Well That Came And Went

The meaningful game that wasn't all that meaningful, and now we get to wait for a friendly that we basically pray that Andy Carroll make it out of alive. Wales-England was about as entertaining as you thought it would be, which means it made an excellent soundtrack to whatever you got up to on Saturday morning -- feeding the kids or reading the paper or just going back to bed. The game was effectively over as soon as Ashley Young tumbled in the box (can't wait until he's doing that for us next season). Though Frank Lampard's penalty wasn't exactly great, it did the job. From there, England just needed to manage to not have an aneurysm. They didn't, and Darren Bent did his best to dick the chance he was provided, but was too close in to do it.

-Jack Wilshere is a thing. Sad he plays for Arsenal, but who was the last England midfielder who can make a pass and keep the ball at his feet for more than three consecutive seconds?

-Anyone else wonder what Scott Parker would have been had he not gone to Chelsea? Even though he's 30 he doesn't have the miles someone else at that age would have, mostly because of his vacation at Stamford Bridge. I think we all knew when he went there he would rarely play, and certainly not in his preferred position. And we can laugh about how he only went for the money, but I always try and remember how an athlete thinks. I'm sure when Parker signed for Chelsea, he was sure he could win a place in the first team regularly because it's that kind of determination that leads one to get to this exalted level anyway. But for now, he's so much more effective than whatever Gareth Barry does.

-I didn't see the 4-3-3 coming, but it seems to negate Wayne Rooney, though maybe he's doing that to himself. But it suits Young and Bent/Carroll perfectly, as well as giving Wilshere protection behind and a runner in front (when Lampard can drag his ass up there at least). Gerrard should slot right in too, and Wilshere could conceivably launch him behind a solitary striker much like Xabi Alonso did. Worth watching as we move forward.

-As for the US, I didn't see all of the game, part of that was having blacked out that Bob Bradley didn't come out with a 4-4-2. Not that Jozy Alitdore works as a lone striker, but baby steps to the elevator. The US still has the same problems it always did, exacerbated by Stuart Holden's injury. Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley, and Jermaine Jones all do the same thing. They're not exactly holding mids, but they're not strictly attacking either. They're basically box-to-box guys. Edu looked lost so far advanced, where Holden probably would have fit. Problems to be resolved. Also, Clint Dempsey still has a habit of turning into a total dunce on the national team, getting lazy and over-elaborate. As for Agudelo, well, let's see more than a month of him before all our hopes and dreams cripple him like they did Altidore. Oh, and get Carlos Bocanegra off of my backline, He's not going to be around in 2014, so let's see who might be.