England’s winners

ARMCHAIR pundits are playing a new form of fantasy football after England brushed Panama aside yesterday. Should we go in hard against Belgium or hold back? Two games each, two wins: level on points, goal difference and goals scored but England just ahead on fair play rules, having picked up two yellow cards, one fewer than Belgium.

Yes, we should be proud of that but if the next match is drawn and England are group winners they will face whoever comes second out of Japan, Senegal and Colombia, perhaps with Brazil or Germany in the quarter-finals. Come second and it will be the winner of Group H, maybe followed by Mexico or Switzerland. Is it tempting, then, to take it easy in Kaliningrad on Thursday and ease the way on after that? No. England’s winning ways have come from a team free to play its heart out on the pitch without the crushing pressure of expectation — at least, not until now. So let’s not spoil things by making it too complex. The best way to keep on winning is to beat Belgium — and then face the next round as it comes. England’s team can take on the world so let’s not fear what’s coming next.