England can prove Germany wrong with World Cup holders dismissing Three Lions
Poll among German players revealed none of them reckon England stand a chance of winning the World Cup this summer
THE old enemy are not giving England much chance of winning the World Cup.
Germany’s players were polled last week, with 21 of the 23-man squad voting for France (nine), Spain (nine) and Brazil (three). Two abstained.
England are unfancied, World Cup outsiders again as they try to muscle in on the action in the final week of the tournament.
But Gareth Southgate’s players increasingly believe they can make it that far.
The talk among the squad at the ForRestMix hotel, England’s remote training base west of St Petersburg, is of a place in the semi-finals. They really believe they can get that far.
Their tails are up, full of conviction and confidence after a decent set of results against Holland and Italy in March, plus the farewell victories over Nigeria and Costa Rica.
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On Monday, when they face Tunisia in their Group G opener, they will be faced with the unique pressures of tournament football.
The Iceland result, when England froze at Euro 2016, still haunts the nation.
Seven of the starters in Nice, when Iceland came from behind to beat England in the last 16, can expect to face Tunisia.
That result will always be there, no matter who coaches the country. Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill and Danny Rose were in England’s defence when those long-throws were being hurled into the penalty area.
Road to Russia
QUALIFYING RESULTS
04/09/16 Slovakia A 1-0
08/10/16 Malta H 2-0
11/10/16 Slovenia A 0-0
11/11/16 Scotland H 3-0
26/03/17 Lithuania H 2-0
10/06/17 Scotland A 2-2
01/09/17 Malta A 4-0
04/09/17 Slovakia H 2-1
05/10/17 Slovenia H 1-0
08/10/17 Lithuania A 1-0
TOP SCORERS
5 Harry Kane
2 Adam Lallana
2 Daniel Sturridge
MOST APPEARANCES
9 Joe Hart
9 Kyle Walker
8 Gary Cahill
In front of them, Tottenham duo Dele Alli and Eric Dier were alongside Wayne Rooney in England’s midfield.
Raheem Sterling, who won England’s early penalty — scored by Rooney — was eventually sacrificed by Roy Hodgson as he tried to force an equaliser. Even with Harry Kane up front, it never looked like coming.
They have done a good job of airbrushing history in the days leading to the World Cup, skirting around this sensitive subject. England insist there will never be a repeat.
If Southgate is looking for added motivation, he could always play that video of Wales’ players celebrating the moment referee Damir Skomina blew the final whistle on England.
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It was tough to take at the time, with Chris Coleman’s squad jumping all over each other after England’s exit was finally confirmed. Shame, then, that Wales should miss out on a place at the World Cup.
England are the only competing home nation, with the eyes of the country preparing for Monday’s game.
Southgate, aware of the North African country’s unbeaten run through the qualifying series, knows they will not be a soft touch.
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England have not won the opening game of a World Cup since 2006, when an own goal by Paraguay defender Carlos Gamarra after just three minutes gifted Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side victory.
They were a quarter-final team then, guaranteed to get to the last eight of a tournament. To go further here, England could yet face Germany in Samara on July 7 in the quarter-finals.
If they get that far, Germany boss Joachim Low will have to run another poll.
COLE THE TRUE LION
JOE COLE is a rare breed.
The former England midfielder is one of the few who speaks warmly about the weeks spent preparing for tournaments with the national team.
Cole loved life as an England player, flitting between various social groups and spending his free time watching tournaments on the television.
When Cole trained he loved to put on the kit in the mornings, a proud man who recognised his status as an England footballer and the privileges that came with it.
There are sacrifices to be made as an international, with players spending long periods away from family and friends in World Cup and European Championship years.
Gareth Southgate, who is always looking to innovate, could lean on Cole’s experience the next time he needs someone to remind his Three Lions squad just what it means to pull on that jersey.
LEVY NOD IS FEEBLE
THE Premier League’s integrity is at stake with Tottenham being granted permission to play a game at Wembley next season.
Chairman Daniel Levy promised faithfully that the new stadium at White Hart Lane would be up and running in time for the new campaign.
As various people who have worked on that site have claimed, there was never a chance of completing safety checks in time for the start of the 2018-19 season.
Levy has put the Premier League in a difficult position. Rules state only one stadium can be nominated for home games at the start of each season.
Even in exceptional circumstances, the Premier League should enforce it.
They previously allowed West Ham, Liverpool and Blackpool to switch homes games to away during renovation works.
UNAI'S IN FOR A JOLT
THE post-Wenger era is the only place to start on the opening day of the Premier League season.
Arsenal-Manchester City has taken on added significance following the appointment of Unai Emery at the Emirates.
Wenger’s side were outpassed and outplayed by City three times — beaten 3-1 and 3-0 in the league and 3-0 in the EFL Cup — in his final season in charge of Arsenal.
Emery, who played Pep Guardiola many times when in Spain, will soon realise just how difficult it will be to catch City.
GRENFELL TRIBUTE
RESPECT to the FA and everyone involved with the England set-up for holding a moment’s silence on the first anniversary of the Grenfell fire tragedy yesterday.
The inquiry into the reasons why 72 people lost their lives continues.
But the FA’s gesture at their Zelonogorsk training centre was an admirable show of solidarity and support for the victims and the bereaved.