Twenty-three nations have booked their places for the World Cup in Russia, with the holders and Brazil looking in good shape but we rank England in 13th place, below IcelandIf the world champions were frustrated by their failure to win continental honours at Euro 2016 they have certainly taken it out on everyone else since. Germany won 10 qualifying games out of 10 and, even if San Marino’s presence in Group C needs taking into account, a record 43 goals scored suggests things are back in their old working order. So too did their Confederations Cup title in July, achieved with an experimental squad; Joachim Löw can select from an unrivalled depth of talent and, while winning back-to-back World Cups...
A fit and firing Adam Lallana, successful Champions League runs and clarity on a plan to get the best from the squad could be key to England’s Russia 2018 hopesThe sense of anticlimax was inescapable. Gareth Southgate had spent his evening on the touchline dodging paper aeroplanes, tedium-induced origami, and blocking out occasional spasms of booing from the home support, and was left to plead for patience after the match. It matters not that plenty of nations would love to be in England’s position. Argentina are in real danger of missing out on a World Cup for the first time since 1970 after drawing with Peru in Buenos Aires. Holland are third in their group and in peril, while even...
The England manager has eight months to get his team to express themselves at the World Cup by using the flair of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Marcus RashfordPut out more flags. Dust down the red and white jester’s hat. Root out the gumshield, the crumpled Yekaterinburg metro map. And prepare to head once more into that strangely gruelling territory between bruised and fearful cynicism and the eternal quiver of tournament hope.England have booked their place at the World Cup in Russia after surely the most meandering, flaccid qualification victory yet devised by any England team. Slovenia were beaten by Harry Kane’s goal but make no mistake – this was both a dreadful game of football and a numbing spectacle...
For all the soul-searching about the English game’s institutional failings, the mood might be very different if Alex Ferguson had left Manchester United for England in 2002It is probably not a date many people have inked into their pocket diary. But last week brought the 10th anniversary of the last time Michael Owen scored for England, the Chester goal ace bagging twice in a 3-0 trouncing of Russia as Steve McClaren’s golden lions sent a war cry across the bows of Euro 2008 qualification Group E, and a quiver of fear through the pigeon-chest of continental Europe itself.Except of course it didn’t quite work out like that. England were good against Russia at the FA’s excitingly matt-grey new Wembley, an...
After a win in Prague, Joachim Löw and his players strongly criticised supporters’ offensive actions. Why won’t Gareth Southgate and co speak out when England fans behave badly?That was some performance from Joachim Löw, the Germany national manager, after the jarring evidence during the international break that there are still a few troglodytes among his team’s support who seem hell-bent on providing living proof of Einstein’s theory that there is no limit to human stupidity.Löw had just seen his team win 2-1 against the Czech Republic in Prague, maintaining an immaculate record in their World Cup qualifying group, but when he arrived for his press conference, face like thunder, the questions about his team’s performance had to wait. “I am...