England has high hopes for the upcoming World Cup, as both the players and the fans want to erase the trauma from the previous season’s EURO that saw them fall at the last obstacle.
Qatar 2022 summoned the best teams in the world, and among them all, England takes one of the highest positions when talking about the possible chances of winning the trophy.
The head coach Gareth Southgate has a group of brilliant individuals at his disposal, which is good, but on the other side, it creates pressure because the expectations are high.
England is among the top five contenders for the silverware, according to most of the pundits. Brazil, Argentina, France, Belgium, and the Three Lions are constantly in the mix, with some slight differences.
The recent form hasn’t been an ally of Southgate’s crew. We saw the fans and the public at home worrying following a pretty pale and flat performance in the UEFA Nations League, which led to relegation from the top league in this competition.
Now, we can say that the players didn’t have any particular motive to play following very confident qualifiers in which they had no trouble securing the top spot in the group with Poland, Hungary, Albania, Andora, and San Marino. The rhythm of playing in the Premiership is brutal, and many of the players used the international break to decrease the tempo of play and relax.
We know that Southgate didn’t want to see his players pick up an injury or some suspension, which is another logical reason why England played without some fire.
Though the spoiled media and some part of the fans unnecessarily created panic, putting additional pressure on the team and the staff, all that was handled well by the locker room.
England is in Group B, with Iran, the USA, and Wales is the absolute favourite for advancing to the knockout stage and winning the top spot. Southgate’s lads open the championship against Iran on Sunday afternoon, and per all the bookies, they are heavy favourites.
After that comes a derby against the USA, an excellent team filled with young and creative players, some of whom appear in England. Even though this unit didn’t play well either in the past few games, England has to be very, very cautious.
And finally, the British clash closes the round, as Three Lions meet with Wales. There aren’t too many secrets between these two sides because all of the Welsh superstars play in England. The rivalry between these nations surpasses everything you’ve seen before, and this could be one of the most interesting contests in Qatar.
In general, England’s group isn’t easy at all, despite lacking some big-time superstars and nations who are favourites for the title.
Southgate has led this team for quite a while, and the former member of the English national team has already formed a nice and respectable squad. The core has been the same for the last few years, with occasional additions and minor changes.
Harry Kane, Maguire, Walker, Sterling, all these guys have played together, and we can say that England has very good chemistry. The Three Lions need a little luck, which would help them in the closing stages of the championship. Don’t forget that England reached the semis of the World Cup in Russia back in 2018. Southgate’s crew really didn’t have the slightest amount of luck back then, as well as last year.
Falling to Italy in the finals at the overcrowded Wembley was one hell of a nightmare, and that’s why everyone anxiously awaits the start of Qatar 2022. This generation is one of the best in the history of the country, and there isn’t any debate about that. The depth at all positions is incredible, the chemistry is well, and there is the presence of a massive individual quality.
The World Cup in Qatar starts on Saturday, November 20, with the opening match being between the hosts, Qatar and Ecuador.