I’m a new premium sub and I was looking for the link to the 8/18 AMA in the morning in my inbox .. and couldn’t find it. Also checked on supercast.
Then earlier this morning, I found it posted on Supercast. So where can I access the live AMA’s?
Seller is selling me 2 tickets to England vs Panama for a relatively cheap price for each. He sent me this screen recording. For some reason PayPal isn’t working, we want to do it over Zelle. Seems legit to me, what do you all think?
So I’ve had a hot take for a while, and seeming as we’re approaching another World Cup, thought I’d share it: England could, and possibly should, have won the 2010 World Cup.
Oftentimes, when folks deliberate on the failures of the famous “Golden Generation,” they refer to the World Cup in 06. But what about 2010? England’s squad boasted some of the best players in the world, in their prime years: Cole, Lampard, Gerrard, Terry, Carrick, Wayne Rooney (arguably the 2nd best player in the world that season behind Messi.) Also, England were incredibly experienced. Their average age across the squad was 27, and the average cap total of each player was around 40.
There were still some other top players present like Defoe, Carragher, Johnson at right back (not great, granted, but had a good season)
So why did England perform so poorly? Capello’s decision making was odd. He changed a winning formula from the qualifying phase which disrupted much of England’s rhythm. The balance in the midfield was totally lopsided. Opting for Barry instead of Carrick was criminal. Same can be said for Matt Upson.
Finally, another central piece of evidence to my claim is the quality of some of the other erstwhile “favorites” in the tournament. They were no where near as good in 2010 compared to 2006:
Brazil, not ready
Germany, young team that lacked experience
France, out in the groups
Italy, out in the groups
Portugal, average
Argentina, chaotic under Maradona
Only Spain and the Dutch boasted cohesive, formidable outfits. What do you all think? Maybe I’m coloring that england side a little too favorably in retrospect. I’m curious.
P.S., for what it’s worth, I’ve always had an irrational fondness for England as an American and usually root for them at tournaments. Perhaps it’s related to my lifelong support for Manchester United.