Come anticipate Fabio Capello's two years as England manager with me

The idea of Carlton Cole and James Milner looking totally comfortable on the international stage would have been hilarious three years ago. Carlton Cole is a thing. Carlton Cole is better at Didier Drogba than Didier Drogba.

It may have been hilarious one year ago to be fair. It also might just have been a friendly to be fair.

I was wondering what wing demon the fuck that was laying on Defoe's 2nd (a friend and I watched most of the 2nd half in a pub after a cricket match). Then, the glimpse of an impossibly jutted chin, set-back eyes, expression of grim determination...it could only be he

lololol "Carlton Cole is a thing"...to use Pro Evo parlance, he did Post Player better than almost anyone else I've seen today

It's just a friendly. Luckily for both Carlton Cole and James Milner both are in a position with half-decent clubs where there'll be able to play pretty much every game this season, fitness permitting. Be interesting to see how they turn out, Cole especially.

Overjoyed at Defoe goals obviously, good to be going into the season with an in-form striker for once.

His first goal had such a ridiculously small margin of error, but it was just three touches and in.

Cole's miss was my favorite thing in the game.

What's a post player?

Defoe's first was classy.

very dissapointing performance from our boys. ;) Englad actually seemed a much better team. this cannot be true. (seemed to me Capello played with a lot better players in 2nd half, he should stick with those)

Post Player in Pro Evo is a skill some strikers have; generally big target men who knock it down or hold it up for little quick dudes to run onto and score.

I was actually really impressed with Cole's first touch and control, there was one shot he made with just a couple of swift touches that was great. I'd kind of assumed he was a bit of a joke before but hey you never know...

Yeah Matt, that's the miss I'm talking about.

"Post player" a basketball term, too. I wonder if Pro Evo borrowed it from that? There are a lot of basketball roles that also exist in soccer IMO.

5. Bring in Glen Jonno Johnson at right back, he would have been up against Kranjcar tonite

lol

johnson was fucking things up literally from the first touch

Pretty much all of the established big players looked like they were playing at walking pace and making wilfully bad passes in protest at having to play.

Rooney and SWP more in their traditional no I'm the best player let me do it I can skin all of them me modes.

Wayne Bridge has pulled out of the squad - his position is "untenable and potentially divisive" apparently.

Says who? He himself, or Capello? It would be quite funny if it was JT mouthing off.

wow.

England's defence at the World Cup is going to be embarassing if things continue this way. A seemingly-permanently-injured Ferdinand, an off-form Terry, a shit Glen Johnson and a just-back-from-injury Ashley Cole/some other loser. Oh also lol English goalkeeping.

hibbert, dawson, johnson, baines

Terry must now carry with him the additional burden of knowing his own actions have resulted in someone he used to class as a close friend missing the biggest tournament any professional can be involved in.

yes this is bound to weigh heavily on the famously introspective and considerate john terry.

Calling Ryan Shawcross (xp)

tbh i'd love to see a capello led defence of hart; hibbert, dann, johnson, baines/warnock - not exactly milan 91 but for 10 games or whatever? it could be great. or yeah, shawcross xpost

warnock is easily england class.

dawson is a liability, though. would fuck you at first opportunity under a high pressure situation.

most of the players here could easily perform defensive duties as a unit for capello, as long as the press/pundits didn't start to get on his back about the (secondary) consideration of their 'footballing' abilities.

lol spurs, basically

any chance of lol woodgate being not-dead?

never a chance of him being back match fit- sorry england, because he is class.

Phil Jagielka plays tonight, btw- is he any better than Dawson as a player that people see every now and again and think 'he's not as bad as I thought'

Whither LOLean Lescott?

let's just get psycho back out there as left back.

Lescott was an obvious choice this time last year, but tbh I'd take king ahead of him at this stage

Chelsea v Man City is gonna be fun this weekend, isn't it?

terry to 'do' bridge rather than the more just reverse imo

Never even occurred to me - I was thinking out of this weekend's four games that that was the one I could safely miss.

Jagielka was the shit, I just forgot he is still breathing.

So yeah, thinking about the way England have been set up under Capello, and the possibility of going to the World Cup with Leighton Baines and Steven Warnock, neither of whom are the sort to bomb forward at every opportunity.

Surely the rationale of playing Gerrard on the left was it kept him out of Lampard's way and Ashley Cole attacking down the left flank allowed him to drift further infield/maraud forward etc. That's got to be under threat with a more defensive left-back... good for James Milner or Joe Cole I'd say.

Then again the way things are going this may just entail switching Gerrard to the right.

or just not play him? he's not at his best form or late non?

I for one am incredibly glad we won't have two attacking minded full backs considering the state of lol glen johnson. In fact I wouldn't be averse to picking Brown, especially if we were to come up against a Di Maria or Ribery or Ronaldinho...

I had forgotten all about Ribery 'til I inadvertently flicked on espn at my parents' at the weekend, just as he was running straight at some terrified defenders like he was in that pink panther advert. Love him all over again now.

Much as I hate Ashley, he's far too good for England to easily get by without him this summer.

Its fine, every world cup there is a 'oh noes will player x make it back in time? oh well he'll only miss the first match' bit going on

good luck usa

Its fine, every world cup there is a 'oh noes will player x make it back in time? oh well he'll only miss the first match' bit going on

And then they come back and play like shit until we go out.

yeah but this time it'll be an adulterers fault we go out...

oh wait...

petty thug replaces philanderer as skippa

http://www.talksport.co.uk/sites/default/files/imagecache/ts_magazine_big_picture/england_future.jpg

The future of England has lots of people looking at angles.

a remarkable amount of odd eyebrow-action on the go there.

Wayne Rooney is larfing.

At You!

Rooney's all "I've been shit for six years now, but still I'm here!"

The future of England is a bit shonky at the back.

Phil Jones was robbed. And maybe Smalling I guess.

Also weh to Sturridge and Delfounso?

Think Welbeck is starting to look p deserving of a place, at least on the bench too. and Cattermole for the 'i'm mark van bommel and i will kill your whole family' role every modern side needs.