[FOOTBALL] International Fixtures - Weds 22nd March - Tues 28th March

[Reg]

British and Irish fixtures below, plus Waff's big day. | Full TV schedule. | BBC's fixtures list.

Wednesday 22nd March 2017
Germany v England - Friendly, 19:45 ITV
Scotland v Canada - Friendly, 19:45 SS1

Friday 24th March 2017
Germany U21 v England U21 - Friendly, 19:00 BTS2
Republic of Ireland v Wales - WC18 Qualifier, 19:45 S4C, SS1

Saturday 25th March 2017
Dundee United v St Mirren - Scottish Challenge Cup Final, 12:30 BBC ALBA

Sunday 26th March 2017
England v Lithuania - WC18 Qualifer, 17:00 ITV
Scotland v Slovenia - WC18 Qualifer, 19:45 SS1
Northern Ireland v Norway - WC18 Qualifer, 19:45 SS2

Monday 27th March 2017
Denmark U21 v England U21 - Friendly, 18:45 BTS2

Tuesday 28th March 2017
Republic of Ireland v Iceland - Friendly, 19:45 Premier Sports

[Kikó]

Shame there's no football on this week.

[-james-]

Shout out to the Faroes u17 side who all but sealed qualification for the Euros earlier today. I watched them against Cyprus last week. They are fucking awful.

[Pleb]

For a moment there I thought the England game is on tomorrow

We'll probably get pumped 4-0 or win it by a goal.

[Yevrah]

Talk that Wenger's signed a new 2 year deal, the board are just waiting for the right time to announce it.

September, I'd suggest.

[Lewis]

They will announce it on 31 August as their main summer signing.

[Spoonsky]

Going to Italy vs Albania in Palermo on Friday.

Looking through the Italian squad, Buffon and De Rossi are the only ones I care about seeing and I only even recognize maybe a half dozen players in the squad. Sad days, a few years ago it would have been so much better.

[-james-]

I take it Buffon is going to the world cup next year. They should just bin him off now and have the child from AC Milan take up his position for the next 20 years.

[CJay]

Is Verratti not in the squad?

[Adamski]

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan), Alex Meret (Spal).

Defenders: Davide Astori (Fiorentina), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Manchester United), Danilo D'Ambrosio (Inter), Mattia De Sciglio (Milan), Alessio Romagnoli (AC Milan) Daniele Rugani (Juventus), Leonardo Spinazzola (Atalanta), Davide Zappacosta (Torino).

Midfielders: Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), Antonio Candreva (Inter Milan), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Roberto Gagliardini (Inter), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Marco Parolo (Lazio), Matteo Politano (Sassuolo), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain), Nicola Sansone (Villareal), Simone Verdi (Bologna).

Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Eder (Inter Milan), Manolo Gabbiadini (Southampton), Ciro Immobile (Lazio).

It's not exactly brimming with world class players but there's a good few id love to see in the flesh there.

[Spoonsky]

Probably shows how little I've watched football outside of the premiership the past few years. I know people like Verrati and Insigne are good but I've not watched them enough to actually get that excited about seeing them.

All worth it for Buffon though.

[John Arne]

Why on earth has the Championship Team of the Season been decided 8 games before the end of the season??

[Shindig]

They had to rent out the venue for the awards early?

[CJay]

Probably shows how little I've watched football outside of the premiership the past few years. I know people like Verrati and Insigne are good but I've not watched them enough to actually get that excited about seeing them.

All worth it for Buffon though.

Verratti is world class. He's the one you'll be wanting to see more than anyone else.

[Reg]

Agreed. He'd be a treat to see live.

--
@John Arne I thought the same thing. Stockdale is so overrated. Everybody glosses over his howlers.

[Offshore Toon]

Aye, Stockdale is a puzzling one. Its not like any of our keepers deserve it, though, and I have no idea about the other keepers in the league.

[Giggles]

Christie, O'Shea, Keogh, Ward.

Bale is going to fucking destroy us.

[niko_cee]

Stockdale has been mega this season. Howlers at an all-time low, frequent excellent/match defining saves, I guess the most clean sheets and a slew of important penalty saves to boot. Can't think of who else you'd give it to.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've just seen a BBC headline in which Southgate calls for our 'island mentality' to end.

Wishful thinking unless someone builds a land bridge to St Omer, I think.

[CJay]

Tonight's squad, apparently.

[Lewis]

It must have been difficult deciding who will be the least exposed where in that back three.

[Offshore Toon]

I don't think I've heard of that Keane bloke.

[niko_cee]

It must have been difficult deciding who will be the least exposed where in that back three.

Back 6, more like, maybe 7.

[Reg]

The Spurs guys and Cahill know the kind of formation, we might as well get Walker and Bertrand running, and the front three should be good. Looks alright. Livermore though?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The Ghanaian footballer who thanked his girlfriend and wife in an interview has made things so much worse.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-39327886

Ghanaian Mohammed Anas, of South Africa's Free State Stars, told the BBC he was referring to his daughter.

