AT 3.00am Wednesday, in the first-ever British home nations clash in the World Cup, in the so-called “Battle of Britain”, one of England or Wales will seriously stake it out.
Wales are confident of turning the tables at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in this crucial clash to decide the final positionings in Group ‘B’.
“The dragon on my shirt; that’s all I need,” Wales star Gareth Bale said, looking down at the Wales crest on his red polo shirt.
On paper, it’s England as they are top of the group and need just a point to secure their passage to the knockout stages, while Wales are on the verge of elimination.
CHANGES IN LINEUP
They must beat England for the first time since 1984 in order to advance, along with hoping that Iran and the USA draw.
England boss Gareth Southgate may make changes to the lineup that started both against Iran and Wales, amid widespread clamour for Phil Foden to be introduced.
But Bale is confident they are capable of shocking England in World Cup showdown.
“There’s been a few shocks in the tournament already and there’s no reason why we can’t do the same,” the 33-year-old said. “Everyone has weaknesses. We’ve done our homework and had meetings, and I’m sure they’ve done the same with us.
FAVOURITES TO WIN
“We know how difficult it will be. England are a very good team, They’re one of the favourites to win the tournament. We are under no illusions it will be hard, we’re going to give everything like we always do.”
Even then, mathematically, unless England are beaten by a four-goal margin, Wales need Iran and the United States to draw their final match to make the round of 16 in Qatar.
It is a very tall order for a Wales side who have won only once in 10 games. But Bale says they can draw on respective underdog victories for Japan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia over Germany, Belgium and Argentina.
So, who’s your pick for this “Battle of Britain”?
Keep your fingers crossed for a surprise, perhaps.
* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor.
England went through humiliations in the Nations League, getting relegated after poor performances under the leadership of Gareth Southgate.
England and Germany shared the spoils at Wembley in a 3-3 draw but the results left both sides frustrated with their runs ahead of the World Cup.
Nevertheless, some in the UK are not shocked with the ‘Nation’s League’ performances, saying the England squad is one of the favourites to win the biggest global football tournament in Qatar.
While that is comforting, that is people still see the England squad as the best in the world ahead of the World Cup, there are concerns about the team.
The England squad had to fight against racist remarks online after it failed to win the EURO 2020, with three of its players missing the penalties at the end, giving Italy victory.
The Italians made it to the final stage of the Nations League in what can be seen as a performance filled with consistency, unlike the England squad. They should be one of the favourites to lift the World Cup coming November.
Russia and Qatar
Now, what is the difference between the England team that was fielded in Russia and the one that will defend their chances in Qatar?
England meets the USA, Wales and Iran in what can be said is an easy qualifying group that should see both the English side and the Americans go through the first stage.
Gregg Berhalter, the American coach, praised Gareth Southgate and backed the Three Lions to win the World Cup.
He says Southgate transformed the English players into a squad of superheroes.
He also says the performances of the England’s Women squad in the recent Women’s World Cup will also boost the morale of the English side in Qatar.
In Russia, England blew a chance to end their memorable World Cup adventure on a high note and become the best team to leave English shores when they were defeated 2-0 by Belgium in the third-place play-off.
This time around, they have a relatively easy (on paper) run in the first round of the W. Cup. WIll they disappoint the supporters?
England’s performance in Russia was one of their best showing in a World Cup after their 1966 controversial win against Germany by 4-2.
It was a Harry Maguire header that sent England on its way to the semi-finals after they beat Sweden 2-0.
Kieran Trippier’s superb fifth-minute free-kick put England ahead in the Luzhniki Stadium.
With this goal, they were on course for only their second World Cup final appearance. But Ivan Perisic’s second-half equaliser was well deserved as Croatia began to show their worth as the game progressed.
Another period of extra-time stood in the way of the Three Lions reaching the final against France, only for Mario Mandzukic to tuck away the winning goal after some static England defending allowed him to beat Pickford.
