Robbie Slater: England has easy group but questions remain over whether it can go the distance
It wouldn’t be a FIFA World Cup without England dreaming of glory. It has the talent but luck has deserted it previously on the road to the holy grail, writes Robbie Slater.
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The World Cup could be “coming home” for the first time since 1966.
There is no doubt England is good enough to win world football’s greatest prize for a second time.
Expectations are, as usual, very high, and with good reason.
Four years ago in Russia, England — under Gareth Southgate, who is still in charge — reached the semi-finals, only to be beaten in extra-time by Croatia.
At last year’s Euros, Southgate’s men went a step further, reaching the final at Wembley.
But, having again taken an early lead, as they did against Croatia three years earlier in Russia, they again failed to finish the job, with Italy not only equalising, but going on to win the tournament decider via a penalty shootout.
The result, understandably, broke English hearts. Now Southgate’s team must prove it can use that pain as motivation to conquer all in Qatar.
It obviously won’t be easy, but winning a World Cup isn’t meant to be.
Particularly this FIFA World Cup, which is being played at a different time of the year and during the European club season.
Injuries and fatigue will play a big part in determining which team prevails and it could come down to a “survival of the fittest” contest.
Regardless, England should be in the mix when the whips are cracking at the business end of the tournament.
Helping the English cause is their placement in one of the easier of the eight groups.
While no team can be underestimated, Southgate’s men should comfortably deal with Group B opponents Iran, the United States, and Wales.
In saying that, England will want to have qualified for the knockout stages by the time it meets the Welsh in their final group clash.
A Welsh side including Gareth Bale will no doubt lift taking on “big brother” and a fellow British nation. It looms as a banana peel for England.
If England can’t comfortably qualify from that group, it doesn’t deserve to win the World Cup.
To lift the trophy, the English will also have to deal with off-field pressure.
Southgate is no doubt feeling that heat, particularly after a disappointing UEFA Nations League campaign which included two losses to Hungary, one of them a 4-0 drubbing on home soil.
There have been calls in recent months for Southgate to be sacked, and despite being contracted until 2024, this World Cup could be his last tournament as England coach.
There is a sense that this could be the last hurrah for not only Southgate, but also a group widely regarded as one of the most gifted generations of players England has had in decades.
While gifted, there are some question marks about Southgate’s squad, particularly in defence.
Centre-back Harry Maguire is out of form to the point where he was dropped at Manchester United.
Southgate is a big fan of Maguire, but there are legitimate doubts that the former Leicester City man deserves a spot in England’s best 11 in Qatar.
The centre-back that should be one of the first names on the team sheet is Manchester City’s John Stones.
Tottenham’s Eric Dier should also be at the heart of England’s defence alongside fullbacks Luke Shaw and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The form of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who is part of a struggling Everton team, is another concern.
Not surprisingly, there have been calls for either Newcastle’s Nick Pope or Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale — the other two keepers in England’s squad — to play ahead of Pickford.
Another worry is midfielder Kalvin Phillips’ lack of football since his off-season move from Leeds United to Manchester City.
Phillips had shoulder surgery in September and understandably looks rusty after only recently having returned to action following seven weeks on the sidelines.
A lot will again depend on the goal-scoring exploits of star striker, talisman and captain Harry Kane.
With six goals, Kane won the Golden Boot in Russia four years ago, and similar form is probably going to be required for a strong England showing to unfold.
The Spurs legend will also need solid support in attack from the likes of Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling if England is to win the tournament for the first time in 56 years.
Slater: The Socceroos road to the knockout stages
Beat Tunisia, draw with either France or Denmark, and avoid a heavy loss.
That’s the key to the Socceroos qualifying for the World Cup knockout stages for the first time since 2006.
The blueprint for Australia to reach the round of 16 in Qatar comes from the effort of the “Golden Generation” in Germany 16 years ago.
Australia’s group opponents that year were Brazil, Croatia and Japan.
The Socceroos had to beat Japan to have any hope of finishing in the top two, and they did, with a Tim Cahill double inspiring them to a 3-1 win over the Samurai Blue in Kaiserslautern.
Brazil, at that stage the reigning world champions, were the Socceroos’ next opponents.
While you’re never happy to lose, the Australians at very least needed to come away from the game in Munich with an honourable defeat in terms of the scoreline.
And that’s what happened, with a 2-0 loss in Munich meaning a draw against Croatia in Australia’s final group was all the Socceroos needed to reach the last 16.
And despite some nervous moments, that’s what we got, with a 2-2 draw in Stuttgart taking the Aussies to four points, which was enough to secure second place in the group.
The Socceroos also secured four points four years later in South Africa, but that time it wasn’t enough.
The reason was our goal difference after we were thrashed 4-0 first-up by Germany on a disastrous night in Durban.
Despite then drawing 0-0 with Ghana and defeating Serbia 2-1, it wasn’t enough, with Ghana – also finishing on four points – going through via a superior goal difference.
Since then, the Socceroos haven’t won a game in World Cup finals tournaments.
In 2014, the Australians lost their three group games under Ange Postecoglou in Brazil, while four years later we managed a draw against Denmark.
Ironically, the Danes are again among group opponents in Qatar, and so is France for the second successive World Cup.
And while four points would not have been enough for Australia to progress to the round of 16 four years ago, that’s still the target that we need to be aiming for.
Playing France first-up, as was the case at Russia 2018, is to our advantage.
The French tend to work into tournaments, and that was the case four years ago when the determined Aussies seemed headed for what would have been a hard-fought draw until a goal from Paul Pogba, via an Aziz Behich deflection, secured France a 2-1 win.
While Behich is back for the Socceroos in Qatar, Pogba is injured and won’t take part in the tournament.
Pogba’s absence is a blow to a French side that’s perhaps not as strong as they were four years ago.
However, they are still better than the Socceroos, so we’re going to need to be physical, tough and uncompromising if we’re to have a chance of a similarly narrow defeat or even better, snatching a draw.
Then it’s Tunisia. This is the match the Socceroos can – and must – win.
Don’t get me wrong – the African nation will be anything but a pushover. In the world rankings, the Tunisians are eight places better off than Australia.
However, for the Socceroos – who also face the possibility of star attacking weapon Martin Boyle being unavailable – this is the make-or-break Group D match.
Win it, and there will be everything to play for going into the game against Tunisia.
However, a loss to Tunisia, and probably even a draw, is likely to mean that our date with Denmark is nothing more than a face-saving affair where there will be nothing at stake for Graham Arnold’s men.
Originally published as Robbie Slater: England has easy group but questions remain over whether it can go the distance
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