Florian Wirtz would not have impressed many poor Liverpool fans v France, while we also have views on Reece James, Arsenal, Spurs and Bruno Fernandes.<\/p>\n
Send your views on any subject to theeditor@football365.com<\/p>\n
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It gets Wirtz<\/strong> \u00a0<\/p>\n Why Reece James?<\/strong> It\u2019s interesting that Tuchel is coming with his Chelsea favourites, especially as they aren\u2019t overly excellent. Reece James is an odd one for me. Only getting in because Tuchel has worked with him before and not on merit.<\/p>\n He is good of course, when he plays, but what\u2019s the point of picking him? It reminds me of when Ledley King kept being picked for England when fit at Carragher\u2019s expense. Eventually Carragher retired from international football which was fair. Carragher may not have been has good as King but Carragher was regularly playing in the later stages of the Champions League and was racking up hundreds of appearances for Liverpool.<\/p>\n Southgate really was good about thinking about a team dynamic in his squads. I really don\u2019t fancy Tuchel as England manager at all but whatever. I don\u2019t fancy half of England games anyway. READ: England player ratings v Andorra: Palmer poor while Madueke shines as Tuchel\u2019s only shining light<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n This Arsenal fan does not want to be in Spurs\u2019 shoes<\/strong> I absolutely do not wish Arteta could do this. I don\u2019t want to be in the Europa League. Can we stop pretending he hasn\u2019t been backed. Spurs have spent more on their team than Arsenal in both the last two years and the last 5<\/strong><\/a>. They\u2019re not some overachieving team. Ange did no sacrifice the league. They were just shit. Did they sacrifice top 4 last season too? Because that\u2019s how long they\u2019ve been dreadful for. It\u2019s not just \u201cOh, actually lads forget about the league we will just win the EL\u201d. No, you\u2019ve been horrendous in the league and you got lucky.<\/p>\n I genuinely can\u2019t stress enough how little I care about the Europa League. I hate when Arsenal are in it. It just bores me. I only care that it brings CL football. The trophy itself doesn\u2019t move me. It\u2019s embarrassing because it means we are mediocre if we are competing in it. Aside from that, the standard of teams that now compete in it is so bad. There genuinely doesn\u2019t seem to be much difference between the EL and Conference League.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t dislike Spurs at all. I think they have a very solid team and should be challenging for top 4. Injuries absolutely ruined them at times but it\u2019s still not good enough. I\u2019m an Irish Arsenal fan so never really have to be around Spurs, so I wanted them to beat United. Their gloating towards Arsenal fans is exactly what they should do but it doesn\u2019t bother me at all. I could not deal with football if Arsenal came 17th and won the EL. I would despise the entire team I think and want Arteta gone. I\u2019m not sure if I\u2019m the exception here but whatever. \u00a0<\/p>\n European changes coming? I can\u2019t see UEFA keeping the lower European cups the same format for long. England will dominate them. Roma won the first Conference league after Spurs being forced to give away a 3 0 loss in the group stage due to covid cases. Won 2 of the other three.<\/p>\n The Europa league without the champions league drop outs really undermines it. Spurs and United, when not shit, should be good enough to be a Europa league final with the CL drop outs, but adding in City, Sporting, June, Monaco, Brest (snigger) should have seen the Spurs and united of last year cleared out.<\/p>\n Five teams from the PL in the CL also really undermines it too. That\u2019s a quarter of the league. You exclude promoted teams and it\u2019s nearly a third. Its too many. Its meant to be an earned privilege to even play in it and a bloody magnificence to win it from there. Not scrape in 5th, or wherever, tank your league form so you scrape your way through by being slightly less tired. \u00a0<\/p>\n Man Utd and Ten Hag groupthink Some comments just from yesterday\u2019s mailbox<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n A few lucky games to win a trophy don\u2019t mask a season of underperforming \u2013 it\u2019s like nobody learnt anything from Man Utd and Ten Hag. and we avoided the ETH trap of keeping the wrong guy for (understandable) emotional reasons.<\/p>\n In short, ManU made the wrong call after the FA Cup, but it doesn\u2019t follow that Spurs made the right one.