The stats show Southgate’s men have reached the semi-finals through hard work, organisation and playing to their strengthsEngland are in the World Cup semi-finals and the question remains: how did they get there? Gareth Southgate’s men have undoubtedly benefited from good fortune but their success has also been down to hard work, organisation, playing to their strengths and the contributions of individuals, as a statistical breakdown of their tournament shows. Note: these stats take into account Belgium and France have played one game more. Continue reading...
There is admiration for Gareth Southgate and his team across the globe but most experts do not see them going on to win the World Cup in RussiaIn the last 25 days we learnt that this World Cup is like Eric Cantona crossed with Mario Balotelli crossed with a 1970s Mick Jagger. It is disrespectful to authority. Unpredictable. Maybe the craziest tournament, ever. Continue reading...
Tories, let’s be clear – distracting everyone by bringing down the government this week, of all weeks, is unacceptableThanks to David Davis and Boris Johnson, England are now one of those World Cup sides that can be described sympathetically as “playing on despite the political turmoil back home”. As the old saying goes: dance like no one’s watching, love like you’ve never been hurt and play a World Cup like your shitshow of a government is about to collapse itself and plunge your country further into the mire.And you know what? Depending on how much barely charted territory you can handle – England are in the semi-finals of the actual World Cup, after all – it feels great to be...
Wednesday’s semi-final brings to mind when the nation came to a standstill watching Bobby Robson’s team in the knockout stages 28 years agoThe dustbins! I went outside with the dustbin, and that was the moment I realised that my country had changed. For ever, as it turned out.It was Sunday 1 July 1990, England’s quarter-final against Cameroon in Naples. I watched at home and at half-time remembered that Monday was dustbin day. I lugged mine on to my north London rat-run street. And there was silence. Related: Why Italia 90 was not beautiful to everyone, but will always be special | Amy Lawrence Related: England's performance at Italia 90 World Cup is venerated too much | Jonathan Wilson Continue reading...
Great World Cup sides of the past have been built around ego-free forwards and Sterling’s cunning is utterly irreplaceableIn the minds of those who watched them win the 1970 World Cup, Mário Zagallo’s Brazil still represents the fulfilment of all the seldom-kept promises of international football. The mere mention of their star players – Pelé, Jairzinho, Roberto Rivelino, Carlos Alberto – conjures images of suave magic under the Mexican sun. But there was one player, a little less celebrated, without whom their triumph would have been much harder to achieve.Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade, known as Tostão, was a 23-year-old centre-forward who had appeared fleetingly in Brazil’s 1966 campaign in England while still a teenager. Four years later he arrived with...