England and USA
In Qatar, England has to face the Americans and with the World Cup history between these two nations, it is hard to say whether the English side will come out the winner this time.
England has played the USA twice in the World Cup. The first time was way back in history when the USA team surprised the entire world by beating England 1-0 in 1950 and a terrible 1-1 draw in Rustenburg (South Africa) in 2010.
While the USA seems to be the bigger thorn in England’s side in this tournament, it still has to end up first in the group to face a lesser performing side in the next round. That is if England qualifies.
Nevertheless, in this year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup, Brazil is the 9/2 favourite to win, followed by France at 6/1 and England and Argentina at 7/1. This is based on the Bet365 predictions.
Poor results lately means England has drifted from the hot favourites to a lesser one but it is still among the countries that could end up as the top four in the competition.
Gareth Southgate’s England are 7/1 third favourites to win the World Cup in Qatar this winter, according to the bookies, after their poor run continued during the recent international break.
Southgate’s team was defeated 1-0 at the San Siro on Friday before drawing 3-3 with Germany at Wembley on Monday. These results bring their winless streak to six games.
For Behalter, the number of Premier League players (the best league in the world says many) means England is a hot favourite.
‘I don’t know if the expectations have always been in line with the quality of the squad. So back in 2010, realistically, I didn’t think they had the squad that could win the World Cup, right? But now it’s different. Now I think we all agree they have a squad that can win the World Cup.
‘And Gareth, in my opinion, has done a great job of helping the players cope with that pressure and actually using the jersey as a cape rather than a straitjacket and really giving them the freedom to play on the field, giving them the idea that they can represent their country in a positive way and make the country proud,’ he adds from an MLS event in Minneapolis last month.
The US begin their campaign against Wales, with the sides meeting in October 2020 for a 0-0 draw in Cardiff.
‘They were a good team, a very hard team to score on, a physical team, a lot of Premier League players, some real high quality in the attack, quality defenders,’ Behalter says.
Southgate’s squad
While the controversial and error-prone Harry Maguire is getting the backing of coach Southgate, it is undoubted that Harry Kane remains the top English player on the list of selected players or those who will be on the plane for the World Cup.
Harry Kane remains at the top of the table, with Declan Rice (2nd), Jordan Pickford (3rd), and Raheem Sterling (4th), but there is a change below that, with Jude Bellingham climbing four places to fifth after strong performances against Italy and Germany.
In the absence of Kalvin Phillips, who was already struggling for playing time at Manchester City before his injury, Bellingham appeared set to partner Rice. In the rankings, the Borussia Dortmund teenager leapfrogs Reece James (6th), Phil Foden (7th), Mason Mount (8th), Bukayo Saka (9th), and John Stones (10th).
The biggest movers, however, are Eric Dier (11th) and Luke Shaw (12th), who have risen 10 and 16 places respectively after returning to the squad and seizing their opportunity.
They suddenly look like sure bets for Qatar, and possibly Southgate’s starting lineup as well.
Despite a chorus of supporters and pundits criticising England manager Gareth Southgate for not playing Liverpool defender Kieran Tripper, Southgate believes Tripper is ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the England pecking order.
Alexander-Arnold, who was on the substitutes bench but did not play against Italy, was left out of the squad that drew 3-3 with Germany at Wembley on Monday night in the Nations League.
Reece James, England’s standout right-sided defender, played the entire match and is set to play in the World Cup in Qatar.
US, Iran face off in winner-takes-all World Cup showdown
The United States and Iran meet in a politically charged winner-takes-all World Cup clash on Tuesday as England aim to reach the last 16 as group winners with victory over Wales.
Ever since the draw for the tournament was made in April, the Group B game between the US and Iran has stood out as one of the highlights of the first phase in Qatar.
Even with little riding on the result, the game at Thumama Stadium would have been loaded with political overtones, only the third meeting on a football field of two nations who share more than 40 years of ideological enmity.
But Tuesday’s match carries an additional dimension with both teams knowing that a win will see one of them advance to the knockout rounds while the loser is eliminated.
