WORLD’S AT THEIR FEET
Solano says an England win would rattle South America’s giants ahead of Qatar 2022
THEY are not quaking in their boots yet – but Brazil and Argentina will go on red alert for next year’s World Cup in Qatar if England win the Euros tonight.
So says Peruvian legend Nobby Solano (right), the former Newcastle and Aston Villa star who knows the English game as well as any South American.
His Peru side – Solano is currently assistant coach – may have been knocked out of the Copa America by Brazil at the semi-final stage on Tuesday but he was on his feet saluting Gareth Southgate’s men as they beat Denmark to reach a first ever European Championship final.
He believes an England win in tonight’s final would send out a serious message to the rest of the football world. And fire a warning shot across the bows of Brazil and Argentina in particular.
“Everyone knows that England have good players, that’s nothing new, they have always had good players,” Solano said.
“But these guys look like they play football from South America.
“You’ve got guys like Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, they’ve got so much pace, such good technique.
“You have superstars like Harry Kane, Harry Maguire and Mason Mount – these are Premier League players that people in South America watch week-in, weekout. They’re not surprised that they’re doing well, because they do the business for the clubs. “The difference is that Gareth Southgate has made these players proud to play for their country. “They have seen what playing for their country means to players in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Colombia – now it means the same to them. “Southgate has done an incredible job, an absolutely incredible job. “Would Brazil be worried about playing England at a World Cup? “I’m not sure about that, I’m not too sure that Brazil worry about playing anyone. “But now if England can beat Italy in the final and
win a major tournament then people in South America are going to take notice of that.”
England reached the last four in Russia in 2018 – ending a 28-year wait for a place in the semi-finals of world football’s showpiece event.
Croatia stopped them getting over the line to reach the final of a tournament where South America’s big guns failed to fire.
Brazil were knocked out in the last eight by Belgium, with Uruguay also exiting at the quarter-final stage.
Argentina failed to make it past France in the round of 16.
Since Brazil beat Germany to win the 2002 tournament in Japan and South Korea, only one South American side has made it to a World Cup final – Argentina losing to Germany at the Maracana in 2014.
That is a record that the continent will be looking to improve on in 2022 as the tournament comes to the Middle East for the first time.
But as the quality of the European Championship has shown this summer, that will not be an easy task.
“The South American teams have found it hard going at the World Cup for a while but I think that will change,” said Solano. “These players have seen how good the likes of
France, Italy, Spain and England are because so many of them play in Europe.
“We’ve seen in the Copa America just how strong this current Brazil side is.
“They’re a side that no one will want to play in Qatar.
“But we’ve also seen how good Europe’s top countries are – including England.
“A lot of those England players will be there next year and probably four years after too because this is such a young side.
“The way they play makes me so happy. It used to be a case of getting it forward quickly, now they play out from the back all the time.
“It’s great to watch. I wish them all the best against Italy.
“How many years has it been? Is it 55? That’s way too long.”