The last big success on the international football scene from England was in 1966 when the World Cup was won.
Since then, the country where football was invented only suffered from heartbreaking defeats, and only the women’s football team brought glory to England when they won the Euros this year.
But since the phenomenal run to the World Cup semifinals in 2018, and then the vibrant Euros tournament of 2021 that almost sees England get crowned in the final, there’s a sense that 2022 can be the year England shakes off its bad luck on a tournament.
This is a snapshot of the team that will be playing in Qatar in about 6 weeks.
England’s recent form has dipped
Southgate’s team only managed three points from the last six Nations League games. They only scored four goals, including two penalties by Harry Kane.
The bottom line is they’re not producing enough opportunities, and the defence is showing signs of weakness. They have begun to appear stale as if they are out of ideas. Their most recent victory came in a friendly match in March against Ivory Coast, a team that didn’t qualify for the World Cup. In an official match, it was against San Marino in November 2021.
Therefore, it is very bold to claim that England is playing well. However, maybe the performance against Germany could give fans a bit of hope. They gave the year’s best performance, although it was far from perfect.
They gave up two easy goals but came back strongly in the second half, went 3-2 up, and then blew the victory right before the end of the game. It was a vast improvement over what we’ve seen from them in the last games.
Many starting players aren’t performing at club level
An issue is that England’s star players aren’t playing at their best right now.
Raheem Sterling’s adaptation to Chelsea under Graham Potter is still to be seen. And like everyone else at West Ham, Declan Rice has struggled to establish his game so far this year.
The main difficulty is with defence. Under Southgate, Harry Maguire cemented his position as England’s best centre-back, but at Manchester United, he has been moved to the bench. The player has suffered from abuse on social networks, and it is clearly affecting his performance on the pitch.
Luke Shaw is another starter who was also benched by Ten Hag at United but remains England’s best-left wing-back as there are few other players to cover this position.
And because there are no injury issues now, doesn’t mean there won’t be any until December. The workload for the upcoming six weeks is so demanding that it seems unlikely that any England players won’t get injured. Southgate has been upfront about the likelihood that his entire team won’t be available in Qatar. What remains to be determined is which players will be absent.
Can England have a go at the World Cup?
Bookmakers place England’s odds at the World Cup on a favourable basis but behind the chances of Brazil, Argentina, and France. England is better positioned than teams such as Portugal, Belgium, or Spain. But these kinds of tournaments are always hard to predict, even by the intricate algorithms of sports betting platforms, so there’s always room for bold bets that could become reality.
The best World Cup 2022 betting sites will be offering a wide variety of betting markets for fans all over the world. And if you plan to travel to Qatar to support England, nothing better than having platforms such as Arabian Betting where you’ll find bookmakers that guarantee you’ll be playing anonymously. This is the best way to enjoy betting during the World Cup safely and securely.
The most secure bet for England will be that of going through the group stage. Iran, the US, and Wales shouldn’t pose a threat to manager Southgate who has had success in guiding England to victories in games where they are the favourites.
Beyond that, it’s harder to predict. In the round of 16, England has a good chance of winning group B and drawing Senegal, the current champions of the Africa Cup of Nations. However, England would still start as the favourite. But from the quarterfinals and onwards, every match is a coin toss, and there’s not a champion of the world who hasn’t had luck on their side. England will also have to resort to it on the way to lifting the trophy.
