Jonathan Wilson's Blog, page 7

When will a team from North America, Asia or Africa win the men’s World Cup?

In this mailbag edition of Jonathan Wilson’s newsletter, he answers questions about inverted wingers, favorite jerseys and more

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We’re now a year-ish from the World Cup. The tournament is still dominated by European and South American teams. But which continent without a winner (Asia, Africa, Central and North America and, I guess, Oceania) has the best chance of lifting the trophy first?

– Stacey

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Jordan Henderson showed the attitude his England teammates were lacking | Jonathan Wilson

It was after the substitution of the former Liverpool captain that Thomas Tuchel’s side slipped in to individualism

The tendency is always to gloom. How could it not be? Nobody could have sat through England’s 1-0 win over Andorra on Saturday and not felt a profound sense of frustration. Six million years of human evolution has culminated in this? When the England manager shrugs and says he can’t blame the fans for booing, you know it was bad.

Thomas Tuchel was a short-term appointment. He’s not in the post for pathways or development or creating a culture. He’s here to win the World Cup next summer. In the boozy, drowsy somnolence of the RCDE Stadium, that felt a preposterous ambition. Look at England’s rivals.

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Thomas Tuchel tears into lacklustre England: ‘I didn’t like the attitude’

Kane’s goal secures 1-0 win over minnows Andorra

‘We lacked seriousness. I didn’t like the body language’

Thomas Tuchel admitted England had “played with fire” in their 1-0 win over Andorra, risking the concession of an equaliser and a draw that would have registered as perhaps their greatest humiliation since defeat to the USA in 1950. “I felt it was like a cup game where the favourites don’t see the danger,” he said.

England won thanks to Harry Kane’s 50th-minute goal, leaving them top of the group on nine points without having conceded a goal. No previous England manager has ever begun with three successive victories to nil, but Tuchel was clearly very unhappy with the performance.

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Bilbao was a glorious blip for Spurs – and that’s why Levy had to sack Postecoglou | Jonathan Wilson

Tottenham chair was not blinded by silverware and decided finishing fourth-bottom of the Premier League was not enough

In football, there is always a lot of light and noise. There is always a lot of emotion. That is both its appeal and why it is so difficult for those in the game to make decisions. Ange Postecoglou gave Tottenham one of the great nights in the club’s history when they won the Europa League in Bilbao.

A first trophy in 17 years. A first European trophy in 41. It’s easy to understand why the instinct is gratitude, to hope that somehow victory can be self-replicating, that silverware begets silverware and something fundamental in Tottenham’s being was transformed at San Mamés.

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England were dismal against minnows Andorra but it really doesn’t matter | Jonathan Wilson

Tuchel’s target is to win the World Cup and a scintillating performance would not have made lifting the prize in New Jersey any more likely

How bad was it? Bad enough to be England’s worst result in seven games against Andorra. Bad enough for players used to operating at the highest of levels for the best clubs in the world to find themselves unable to weight simple passes or deliver crosses with precision. Bad enough that Andorra’s 37-year-old left-back Marc García nutmegged Noni Madueke in injury time. But, beyond the potential problems it may cause with goal difference, it doesn’t matter at all in terms of the main issue: the winning of the World Cup next summer.

England could have played scintillating football and beaten Andorra 10-0 and it wouldn’t have made them any more likely to be lifting the prize in New Jersey next July. That’s not to excuse a dismal performance, just to say it’s irrelevant. The game was won, the box ticked, and Thomas Tuchel hopefully learned something from the training sessions.

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Saka ruled out of England qualifier, Ronaldo will not play at Club World Cup – as it happened

Ronaldo opts out of Club World Cup despite ‘invitations’

Spurs reported to be in talks with Thomas Frank

Jordan Henderson to start for England against Andorra

Paul is confident that Tottenham will succeed if they appoint Thomas Frank to replace Ange Postecoglou:

“There’s probably been too much over thinking on this. I sent this message to my son last night.


”It’s the right decision. He can leave a hero and will always be welcomed back.

£100m just for turning up in the CL is too much to gamble on him getting top four.

I know Frank hasn’t managed at CL level and he may be out of his depth but, personally, I’ve been walking out of games during the tenure of the last 3 managers. That needs to stop and if Frank gets me to stay 90+ minutes every week, he’s a step up! It will be interesting whether Frank can attract top quality signings. I see Manor Solomon’s coming back. Not a good start to the window!!”

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Saka ruled out of England qualifier, Ronaldo will not play at Club World Cup – matchday live

Latest news and updates before Saturday’s football

Fixtures | Tables | Mail matchday.live@theguardian.com

Paul is confident that Tottenham will succeed if they appoint Thomas Frank to replace Ange Postecoglou:

“There’s probably been too much over thinking on this. I sent this message to my son last night.


”It’s the right decision. He can leave a hero and will always be welcomed back.

£100m just for turning up in the CL is too much to gamble on him getting top four.

I know Frank hasn’t managed at CL level and he may be out of his depth but, personally, I’ve been walking out of games during the tenure of the last 3 managers. That needs to stop and if Frank gets me to stay 90+ minutes every week, he’s a step up! It will be interesting whether Frank can attract top quality signings. I see Manor Solomon’s coming back. Not a good start to the window!!”

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Squad goals: Toney’s inclusion offers window into Tuchel’s England approach

New manager is not concerned by developing culture or blooding players for the future. He knows his job is to win

When, in April 1965, a month shy of his 30th birthday, Jack Charlton was called up to play for England for the first time, he was baffled. In characteristically blunt fashion he asked Alf Ramsey why on earth he had picked him. “I have a pattern of play in mind,” Ramsey replied. “And I pick the best players to fit the pattern. I don’t necessarily always pick the best players.” Or at least that is the printable version of their conversation that has been left to history. “You’re a good tackler and you’re good in the air, and I need those things,” Ramsey continued. “And I know you don’t trust Bobby Moore.”

There is a fallacy that the winning of major tournaments is about having the best players. It is not; it is, as Ramsey understood, about picking the right players in the right configuration – even if that means leaving out players who have played very well for you, as he did with Peter Thompson, or leaving the goalscoring darling of the media on the sidelines, as he did with Jimmy Greaves.

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PSG’s Champions League win was thrilling. It was still sportswashing | Jonathan Wilson

After years as a directionless collection of celebrity footballers, PSG are a true team now. But they still represent one of the sport’s darkest trends

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Paris Saint-Germain’s success in the Champions League final on Saturday was a victory for youth and adventure. It was a victory for a team built with a coherent vision, and a rebuke to those who believe the game is just about collecting the biggest names. It was a victory for Luis Enrique, a very fine coach who has suffered dreadful personal tragedy. It was a victory for forward-thinking, progressive, fluent football.

But it was also a victory for sportswashing.

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Champions League glory for PSG at last – Football Weekly

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Jonathan Wilson as PSG win their first European Cup with an emphatic 5-0 win over Inter

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

On the podcast today; PSG win the Champions League with a completely dominant performance over Inter. So many talented young players in the squad and a brilliant manager in Luis Enrique. However, it’s not a fairytale – this is the completion of Qatar’s sport washing project that began when they took over the club in 2011.

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