England
The Road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup
England comfortably topped their qualifying group following an unbeaten campaign that saw them win eight games and only dropped points in draws away to Slovenia and Scotland. The campaign got off to a shaky start, however, when new manager Sam Allardyce’s left after just one qualifying, following a newspaper scandal. Ex-international Gareth Southgate stepped in as caretaker manager and was later appointed on a permanent basis, guiding the Three Lions to qualification.
Stars
Striker Harry Kane is the team’s biggest star. Just four years ago, the young forward was playing on loan in the English lower leagues, but now the Tottenham goal machine is one of the most sought-after names in world football. A measure of his prodigal talent is that Kane has been given the England captain’s armband several times despite being just 24, and has already scored more than 100 goals in the Premier League.
Kane’s Tottenham teammate Dele Alli has also recently come to prominence for the national team. He was deployed as an attacking midfielder in qualifiers, missing only a couple of games due to injuries. The playmaker is also being monitored by some of the world’s elite clubs.
Manchester City striker Raheem Sterling has been the spearhead for much of his club side’s breathtaking football during this Premier League season, with many fans believing their brand of attacking football to be the most pleasing on the eye anywhere in the world. Sterling will be central to England’s attacking threat in Russia.
Coach
Gareth Southgate began his career in the England coaching set-up by managing the Under-21 team, and after Allardyce stepped down, Southgate took the role on an initial caretaker basis before taking up the job full time. Many were skeptical about Southgate, as apart from managing the U-21 team, his experience was limited to club football with Middlesbrough. So far, however, he has proved to be the right man for the job.
Southgate prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation with four defenders and two defensive midfielders in Eric Dier of Tottenham and Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson, with the star man Kane as the striker.
Past Achievements
England’s finest hour came in their home 1966 World Cup. Sir Alf Ramsey’s men triumphed 4-2 over long-time rivals West Germany at Wembley. The match has become famous for a controversial moment with the score at 2-2 in extra time. Geoff Hurst’s shot crashed down off the crossbar and, when it landed, the English players celebrated thinking it had crossed the line, but the German players argued it hadn’t. In the end, Soviet linesman Tofiq Bahramov convinced the referee it in fact had, and the goal stood, handing Hurst his second of the game. Hurst completed his hat-trick – the first ever in a World Cup final – shortly before full-time to bring the trophy home to the birthplace of the beautiful game.
At Italia ’90, England reached the semi-finals, again meeting Germany. But this time the Germans were triumphant in a penalty shootout, in a match famous for the tears of Paul Gascoigne. England’s other World Cup appearances have largely left much to be desired and the team will be looking to exorcise some big tournament demons in Russia.