As if that wasn’t enough, simmering tensions flared up at the weekend after the US Soccer federation posted a modified version of the Iranian flag on their social media feeds.
The move infuriated Iranian football chiefs, who lodged a complaint with world governing body FIFA demanding sanctions.
US Soccer initially said the altered flag was intended as a gesture to show support for women protesters in Iran, before subsequently deleting the various posts.
Coach Gregg Berhalter said on Monday his players and team staff had been in the dark about the flag gesture and sought to de-escalate tensions by emphasising that politics would not be a factor on Tuesday.
“When I think about this match I know that a lot of other constituents have a lot of other feelings towards it,” Berhalter said.
“But for us it’s a soccer game against a good team and it’s not much more than that. It’s a knockout game between two good teams that want to get to the next round.”
Iran counterpart Carlos Queiroz brushed off suggestions that the flag furore would be used to motivate his players.
“If after 42 years in this game as a coach I still believe I can win games with those mental games, I think I’ve learned nothing about the game,” the Portuguese coach said.
Wales need miracle
In Tuesday’s other Group B game England will be looking for a win over Wales as they bid to qualify for the last 16 as group winners.
England made a flying start to the tournament with a 6-2 demolition of Iran but were then held to a 0-0 draw by the USA in a laboured performance.
England manager Gareth Southgate is expected to tweak his starting line-up to rest some of his star men against a Welsh team who need a miracle to qualify.
In other games on Tuesday, the Netherlands face already eliminated hosts Qatar as the Dutch strive to finish top of Group A.
Ecuador, who are level with the Dutch on four points, will finish top of the group if they come up with a better result against Senegal than the Netherlands manage against Qatar.
The winners of Group A will face the runners-up from Group B in the last 16. Failure to top the group could conceivably see the Netherlands face England in the second round.
Holland manager Louis van Gaal is unfazed by whoever his team meets in the next round.
“If you want to become world champions you have to be capable of beating anyone,” van Gaal said.
The Three Lions (England’s nickname) finished top of Group ‘B’ after recording a draw with the USA and two thumping wins over Iran and Wales.
For the Monday 3.00am clash, certainly all eyes will be on Manchester United ace striker Marcus Rashford, who bagged a brace in the 3-0 win over Wales to add to the goal he scored against Iran. This makes him the current World Cup’s joint-top scorer.
NO FAVOURITES
“At this knockout stage, anything can happen, there are no distinct favourites,” said Southgate. “If the match ends in a draw, it goes to mandatory penalty-kicks to decide the winner.”
Should England get over Senegal, a quarter-final date with reigning world champion France or Poland awaits.
Southgate warned: “This has been a tournament full of unexpected results, even the underdogs are making their mark with gutsy performances. I know Senegal never gives up easily anddefinitely cannot be under-estimated.”
If I’ve to stick my neck out, I will go for a very close-call win for England.
Now the ball is in your court: What’s your pick for this England-Senegal match?
* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor.
The World Cup in Qatar has already delivered plenty of major shocks but as it moves into the knockout phase the top contenders including Brazil and France have plenty to prove.
This is the first World Cup since the South Africa tournament in 2010 in which teams from Asia, Africa and North America have all been represented in the last 16.
Brazil remain the favourites to claim a sixth World Cup and end Europe’s recent dominance on the global stage.
Tite’s side surely need Neymar back from the ankle injury he suffered in the opening win over Serbia but they have a dazzling array of attacking talent beyond the world’s most expensive footballer.
They are usually rock-solid defensively, even though a side with nine changes to the starting line-up lost their final group game against Cameroon.
Brazil have not yet faced top opposition and will expect to cruise past South Korea on Monday, with Croatia or Japan then awaiting them in the quarter-finals.
A mouthwatering showdown with Argentina in the semi-finals remains a possibility, with Lionel Messi and his teammates recovering from their shock loss to Saudi Arabia to beat Mexico and Poland.
