Walking in a winter wonderland.. is a mid-season World Cup going to be the best Christmas present ever for England?
THE travelling England fans were singing about jingle bells as the goals flew in.
“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...oh what fun it is to see England win away.”
Never mind it was Iran. This was a World Cup opener, the match to set the tone, and, in winning by a 6-2 margin, England chalked up their biggest victory in the opening match of a major tournament.
The beauty is that it sets the tone for the fans, the players, and everybody around the England camp. Gone is the doom and gloom of the summer; the mood now is one of hope and optimism.
England’s loyal band of 3,000 fans also serenaded manager Gareth Southgate with their version of Atomic Kitten hit Whole Again. “Southgate you’re the one.”
That is a bit different from the summer when fans were calling for him to be sacked after England lost 4-0 to Hungary at Molineux.
That opening result is a gamechanger for England and should give us all optimism for the most controterday. versial World Cup in history, with the build-up overshadowed by politics and the rights and wrongs of staging the tournament in Qatar.
We could not wait for the football to get going and yet, down the years, England have been slow starters in World Cups and Euros.
It is easy to forget that they needed an injury-time winner from Harry Kane to overcome Tunisia four years ago in Russia, where Southgate and his players went on to enjoy an incredible journey to the semi-finals.
The first game can be tough – just ask Argentina, who were humiliated by rank outsiders Saudi Arabia yesnot It can take time for players to find their rhythm and form.
And there could be an added bonus for England because, despite the chaotic fixture list in the Premier League, some big players are coming into the World Cup bang in form.
Kane, for example, has never looked this sharp or fit in a summer tournament, even when he won the Golden Boot four years ago. The Spurs striker produced arguably his best performance without a goal for England against Iran. He was superb.
The same could be said for Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham. England have players who are in peak fitness, exhausted after a long season, a couple of friendlies, and a pre-tournament training camp.
It is important to remember it was just Iran. But this is shaping up into a wide-open tournament. Argentina have already been humbled, Brazil have an ageing defence, and France have lost Karim Benzema.
In fact England were last night made second favourites at 13-2 behind 3-1 market leaders Brazil.
There is a wonderful opportunity for someone here – and a winter World Cup might just suit England as they look to produce a Christmas cracker in Qatar.