The 2022 FIFA World Cup is just days away from kicking off where host nation Qatar face Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium.
All eyes will be on the Qatari national team on that Sunday however, not for long, with Gareth Southgate’s England in action a day later to kick things off in Group B, where the Three Lions will be aiming to break down a stubborn Iran side managed by Carlos Queiroz.
With tournament football providing hardly any rest for those involved, England’s second group match is against USA on November 25, and then finally on November 29 against neighbouring country Wales.
Southgate and his player will be hoping that isn’t where their World Cup journey ends.
How they got here?
As it always seems, England’s World Cup qualifying campaign was plain sailing.
England topped Group I – a group including Poland, Albania, Hungary and San Marino.
Southgate’s men began their journey to Qatar with a 5-0 thrashing of the latter, with victories against Albania and Poland at Wembley following suit.
England then went on to beat Hungary and Andorra in back-to-back 4-0 wins, but it was prior to that against Poland where the EURO 2020 finalists’ winning streak came to an end.
A 72nd minute Harry Kane goal was cancelled out in the second minute of stoppage time in Warsaw by Damian Szymański, but that only sparked a reaction from Kane and Co, who then put five past Andorra in the following game.
Just days later though, it was Hungary’s turn to take points off the one-time World Cup winners, in yet another 1-1 draw, this time in front of a subdued Wembley crowd.
England’s final two qualifying games saw them score a whopping 15 goals, beating Albania 5-0, and then finally, San Marino by a 10-goal deficit.
Three Lions World Cup heritage
It’s not exactly the time of year where England have made some disaster some errors at previous World Cup’s, but it is, oddly, time to get into the World Cup fever.
It hasn’t all been national shame for England at this stage, with the Three Lions having put up some heroic performances in previous tournaments.
Southgate’s men will be looking to make it a second World Cup for the country, having last lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966 – a memory not many today had seen, but a memory firmly etched into the hearts of many Britons worldwide.
It was a Geoff Hurst hat-trick, and a goal from Martin Peter’s that gave England the win at Wembley that day.
More recently, England did reach the final of another major tournament, just last summer, having fell short on penalties to Italy.
It was a day of national shame outside the stadium, but a team to be proud of on the pitch, with the majority of those players aiming to make the country proud again.
On that famous run to the EURO’s final last year, England beat Germany, Ukraine and Denmark, putting up some fantastic displays, showing real grit and determination against Germany and Denmark especially, in front of a home crowd.
At the last World Cup, England lost bitterly to Croatia after taking an early lead, but again, it was a team to be proud of and a team who gave the nation a great summer.
Eric Dier’s penalty in the shootout turned doubters into believers in Russia in 2016, and it’s time for the country to unite and come together, and hopefully this time, it does come home.
Player to watch
Much has been made of Gareth Southgate’s selections since the 52-year-old took the leap from the England under 21’s hotseat to the senior’s, with the boss often opting for a more pragmatic 3-4-3 formation, which in Southgate’s defence, has taken England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018 and to the finals of the EURO’s last summer.
However, it has meant that fans have been unable to see more of the free-flowing forward players that England’s squad consists of.
On the flip side, the system allows for the wingbacks to excel forward, as well as being given the security of having three central defenders beside them.
After finding the net after just five minutes in the previous World Cup semi-final in Russia, though it ended in disappointment for England, and providing the opener in the EURO’s final for Luke Shaw, one player to watch for England will be Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier.
Trippier is expected to start as the first-choice right wingback in Qatar ahead of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander Arnold and Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, though it would come as no surprise to anyone should Walker play as the right sided defender, with the 32-year-old having played their previously for England.
As for Trippier, the former Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur man has enjoyed a bright start to the season under Eddie Howe, with Newcastle currently sitting third in the Premier League.
Trippier has chipped in with one goal and four assists in 16 appearances in 2022/23.
Expected Lineup
(3-4-3): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire; Trippier, Bellingham, Rice, Shaw; Sterling, Kane, Foden
Biggest talking point
As always with Gareth Southgate’s selections as England manager, there are always talking points, and the question on the nations lips this time was ‘Where is Ivan Toney?’.
Southgate decided to leave the Brentford striker out of the World Cup squad, with Newcastle No.9 Callum Wilson given the nod ahead of Toney, which raised a lot of eyebrows.
Toney has never been capped for England however, the striker made Southgate and his staff aware of exactly what the Three Lions could have had in Qatar, as the 26-year-old netted twice in Brentford’s 2-1 win at the Etihad, where they beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City last Saturday.
Toney currently sits third in the Premier League top scorers list on 10 goals, only behind City’s freak centre forward Erling Haaland and England captain Harry Kane.
Since the start of the 2021/22 season, Toney has 29 goal involvements. Only England duo Kane and James Maddison have more.
There’s no doubt Toney will certainly have been an asset for the squad, boasting a 100 percent penalty record in Brentford colours, having scored all 18 of his spot kicks.
On Southgate’s decision, Bees manager Thomas Frank said: “You can’t find a better striker in form in the country after Harry Kane. It’s impossible.”
Will Southgate be made to rue his decision of leaving Toney back in west London?
Tournament prediction
Though Iran, USA and Wales won’t be the pushovers they may seem on paper, do expect England to top the group due to the quality the side possesses in attack, as well as the defensive stability.
Winning Group B would mean the Three Lions face the runners-up of Group A, a group which consists of hosts Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands.
Senegal are the current holders of AFCON, which they won earlier this year, with the Netherlands currently on an unbeaten streak of 15 under boss Louis van Gaal, and seeing England get past either seems very difficult.