The international break used to give me something of an excited feeling. To see Beckham, Owen, Stevie G and the like dazzle us with the silky skills of the 'Golden Generation.' These days the 'Interlull' fills me with about as much excitement as the announcement of a new Jedward Album featuring a guest rap from Abu Hamza. Don't get me wrong, I love England and the England team but this current crop of players must be the worst group I've seen in my lifetime. Sure there is genuine talent out there with the likes of youngsters Raheem Sterling and Calum Chambers but the mix is all wrong. If you take out new captain Wayne Rooney then how many goals and caps do the current squad have between them? Last night the most capped player in the squad outside of Rooney and goalkeeper Joe Hart was James Milner, and he only played for the last 15 minutes. People talk about a new era of young players coming through and how they need time to mature which is all well and good but you need to have experienced players in the squad to guide them and help them develop into quality international footballers. People have spoken of Rooney as a leader but the truth is that there is simply no-one else in the squad (with the possible exceptions of Joe Hart and Gary Cahill, both of whom I thought played a blinder last night) who has the experience required to be the national skipper. This lack of faith in the England squad was most evident in the Norway game which saw the attendance at Wembley at a record low although I can't be the only one who thinks if they lowered the price of tickets, food and drink (for friendlies at least), then it might see a slight boost when we don't have to re-mortgage the house just to sit in the upper tier with a pie and a pint.
Welbeck played well for England
So I generally spend the interlull games praying that Arsenal don't suffer anymore injuries and that Costa, Balotelli and Aguero might pull their metatarsal. But I was at least encouraged by Gunner newbie Danny Welbeck who looked promising when he came on as a sub for the crocked Sturridge against Noway and them superbly stepped upto the plate last night with 2 finishes that whilst slightly clumsy at least showed he knows how to get into the right positions when it matters. The diamond formation that Hodgson played last night seemed to pay off and we looked a much more together outfit than we did last Wednesday. The only problem I have with Hodgson is that he seems to pick players based on who they play for rather than any current form. Take Welbeck for example. Now I will be the first to admit that the boy came good last night and I'm now genuinely excited to see him do his thing in North London as he looks increasingly like the bargain buy of the transfer window (got I hope he gets more goals than Falcao this season). But prior to last nights game he had been injured at United and even when fit he was below Rooney, Van Persie and even Hernandez in Van Gaals pecking order. So where was the logic in starting him over someone like Rickie Lambert who even playing below Sturridge and Mario has still seen more game time than Danny in the past few months? Obviously I know shit because starting Welbeck paid dividends but it seemed to me that Hodgson was simply playing him because he was Arsenals 'Brand New Signing (tm).' The same goes with players like Chambers. Sure he's played a bit for us when Mertesacker was off downing champagne and banging hookers to celebrate winning the world cup but if he still played for Southampton could anyone honestly say he would get a sniff at playing in the England squad? It seems to me that Hodgson simply looks at which English players play for the top 6 teams and selects them automatically; almost as if he's letting Wenger, Rodgers and co do his scouting and managing for him. But again we won so I know Jackshit and have faith in the owls management.
Elsewhere in the interlull Di Maria helped Argentina absolutely destroy Germany around 5 weeks too late for it to mean anything except slightly justify the amount Man United spent on him. Yaya Sa-nogoal decided to ruin his nickname by scoring thrice for the French under 21's (which is probably him done for the season now). Jack Wilshire has come under even more criticism for his performances for both club and country. Now I'm sure even Stevie Wonder can see that Jack is being played out of position but he also gives 100% in every game he plays in. This season will be a massive one for him (I'd go so far as to maybe say make or break) but for someone like Jamie Redknapp to have a go at his fitness levels and being injury prone is like David Bowie taking tips on how to be a better musician from S Club 7.
Will Remy start against Swansea?
So the interlull is over and just as well as I was so starved of decent football this week that I have agreed to buy tickets with actual money I worked for to watch Crystal Palace play Newcastle in the league cup in 2 weeks. So finally my mind can return to it's normal state. This weekend the big fixture is easily the 'freshly beaten by Stoke' Manchester City taking on the 'freshly drew with Leicester' Arsenal. I'm excited to see Welbecks debut up front with Sanchez and Cazorla just behind. Although the strange absence of Mesut Ozil during Germanys win over Scotland is a worry. Still I'm going for a Gunners 2-1 winner (slight bias there). Elsewhere Chelsea vs Swansea should be a good game and Chelseas first real test of the season as they take on a side managed by Gary Monk who gets my vote for manager of the month already. To be honest I can't see then beating Chelsea (especially as this is the week I put Fabregas in my dream team) but if Diego Costa is not fit to play then I guess anything can happen (probably a Remy hat trick). Anyway I'm going with 3-1 Chelsea on that one. Liverpool are also playing an in form Aston Villa and with Danny Sturridge looking unlikely after his England injury all eyes will be be on how well Balotelli can lead the line with Sterling and Henderson providing him. My money is on 2-0 to Liverpool on that one. Rio Ferdinand will get to face his old club as QPR take on Man United in a game which should be a walk in the park for Van Gaals red devils. I'm going 1-0 to Redknapps boys then. Everything else seems pretty routine although I'd put a wager on the Southampton vs Newcastle game being a high scorer (Morgan Schneiderlin has impressed so far this season and I reckon he'll bag at least one).
Just one or two more things
Woking Watch - Everyones favourite conference team are up to 3rd place after a routine 3-1 win over Lincoln which I attended hungover and got very drunk with the 'hair of the dog' remedy being my nemesis. The Cards take on Aldershot tonight in a classic derby fixture that I'm sure will make Rangers vs Celtic look like a rather tame argument between 2 old women at bingo
Abou Diaby is not dead! He played with Joel Campbell for Arsenals under 21s. Could this finally be the season where he cracks on and shows the talent we all know he's capable of (Note- of course it won't. He'll probably get injured after Sa-nogoal nominates him for an ice bucket challenge)
Fantasy football update. Oscar out and Sterling in. Was tempted to buy Schneiderlin but frankly if you can afford the better option you gots to take it
I watched a documentary last night called 'Next Goal Wins.' It's about the worst international team of all time, the American Samoan team and their struggle to win a single game after losing 33-0 to Australia. Very funny and surprisingly moving. Well worth a watch.
With the retirement of Drogba and Klose Robbie Keane is now the most prolific active scorer in international football with 62 goals; ahead of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. Just let that sink in for a second
Despite me hating him for what he did to poor Aaron Ramseys leg back in 2010 I'm still keeping half an eye on Ryan Shawcross who was phenomenal against City last week. Could he get an England call up for the next interlull? Don't rule it out
It's not football related but I do have to say how happy I am to hear that Michael Schumacher will be coming out of hospital. A true sporting hero and an inspiration to us all
And finally please feel free to enjoy this amazing piece of skill from the legend that is Lord Nicklas Bendtner.
Suddenly Sa-nogoal doesn't seem all that bad does he?
Till next week
Tommy T is a semi-fictional, semi-alter ego and a blogger, writer, comedian and icon. He doesn't have a website because he doesn't know how
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