After a dull, if nervous, first 35 minutes, England qualified for the quarter finals of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup with a flourish, scoring 3 goals in the process. Despite this win being somewhat emphatic, the style and tactics of England still have to be put under scrutiny. This is not a call for senseless, attacking at all opportunities England side, you can’t win a World Cup without being world class in the basics: namely set-piece, defensive cohesion, discipline. However, England continue to frustrate, especially in that game against the United States, and I question whether there is enough to their game plan to win the World Cup, or even to get past an in-form quality French side in the quarter final.
Outside of football, the England men have had the capacity since Southgate first donned the waistcoat at the side lines to be inspiring role models for the young of the country, to an extent. There is a good team culture, you don’t see as many headlines like you used to about off-field antics. Nonetheless, it was disappointing that the FA changed its mind about wearing the #OneLove armband at the beginning of the tournament, and makes us question whether the supposed support of the LGBT/Q+ community by this England team is just yet another example of trendy tokenism that is abandoned upon any threat of controversy. I do think though that the kind of decision is out of the team’s hands and should be more of a criticism at the FA. But I would have liked to have seen more backbone from England and protest in other ways, such as Germany’s covering of the mouths incident in their opener against Japan.
Back to the game in-hand in the last-sixteen, before two quick-fire goals from Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane (his first goal of the tournament), there were crowd images of apathetic England supporters after some sloppy play gave the Senegalese chances to press advantage, only being denied by a (yet another) fantastic save from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Following that, a well-crafted attack and deft finish from Henderson got the ball rolling for England. And after Saka scored the Three Lions’ third early in the second half, victory and a place in the quarterfinals against Les Bleus was all but assured, with an admittedly impressive third consecutive clean sheet as well in defence.
“What the Lionesses’ win last July showed what a good England side needs: passion, determination, and the ability to mix it up. It’s the latter quality that I fear is the men’s weakness.”
Although the Lionesses did one better than the men and won the Women’s Euros last summer, their style of play wasn’t as intensely criticised as being too risk-free. Saying that, one could argue this difference in criticism was due to the fact that the men are usually under a lot more pressure than the women’s team. Given the Lionesses’ victory and the much deserved higher place of the women’s game in the country, this probably will change come the Women’s world cup next year in Australia and New Zealand. What the Lionesses’ win last July showed what a good England side needs: passion, determination, and the ability to mix it up. It’s the latter quality that I fear is the men’s weakness.
Practical football is needed to win tournaments, you can’t just play like the Harlem Globetrotters, it’s the same in most team sports. But especially given the context of the World Cup in its controversy, the general misery and discontent going on in England at the moment, it is frustrating to see England revert to passing to the back so many times, without playing more pragmatically, they’re playing football, not rugby! The win against a good Senegal side might alleviate some concerns, but France will be a much sterner test. Not for a second do I question the heart or the commitment of the players, but I think the country (not importantly the armchair critics of the press or social media) would prefer England going down whilst still inspiring the nation rather than playing this safety-comes-first style that might get you to a final or a semi final but doesn’t win you medals. Ultimately, England playing in their shell cost them in the Men’s Euros final against Italy and I fear the same will happen for them again in Qatar, whether in the quarters or further on in the tournament.
“…the Euros proved that 2018 wasn’t a fluke. Now England have to demonstrate they have moved and built from that disappointment from 18 months ago…”
The 2018 World Cup gave England fans reason to believe again in the national side, the Euros proved that 2018 wasn’t a fluke. Now England have to demonstrate they have moved and built from that disappointment from 18 months ago, but I just don’t think another appearance in the last 4 would be particular uplifting built on negative play, I don’t want to put too much pressure on the lads but 85 minutes of passing to the back isn’t going to take people’s minds off their current troubles (not that an entertaining match of footie is the answer to the cost-of-living crisis!).
Watching England football at the moment just for me feels very effortful and lacklustre, maybe it is the wider context of general misery and I’m putting too much pressure on this England side to alleviate that. Maybe it is also the fact that it is only now reaching the crunch stages of the tournament that it is hard to get engaged beforehand. Or it could just be that lingering sense of déjà vu, that we have been here before under Gareth Southgate’s England, making us still more wary of daring to dream that the Three Lions might, one day, bring it home.