, there is an argument to say that England were unlucky. They competed in the game and a 0-0 draw would not have been an unfair result, yet as Hodgson said after the match, there was a lack of quality on show. This was shortly after the England U21 side thrashed San Marino's U21 side 9-0 where despite the quality of the opposition, there was quality within their ranks. The central midfield duo of Will Hughes and James Ward-Prowse looked composed, grabbing a goal each, whilst Jesse Lingard tormented the backline with peppered shots throughout the 90 minutes after playing in the hole in a free role. Whilst this is not an argument that the senior side should be overhauled with U21 players, there is an argument that after this World Cup, the revolution should begin in earnest.

Subs: Butland, Forster, Jenkinson, Shaw, Cahill, Shawcross,
Cleverley, Ward-Prowse, Barkley, Lallana, Zaha, Ince,
Welbeck, Lambert, Ings

If I were to pick an England squad for after the World Cup, I believe it should be flooded with younger players, with as few players over the age of 30 as possible. In my team I have only included one over 30 player in Rickie Lambert, on the substitutes bench. The rest of the team is built around the younger players, with potential, in the current squad, whilst incorporating the players who have the potential to be great in the current under-21 team. Whatever team you or I pick, I believe the key to creating a good team is consistency. Whatever group of players Roy Hodgson picks after the World Cup, they need to be a group of players that can learn from any mistakes made during the Euro 2016 campaign, perhaps even the 2018 World Cup, so that they are ready and experienced by the peak of their careers. Pete Sharland made the point this week that English players are too readily called up to play for their country, something my line-up may be guilty of as I have placed current form players in the team. However, if you look at Spain's national team, you already know 20 of the 23 players who will travel to Brazil this summer, the same could be said of Germany's World Cup squad. England though are still handing out last ditch chances in the hope that someone plays their way into contention. If we are to progress, I agree with Sharland that this attitude has to stop and consistency should become the key to our country's future.

Back to the Brit - Lucky Black Cats?

Forgotten man Phil Bardsley comes to the rescue

Although I'm a fan of Phil Bardsley the player, someone who reminds me of Marc Wilson in regards of being a right-footed left-back, his inclusion back into the Sunderland team came as a surprise. There aren't many players who can be caught lying on a floor with dozens of £50 notes and still get back into their club team. This is not about Paolo di Canio's decision to leave him out, it is about Sunderland's inability to sell him, plus Gus Poyet's desperation to recall him back into the squad. The lack of quality in the Sunderland squad is quite astonishing in certain areas. Jozy Altidore, who was mooted by Stoke fans as being the solution to our goalscoring problems, yet with 0 goals in 11 league games, those fans may be glad Stoke failed to listen to them. Steven Fletcher is capable of scoring the goals to keep a side higher up the table, yet he has failed to recover from the injury which kept him out at the end of last season. Whilst John O'Shea and Wes Brown are capable defenders, having both played short of 500 league games between them for Manchester United before leaving in 2011, there is a reason they left the current Champions: age and injuries. Their quality was not increasing and their opportunities were decreasing, with increased games at Sunderland not helping either's cause. Looking at the rest of the squad, it is hard to pinpoint which players could get into Stoke's squad, highlighting their lack of top-notch players.

Michael Owen and John O'Shea last season

Despite the frailties of Gus Poyet's squad, he appears to have brought new motivation to the team, having overseen three home wins in his three league and cup games at the Stadium of Light. However, away from home he has suffered a 4-0 mauling at Swansea and a 1-0 loss to Hull City, where his team lost Lee Cattermole and Andrea Dossena to red cards. These losses show that Sunderland are not as strong, yet at least, away from home than when they play in front of their own fans. This should suit Stoke, knowing that they themselves are not at their strongest, having conceded winning positions in their last four games in league and cup, yet it should not make them complacent. A key to the game for Stoke will be how Robert Huth plays after his ankle troubles against whoever the Sunderland roulette draws up front. Any one of Fletcher, Altidore or Borini could get a starting place against Stoke, each posing their own unique threat. Altidore relies on powerful runs past a defender, whilst Borini seems to prefer to use clever footwork to beat his man. Fletcher appears to be more of a poacher in the box, something Stoke should be wary of during the game, and come January. If Huth has overcome his injury, as reports this week suggest, then he should be able to handle these three threats with Shawcross, but if he is playing at 80% as he appeared in the last few games, it would not be harsh to call for Marc Muniesa to receive his first league start.

International Round-up:

It was the Cristiano Ronaldo show in Sweden

Love him or hate him, Cristiano Ronaldo has made a tough case to beat that he deserves the Ballon d'or this year. Whilst Lionel Messi is indisputable in his rank as the number one player in the world, based on the past year his performances have been sub-par with niggling injuries affecting him. Ronaldo on the other hand has taken on the challenge of Gareth Bale stealing his limelight and shown why he was once the most expensive footballer on the planet. His hat-trick in Sweden saw him win his personal duel with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with all four goals for Portugal in the two ties coming from the Real Madrid star. Whilst Ronaldo still has a lot to do if he wants to claim he has had a successful season, with Madrid currently sitting third in La Liga, come July next year he may be able to look on a season when he finally bettered Messi.

Mamadou Sakho involved in two of France's three goals

Another Real Madrid player was on the score-sheet in the World Cup play-offs, with Karim Benzema scoring for France in a 3-0 win that sent them to Brazil. Despite a lot of hype from the media, both in France and internationally, there was little doubt that France could still qualify after their first leg loss to Ukraine. They might not be the greatest generation for Le Bleus, but there is quality throughout their team, and when they needed to win on Tuesday, they did. Elsewhere Croatia and Greece turned out winners over Iceland and Romania to complete the European play-off rounds. Former Stoke striker Eidur Gudjohnsen turned out for Iceland in their last chance for a historic appearance in a World Cup. Unfortunately for him, it turned out not to be.

Quick Snippet - Prison State:

Zahid Belounis, unable to leave Qatar.

I wish to keep this shorter than usual about Zahid Belounis, a French footballer who has been denied an exit visa from Qatar. Without going into the politics of the situation, this is a reason why I believe Qatar should not be hosting a World Cup, that cases like this can still rise to the surface. Read the full story here and see what you think for yourself. Personally, I believe any man or woman has a right to leave a country and return home.