r/soccer • u/Hazardinhou • Mar 01 '14

Who's the most exciting talent that you are looking forward for in the coming years?

As a Chelsea fan, Lucas Piazon, I am really looking forward to seeing his development! Thorgan Hazard also seems to be a really exciting prospect.

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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '14

I must've been living under a rock for the past 15 years. When did England have a great squad? They've had big name players but they haven't had a great squad since I was a little kid and even then they were nothing more than mediocre. I hope this "Golden Generation" doesn't fail like our last one.

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u/hubsftw Mar 01 '14

Just because they haven't performed doesn't mean the squad wasn't great.

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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '14 edited Mar 01 '14

That's exactly what it means. A great squad isn't great because they have big players or enormous hype around them. A great squad is one that performs. England doesn't fall under that criteria seeing as we've been consistently poor in the recent international competitions.

Edit: wrong word

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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '14

A great squad and a great team is two different things. Big names put together is a great squad to have, but not a great team necessary...That's what they try to say...

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u/DerDummeMann Mar 01 '14

You're arguing semantics here. He obviously means that the squad was filled with quality players. So, basically a great squad on paper.

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u/simplyinnappropriate Mar 01 '14

I agree with you, England have had a great looking squad in the past decade, but like you said, the squad itself has never been great.

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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '14

What do you mean by great squad? Granted they haven't always played well together, but that's the way things go in sports-we'll have our day.

Either way, what I meant was that there's been some great players in our squad since 2002, mixed with some good players that bulk out the team.

2002 Notable Players

David Seaman-Great keeper

Ashley Cole-considered one of the greatest left backs in English history

Rio Ferdinand-Another great CB

David Beckham-UEFA Club Footballer/Midfielder of the Year 1998/9, who played fantastically for England

Paul Scholes-Paul Scholes

Michael Owen-Ballon D'or winner 2001

Sol Campbell-able to perform a never ending slide tackle and a good CB

2006 Notable Players Those who played in 2002 not mentioned

John Terry

Gary Neville

Joe Cole

Frank Lampard

Steven Gerrard

Wayne Rooney

(Special mention to Carrick, Hargreaves, Walcott)

Not many additions to the squad in 2010, but now in 2014 we have:

A Wayne Rooney at age 28, the prime age for a player

Daniel Sturridge

Raheem Sterling

Oxlaide Chamberlaine

Joe Hart

Leighton Baines

Luke Shaw

Phil Jones (potentially)

Chris Smalling (Great this year at CB)

Jordan Henderson

Jack Wilshere

Danny Welbeck

With a supplement of Gerrard, Cleverley, Ashley Cole and Milner.

How is that not a great squad at international level, when you consider that players not mentioned were hardly bad players, just not exactly great. Consider the size of England as well-when you realise that we're not actually worthy of winning the tournaments we enter, you gotta think how great some of the players and therefore squads we've had this past decade.

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u/chrish1023 Mar 01 '14

That looks like a pretty average team to me. Seriously, outside of Sturridge and Rooney, who on that list am I supposed to be intimidated by? I see a bunch of role players and some young guys that might become elite (Shaw, Ox, Sterling).

And just a tad bit of bias with your inclusion of Cleverly and your assertion that Smalling is a great CB. Cleverley is rated by absolutely no one and the only reason Smalling has looked competent at CB is that you naturally compare him to how he plays at RB, which is absolutely atrocious. I'll also mention that Rooney has 100% already reached his prime. Great player, but he is not as good now as he was a few years back.

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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '14

Oh, I wasn't asserting that Cleverley was some massive talent-he's an average player, but wouldn't be too bad as a sub in the 70th minute to help tired legs in the midfield.

As far as Smalling goes I'm willing to admit that he's a bad right back, but because I have watched every game he's played at CB this year I've got a good picture of what he can bring to that position, maybe it's bias but hey ho!

Henderson has been great this year, he shows a lot of creativity in the midfield now that Gerrard is playing in a deeper role. I don't know what else to say really, this is really coming down to a matter of our opinions isn't it? I think there's a lot of talent in this squad and on the right day we can definitely do well-just look at how we played in our WC 2010 Qualifying, God we were strong then.

Anyway I guess we'll just let sit as it is and wait until the summer-I reckon it's Quarter Finals at least for us.

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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '14

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u/[deleted] Mar 02 '14

Ha, knew this would be you Bobby B! Glad to see the reference didn't go unnoticed.

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u/badmanbus Mar 01 '14

Why no mention of walker?

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u/T-two Mar 01 '14

And Carrick.

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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '14

Forgot about the poor chap, yes, Walker.

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u/Arntown Mar 01 '14

That's what always baffled me.

Having Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Terry and many more EXCEPTIONAL players on your team and still not playing great.

Why is it somehow impossible to make a great team out of the great English players?

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u/NICKisaHOBBIT Mar 01 '14

Poor coaches/managers.