Not even the most enthusiastic England fan can shout ‘We’re Going to win the World Cup’ and have a hundred percent belief in that statement. You have to go back to 1966 for the one and only time that the English side won the tournament and over half a century later, hopes aren’t high for a triumph in Russia this summer.
England fans will be relieved if they can see their team put on a performance that they can totally respect. That wasn’t the case at the last World Cup when they were knocked out at the group stage for the first time since 1958. Another uninspiring campaign at Euro 2016 saw them lose in the last sixteen to Iceland leading to manager Roy Hodgson announcing his resignation at the post match press confrerence.
Quarter Finalists Perhaps
They certainly aren’t one of the most favoured nations to win the trophy this summer and only once since that 1966 win have they reached the semi-finals of the World Cup and that was 28 years ago. Possible last sixteen opponents are Colombia, Poland, Senegal and Japan, all opponents England are capable of beating. A quarter final looks the best they can achieve with likely last eight opponents being Germany or Brazil. They have a squad that with more experience could do well at future tournaments.
There have been plenty of changes in the past two years with Gareth Southgate now manager and he arrives in Russia with a youthful, inexperienced but highly talented squad. Southgate wants his team to play with flair which is probably not what would be the case if Sam Allardyce was still in charge.
England won their two warm-up games and on Tuesday arrived at St Petersburg airport and headed to their base in the nearby village of Repino, in north west Russia. Their first game is on Monday June 18 when they take on Tunisia. That’s followed by games against Panama and Belgium and hopes are high that England will have few problems reaching the knock-out stages.
Enjoy Our Games
Southgate’s hope is that his team can “send people to work the following day having enjoyed our matches.” For the first two games that will only happen if England get a couple of comfortable wins. He admits his side is far from the finished article but there is a good team spirit that could pay dividends. However, failure to get six points from their two opening games will have England fans feeling anything but happy and fearing more embarrassment.
There always seems to be an injury scare for England and this time it’s Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford who Southgate says picked up a “slight knock” in training and will be assessed before Wednesday’s open training session.
Young, Talented and Expensive Players
Rashford was hugely impressive in the 2-0 win over Costa Rica with a fantastic opening goal. He’s one of the bright young talents in this England squad, many of whom would cost a pretty penny in the transfer market.
None more so than top scorer Harry Kane, who Tottenham say it would cost £200m to buy, though he has just signed a new six-year contract with them. Kane is now the England captain and last season, despite a few injuries and his inability to score in August, scored 41 goals in 48 games making it 135 goals for the club in the past four seasons in 187 appearances.
Players such as Raheem Sterling, Dele Alli, Jamie Vardy, Jesse Lingard and Jordan Pickford would all be expensive to sign after their success in the English Premier League. Pickford joined Everton last summer for £25m and since then has become England’s number one goalkeeper. Sterling cost Manchester City £49m but after 23 goals last season is worth a lot more now.
England will hopefully play with the flair that Southgate promises but the fact remains they aren’t top contenders for this tournament.