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Pundits, media and both mailboxers and commenters below the line all just fire this out, everyone nods and agrees, and it all moves on.<\/p>\n But let\u2019s really investigate that claim, that United were clearly and definitively wrong to not sack Ten Hag after winning the FA Cup. What\u2019s the basis for that claim? The new manager bounce from Amorin? Watching United fly up the table after getting rid of the Ten Hag anchor holding them back?<\/p>\n Amorin in the Premier League W7 D6 L14. No cup wins, lost in the Europa League to the guy that just lost his job.<\/p>\n For anyone to stroke their metaphorical beard, nod and pronounce right now sacking Ten Hag was right and is proven now, I\u2019d say hasn\u2019t thought it through. It\u2019s far too early to say if that\u2019s true.<\/p>\n What if this season wasn\u2019t just Amorin being stubborn, and after yet another transfer window and season of playing the only formation he knows, it turns out it wasn\u2019t taking over in mid season that was the issue \u2013 it\u2019s the fact Amorin can\u2019t do it at United, and they finish 15th again \u2013 will everyone still think it was a great idea to sack Ten Hag?<\/p>\n People saying sacking Ten Hag was definitely the right thing to do seem to be basing that on \u201cUnited weren\u2019t doing great in the league, rubbish players were being signed for loadsa money and 8th is not an acceptable league position\u201d.<\/p>\n Not on the fact that United are now 15th at the end of the season, the current manager has lost over 50% of the Premier League games he\u2019s managed and doesn\u2019t look like he\u2019s got a Scooby on how to manage in the Premier League, and they are now losing Cup Finals to Spurs. Sounds like a definite upgrade to me. Great decision.<\/p>\n The \u201cbacking\u201d for the decision being wrong is some theory that Ruben would have come in between seasons, and smashed it having had a full preseason and his own signings. Based on the evidence of this season, that\u2019s a pretty confident claim based on nothing.<\/p>\n You could equally argue that once United stuck with Ten Hag \u2013 firing him was the wrong decision. They should have stuck it out at least until the end of the season. United backed him in the window, but didn\u2019t give him time to do anything with those players.<\/p>\n And just for one last cliche \u2013 one Antipodean for another, and a Liverpool fan having an unnecessary dig at an Arsenal fan this year.<\/p>\n Turns out Levy also thought Spurs season was less successful than Arsenal\u2019s. Thanks for moving so swiftly to shut up that nonsense Danny boy!<\/p>\n Look at James getting all giddy after Arteta has Arsenal where Spurs were under Poch. You know, challenging for the league without actually getting there, and not quite winning trophies. I guess at least Poch got Spurs to a final in the CL rather than a semi final. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Feel for the Liverpool fans tuning in to the Germany v France reserves game to see their new midget<\/strong><\/a> in action, but he didn\u2019t even get on the pitch, poor lad!!! It\u2019s poor form from Nagelsmann if you ask me. The less said about Gnabry\u2019s new barnet the better too.
RHT\/TS<\/strong><\/p>\n
Full disclosure, I don\u2019t watch England qualifiers anymore. The last game I saw in person was wally in the brolly. I\u2019m now at a stage of life where I\u2019m time poor and quite frankly England vs Andorra isn\u2019t making it.<\/p>\n
Alex, South London<\/strong><\/p>\n
What on earth have I just read?<\/strong><\/a> \u2018Ange was a good coach for Tottenham who sacrificed the league for a cup win (you know deep down Arsenal fans wish Arteta could do this).\u2019<\/p>\n
Dion, Arsenal & Donegal<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/strong>Hi James the exiled gooner. Didn\u2019t Arsenal lose their one Europa cup final of just a few years ago? Bow down to Spurs European dominance of north London gooners.<\/p>\n
Alex, South London<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/strong>Given that nobody seems to really care about the football that\u2019s on right now (and fair enough) I figure it will be a slow mail day, so what better time to challenge a bit of accepted football wisdom.<\/p>\n\n
James (Gooner exiled in the North East)<\/p>\n
The obvious counter is going to be \u201cthey spent money on his signings, then sacked him. Should have sacked him in the summer and brought in the new manager then\u201d.<\/p>\n
Dixon \u201cFootball is over, put the cricket on\u201d Hunt<\/strong><\/p>\n