If Messi’s team get past Australia, they could find themselves up against the Netherlands in the last eight, although the Dutch must first overcome a tough United States team.
Argentina came into the World Cup unbeaten in 36 games and with expectations high that they could win the trophy for a third time but coach Lionel Scaloni has played down their chances.
“We are not favourites,” he insisted. “We are a difficult team to beat, a team that will fight, but to think that because we won (against Poland) we are going to be champions would be totally mistaken.”
The other side of the draw is weighted towards Europe, despite elimination for Germany and Belgium.
Holders France are the team to beat and in Kylian Mbappe they have the most exciting player in the competition.
Didier Deschamps’ side eased through their group, even fielding an unrecognisable line-up in their final defeat by Tunisia as regulars were rested.
“We fulfilled our objective,” he said. “Now we will recuperate because a second competition is about to begin.”
History is not on the side of a France team looking to become the first since 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup, and they are on a possible collision course in the last eight with England.
Spain, the joint-top scorers in the group stage with England on nine goals, are also on their side of the draw.
Semi-finalists in 2018 and Euro 2020 runners-up, England are quietly growing in confidence.
“In Russia, we were just thinking, ‘Can we win a knockout game?’ Now there is more confidence and more experience of knockout matches,” said England manager Gareth Southgate.
Global game
It was German great Jurgen Klinsmann, part of FIFA’s technical study group analysing the tournament, who predicted that Qatar would produce shocks.
“If some of the kind of underdogs — maybe if it’s an African nation, if it’s an Asian team — if they are courageous I think you can go far in this tournament,” he said.
The last-16 line-up does at least reflect the global nature of football.
Japan, who have never gone further than the first knockout stage, stunned Germany and Spain and now have 2018 finalists Croatia in their sights.
South Korea have also qualified after a last-gasp winner against Portugal.
Qatar has also already been a good World Cup for Africa, with two teams in the last 16, compared with none four years ago.
Senegal, who have overcome the loss of Sadio Mane, will face England, while a talented Morocco side are living up to their billing and will have the backing of many across the Arab world when they play Spain.
Brazil are still the favourites for most, but there is a sense there are more surprises in store.
According to the BBC, England has officially announced their World Cup squad, days after Brazil and the United States announced theirs. The deadline still remains on 14th November and those that haven’t announced their players would need to think critically.
James Maddison, Leicester’s proud midfielder has been named to join his country’s 26-man team for their match in Qatar. Gareth Southgate, the controversial manager, has also selected Marcus Rashford from Manchester United.
Players from Newcastle United, Manchester City and Arsenal were also selected to join their country’s national team. Unfortunately for Fikayo Tomori, Ivan Toney and Jarrod Bowen, they were all missing from the list that was selected by Southgate.
Image of Harry Maguire, from Wikipedia.
Furthermore, on the 21st of November, England will play against Iran in their World Cup debut. Ironically, Ukraine did not get a chance to play this time even after their lobbying to remove said Middle Eastern country from the World Cup list.
Kalvin Phillips is in the squad even after a two month absence due to his shoulder injury. Manchester United’s Harry Maguire who has struggled to get a game this season is also in the list. Unfortunately Jadon Sancho was not selected by Southgate.
Here is the list of all the English players:
Defenders: Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Eric Dier (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Conor Coady (Everton), Ben White (Arsenal), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City).
Forwards: James Maddison (Leicester), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Newcastle), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United).
First and foremost, a fan questioned Southgate’s decision of letting Gallagher in the team. Southgate has stated before that he would not let any players in just on the fact of their popularity.
Fans questioned that statement due to the fact that he let Maguire, Dier and Phillips in. However, other fans responded that these three players have played well under Southgate’s instructions and management.
More fans were disrespecting Jordan Henderson. They questioned what his aim was and what he would do in the matches. Fans are not particularly excited for the current lineup of players and are making memes that England might lose the World Cup this year. However, we will just have to wait and see.
