England for the World Cup? Not so easy …
GOING into every tournament, there is always immense pressure on England to perform and reach, at least, the knockout stages of the World Cup. This is something that works against them.
Since taking charge of England in 2016, Gareth Southgate has naturally and rightfully attracted a lot of praise. He brought about unity to the side, something which they lacked for several years, including in the David BeckhamFrank Lampard-Steven Gerrard eras. Southgate is a good mentor. Had it not been for his unifying influence, the Three Lions would not have reached the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup, before following that up with the runners-up spot at the 2020 European Championships.
Being a good mentor does not necessarily mean that one is a good tactician and Southgate’s strategies have also rightfully come under fire in recent times.
Should England fail to go deep in Qatar 2022, there will be a good argument that he was not the right man for the job.
England’s opening World Cup fixture is an easy assignment against Iran on Monday, but on the flip side, they have failed to win in six games heading into the tournament.
This sequence of results suggests that the confidence within the side may not be high and the players are not gelling.
Most concerning for the Three Lions is the fact that this poor sequence of results includes two losses against Hungary – a nation that did not even qualify for the World Cup – and an Italian side in a major rebuilding phase.
Italy have parted ways with a number of stalwarts as they look to rebuild following their failure to qualify for the this iteration of the World Cup, and they would not have expected to beat England at the San Siro in September.
Overall, England are wellbalanced but it must be added that talent has never been their problem.
Their weakness in recent years has been an over-reliance, at times, on Harry Kane up front, and they also look a bit thin in midfield.
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is the only English player in the middle of the park who will instil fear into the opposition.
It remains to be seen if Southgate will also hand game-time to Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips, who is arguably not fully fit.
England should beat Iran in their World Cup opener but in the US and Wales, they have tough games to negotiate. Winning their group may not be as easy as many think.