 ENGLAND’S CHANCES IN THE WORLD CUP

by Alex Dudley

The 2022-23 Premier League season will be unlike anything that we have experienced previously, as the competitive action in the English top‑flight will pause mid‑way through the campaign for the World Cup in Qatar. The Premier League responded to the first winter World Cup by announcing that league fixtures would be paused, before the action gets back underway on Boxing Day.

However, for millions of United fans across England, the month-long break will see the attention switch to supporting Gareth Southgate and his Three Lions side’s attempt to win a second World Cup honour, and first major success since 1966. But, do England have a solid chance at ending their 56-wait for success in Qatar at the end of this year?

Draw Has Been Kind To Southgate’s Men One of the biggest doubts that Southgate and his side have needed to answer over the course of the past two competitions is the belief that tournaments have paved an easy route to the latter stages. However, the Three Lions didn’t have things easy at EURO 2020, as they famously beat Germany at Wembley, before fine displays against Ukraine and Denmark to set up the final against Italy.

While the night at Wembley ultimately ended in disappointment after a penalty shootout loss against the Italians, few would argue that there hadn’t been progression between the two major tournaments. At the very least, England will be expected to make a bold showing at the World Cup this year, and their chances of

making it through to the knockout rounds has been made slightly easier following the draw for the group stages.

The Three Lions will kick off their World Cup campaign in Group B against Iran on November 21st, before clashing with the United States on November 25th. Six points from the two games will be expected among fans, and that would likely assure England’s place in the top two. The biggest test in the group stages could come on November 29th, as the Three Lions once again come up against Wales. The two rivals last clashed at a major tournament at EURO 2016, as England scored a dramatic late winner to seal a famous 2-1 win. However, Wales were the happier of the two nations at the conclusion of that tournament.

What Could The Knockout Round Look Like? Things will get slightly trickier as the knockout rounds get underway for England. You’d expect the Three Lions to top Group B, which could mean a showdown with either the Netherlands, Qatar, Senegal or Ecuador in the round of 16. Given how Group A favours the Dutch, you’d expect England’s opponents to be one of Senegal or Ecuador as they will play the side that finishes second. Victory in the round of 16 will then see England take on potentially France if they are able to top Group D, which also includes Australia, Denmark and Tunisia. If England then reach the semi‑finals through this passage then they could meet Germany, Spain or Belgium. England. The Three Lions could clash with the Netherlands in the round of 16, before potentially coming up against either Argentina or potentially Denmark. But, one thing is for certain, England will likely need to beat big nations either way at the World Cup this year so momentum could be the biggest key towards success for the Three Lions, which means a runner‑up finish in the group would not be playing in their favour.

What’s The Feeling Surrounding England Chances? It has been a strange couple of months for fans of England. After the Premier League season came to a close, it’s likely that Three Lions supporters were cautiously optimistic surrounding England’s chances. That’s not entirely surprising given how the nation has constantly gotten hopes up before underdelivering. But, there is a sense that England has never had a squad this talented or together heading into a major tournament. There is quality everywhere on the pitch, especially in the forward areas where Southgate will have to pick between playing Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Bukayo Saka. We will also be hoping that strong first halves to the season will also see both Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho back in contention.

However, the same concerns surrounding this England team that there were heading into EURO 2020 are still there. There are big questions surrounding whether the Three Lions are defensively solid enough to win a major tournament. Furthermore, the fact that fans and Southgate have already clashed when it comes to the system that will be played could mean that there is a slightly more toxic atmosphere than there was a year ago.

Latest England Results The latest round of international fixture hasn’t done much to help the relationship between coach and fans, as England were well below par in Nations League fixtures against Hungary, Italy and Germany. The Three Lions failed to score in open play in those four games, with a 4-0 humbling against Hungary at Molineux really causing England fans to reassess their chances for the tournament this winter.

The defeat was England’s worst on home soil since 1928, but more worryingly, the confidence and form of the side was blown to pieces. England still has opportunities to get back into form before the tournament in Qatar with fixtures against Italy and Germany in September, but the time for experimenting is over for Southgate.

England will need to build some kind of momentum before the start of the World Cup, as there will be no excuses at the tournament this year. The team has been progressing excellently under the former Middlesbrough boss, but this winter’s World Cup is the opportunity to finally deliver on the promises from close calls in previous competitions. However, it will be no easy feat to win the tournament this year, as it’s expected that Brazil, France, Argentina and Spain will all mount very serious challenges.