Brazil v. England Friendly

I know it's just a friendly, but the intrigue of this match will have me taking a, err, "long lunch" as the match will be televised live on FSC (3 pm EST / 12 pm PST).

I want to see Becks return to the England squad, plus they're facing Brazil at the new Wembley, and all taking place on a Friday afternoon...nice.

Anyone else interested in this match, or could I possibly be the only Yank on the left coast who will be watching?

 

I will watch, but I will be surprised if England play with any passions, they haven't in the last 6 years, so why should playing the glamour boys of football in the 'new home of football' set their pulses racing?

Frankly, if England chose their team from the championship pool of players they would do better on the world stage, it is amazing how far genuine passion can take a team.

Having said that, who knows which Brazil will show up - we should have asked Scotland to play - thus recreating the first football international and generating some local interest.

 

I'll be watching to make sure Lord Beckham doesn't hurt himself. MSL has too much riding on him to have that happen. I can fully sympathize with Lalas The Red's concern over all these international FRIENDLIES coming up.

 

England (4-4-2) Robinson, Carragher, King, Terry, Shorey, Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, Cole, Smith, Owen.

Brazil (4-4-2) Helton, Daniel, Naldo, Juan, Gilberto, Ronaldinho, Mineiro, Gilberto Silva, Kaka, Robinho, Vagner Love.

With those lineups, there should at least be some competativeness to the match...but as GBFC stated, the Three Lions haven't shown up in quite some time.

 

Brazil have just had a goal chalked off for off-side that was perfectly good.

 

GBF...there were players offside that were far too close to Silva for it not to be caught offside. It was a nice header though.

I'm watching the match right now and it is a fairly good show. Neither side came out flat. Gerrard is by far the best for England thus far and all the samba warriors seem to be getting on the attack.

Prediction...England 1 Brazil 0.

 

Hey TOC, you prediction is looking good. Great headed goal by Terry from a DB07 cross.

I recon, having watched the replay a few times, that it was not offside, but the rule is very subjective and at some point I hope they clarify it.

 

Becham has been subbed off, LA are in for a treat if he continues in his present form. If McBride is the model EPL pro then Becham is a genuine star with fantastic work ethics.

He made the goal with a fantastic cross, the kind that if a defender heads it, it could go anywhere and was inviting for someone to knock in. But, what really impressed me was the work rate throughout the game, especially as he is still trying to win the league with Real. He could definatly grace any team in Europe still.

 

Beckham's work rate was fantastic. Him and Gerrard were tracking back and going forward fantastically well.

About the offside rule. I dont suspect they will change the rule anytime soon. It seems to suit the flow of play quite well, but it does heap an awful lot of pressure on the referee and linesman to make a spot on call.

 

TOC - you have let yourself down badly.

Hang your head in shame.

 

Blast you Diego. You thwart my plans once again. The mini man from Werder Bremen wrecks my prediction.

Fantastic goal though.

 

Diego...D'OH!!!

England's first XI, espcially Stevie MbE from the midfield, showed some great hustle on defense and some fine tackling on Brazil. Fairly entertaining for a friendly.

And ol' #7, he showed his class again today (and was inches from a goal in the 1st half)...I wonder if he regrets, even a tad bit, his move to the Galaxy. Madridistas worship him right now and I don't think there's a club in Europe who wouldn't welcome him at this moment, probably even United too.

 

I made that point to the office. With his recent rise in form will he be having second thoughts? I find it hard to believe he will fall so quickly out of favor with the England squad or fans abroad. McClaren is spineless and Beckham seems to have far more control over his own international career than McClaren does.

Man of the match for me is either Beckham or Gerrard. Both hustled and tackled hard the entire match. Well done.

 

i guess when a player constantly hears that he is down and out, they show their worth and start playing some quality footey....glad for beckham getting back to england...just seemed so cut and dry w/ him being left out....becks and stevie-g did show their class...although there were periods the england squad couldnt clear it out of their half of the field....although the ref blew the whistle if a england player snapped his fingers at a brazilian.....fun to watch though...and FREE!!!

 

I know a bit off topic, but your signature is cracking me up. Haven't seen the movie for a while, but will probably bum it off a friend soon.

Defense was actually kind of lacking today for England. McClarne is an idiot and won't last at his post long. Continues to put players out of position and making it difficult for the players to do their job. I give him about 3 months. That is of course after England crashes out of the Euro qualifiers...(hopefully I am kidding)

 

I know sevel fans, inclduding myself, that will accept not qualifying for the Euro's as long as it leads to a new manager. The real problem is that only special types of manager could make the changes needed to make England competitive. I would like to see the "special one" as the next boss - and he may be free at the end of the summer!

 

GBF, have you been hitting the bottle earlier today? Mourinho, no no no no. That can't happen. A self righteous arrogant pompous prick like Mourinho can't be the manager of England.

The FA should of went after Scolari or Guus Hiddnik for the national team. Those managers at least have class. While Mourinho has led teams to great achievements I honestly can't stand the guy and that would be the end of my modest support of England.

 

Well England didn't have a lot of opportunities but the ones that they did came through Beckham. Brazil really look half of what they were, a lot of their players seem to be lazy, uninvolved, and ineffective.

I think part of England's problem was that they had Smith and Owen up top. Owen hasn't played for a year and honestly when was the last time he looked useful for either club or country. Smith has been injured all season and is hardly England's best even when he is in top form. Hopefully for England's sake McClaren doesn't plan on using this combo again. Bent, Johnson, Rooney, Cole, Crouch and maybe even Defoe are better options up top.

All and all it wasn't bad for England. Its been worse.