"My family knows that I call my daughter my girlfriend. That's what I was talking about. I don't have a girlfriend," he said.

Alright, Fritzl.

[Ian]

That XI is fucking hate-crime if true.

[John]

If that side is confirmed I expect Germany will stick three or four past them, assuming they don't put out their own lol experimental side.

[Adamski]

Assuming it's 'lets just copy Chelsea' it might be OK.

[Lewis]

Chelsea have got at least two good players though.

[Baz]

The Spurs guys and Cahill know the kind of formation, we might as well get Walker and Bertrand running, and the front three should be good. Looks alright. Livermore though?

I agree with this. Squad looks dece enough but Livermore sticks out like a sore thumb. I'd have said put the Ox there but he's been absolute shite lately, but I'vd have still picked Barkley ahead of Livermore.

Gutted Vardy's starting and not Defoe though. Was actually going to watch it but I don't think I'll bother now. I'll just do the usual and check the headlines to make sure Clyne and Lallana don't get injured.

[Danny]

That XI is fucking hate-crime if true.

agreed

[Jimmy Floyd]

Assuming it's 'lets just copy Chelsea' it might be OK.

Our 'system' is a load of wank, the reason we win is Kanté.

[phonics]

That line-up is correct. Just been confirmed.

[Reg]

Weren't you saying Conte is "an incredible manager" or something about a month ago?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Weren't you saying Conte is "an incredible manager" or something about a month ago?

He is. There's more to managing than four four fucking two and its variants.

The system works well in providing the most balanced lineup for the players that we have, it doesn't mean that it in itself is likely to win with other players, as England will demonstrate tonight.

[Adamski]

Shhh @Reg, Jimmys always been at war with Eurasia.

[Reg]

He is. There's more to managing than four four fucking two and its variants.

I know that.

So what did you exactly mean by:

Our 'system' is a load of wank

Systems are meaningless? Kante would make any system work?

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's just pragmatic, not some superior way of playing football. If we had the players that better suited 4-5-1 he'd do that instead. Kanté would probably make most systems work, though.

As for putting Darren Livermore (is that even his first name?) and Eric Dier as the two midfielders in such a system, well. We're barely getting away with Matic.

And also the balance. I haven't checked any heat maps recently but I'm fairly sure me auld china Vicmo will touch the ball further up the pitch than Marcos the murderer Alonso does, because Dave happens to be there to cover whereas on the other side you have Cahill and the Mad Monk. That's a feature of the particular players we have. It means Conte has done an excellent job identifying and coaching the system, but it doesn't mean the system itself has any wider value.

[Yevrah]

That line up isn't obviously what I'd want to see (although what else is there?), but as we've established over the last 20 years, it doesn't matter who we put out, we're still ultimately a bit rubbish.

I don't know how Bexit will change the forriner rules (I suspect it won't, via a 'work permit' free for all), but implemented properly, that's really our only hope now.

[Yevrah]

'A sense of revolution' fuck me.

And to add, I think we'll do alright tonight.

Germany would beat us 10/10 in a tournament knockout match, but it's a friendly, so ultimately doesn't matter, which probably helps us.

[igor_balis]

Livermore? U wot m8?

[Giggles]

Is it some sort of gesture or is Podolski the best they can muster these days?

[Yevrah]

These pundits are talking so much shit it hurts.

"No fear, it's a new breed." Er, they haven't done anything yet.
"Build a team around Alli." No thanks, we're not Slovakia.

Southgate harping on about needing to 'leave' the island and look at what other nations are doing is dishwank as well. There's no point doing that by the time the players get to you Gaz.

[CJay]

Is it some sort of gesture or is Podolski the best they can muster these days?

It's his last match for the national team. 130 caps. Two goals tonight would take him to 50.

[Reg]

Right, I get you now Jim. I wasn't actually arguing your formation has inherent value or was some mystical trick, by the way.

I'm feeling a small amount of new manager hope, which is nice/laughable. I think it's due to him sounding like he actually has a backbone and some ideas.

[CJay]

This should be a good test, actually - in terms of stature and where each player is in their development I'd say the teams are evenly matched.

[Yevrah]

I've always liked Southgate's articulate nature and if he has binned Rooney off then that's a good start (inviting him to that team get-together suggests not though).

The bunting will stay well and truly under wraps with me until we've actually done something again though. Step 1 would be knocking a team (any fucking team) out of an international tournament, with step 2 being doing the same to a decent one.

Then, and only then, will I start to remotely take us seriously again.

[Jimmy Floyd]

When did your bunting last come out? It must have gathered an awful lot of dust.

[CJay]

Vardy. How does every incident with him running through on goal end with that front flip?

[Reg]

I thought he actually could have scored if he didn't decide to practice his gymnastics.