Semi-final is no longer enough for England

At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, it was enough for two Englishmen to meet for the music to start. “It’s coming home” was the anthem of the team’s World Cup campaign. It meant that the champion trophy would return to the land that invented football.

When England were knocked out in the semi-final by Croatia with a goal in extra time, opponents wasted no time in mocking. What was lost in the interpretation was the self-deprecating tone of the song, an irony with the team’s repeated failures in international tournaments.

Since 1966, England’s best World Cup result has been fourth. It happened twice: in 1990 and 2018. At Eurocup last year, the team was even closer to an expression title. It was in the final, at Wembley Stadium, against Italy. He ended up losing on penalties.

“We have a generation of players capable of winning the World Cup. We could have gone to the decision in 2018, and against France, we don’t know what could have happened”, defines coach Gareth Southgate.

England really had opportunities to beat Croatia, especially with what they created in attack during the first half. But he didn’t know how to take advantage of it.

The tournament four years ago was also a milestone because the country exorcised a trauma: the penalty shootout. For the first time, they won in this way when they eliminated Colombia in the round of 16.

The campaign was also a redemption for a team that came from bad campaigns in the Cup. In 2014, in Brazil, despite having played better than their opponents in the three group stage matches, they lost to Italy and Uruguay and drew with Costa Rica. Ended up eliminated. In South Africa, in 2010, with an indigent performance, it was thrashed by Germany in the round of 16 by 4-1.

That match was marked by the goal not given to Lampard. He kicked, the ball hit the crossbar and landed past the line. The refereeing trio did not see. Revenge for an identical bid in 1966, against the same Germans, that helped give England their only World Cup title.

“For the first time the World Cup will not be at the end of the season [europeia], when players are tired and sometimes injured. I believe our team will be at its peak. I hope to be called up”, says forward Marcus Rashford, one of the members of the 2018 squad, who should be present again this year.

England are in Group B and will debut on November 21 against Iran at the Khalifa stadium. Also in the key United States and Wales.

It would be normal to expect a smooth classification, but it is also valid to remember previous struggles that the team had against opponents of similar level. In 2010, they drew 1-1 with the Americans. Four years earlier, they suffered a lot to defeat Trinidad & Tobago 2-0.

The base and layout will be similar to those shown in Russia. The main point of the attack continues to be the goals of Harry Kane, the main player of the country. Concerns about the reliability of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford persist, as does the unknown who is defender Harry Maguire.

But in this cycle new players emerged. It is doable to expect that Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka will be called up and even selected as starters.

Southgate varied, in the period, between 4-3-3 and 3-4-3. Formations that depend a lot on the form of their fickle full-backs, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw, much more efficient in attack than in marking.

A repeat of Russia’s campaign and another elimination in the semi-final is unlikely to be seen with the same excitement by the English public. Improvement is expected. That means, at least, going all the way to the World Cup final. Something that hasn’t happened in 56 years.