3 Reasons Why England May Not Win the World Cup

#2 England are struggling to score from open play

Harry Kane takes a penalty kick against Colombia

While it’s true that England is one of the most productive teams in Russia so far, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re unstoppable at the front. Six out of their nine goals actually came in one match against Panama, a debutant who ended up in the last place of the tournament table.

What’s more of a concern is that the England players seem to struggle to get on the score sheet via open play. Only two goals were created from open play while the other 7 came either from the penalty spot (3 goals) or corner kicks (4 goals).

And even those two goals don’t exactly show a fierce attacking capability: one speculative shot from Jesse Lingard and the other one seemed like just mere luck after a shot from Loftus-Cheek hit Harry Kane on the heel and saw the goalkeeper wrong-footed.

And again, those two came in the match against Panama. If the Swedish can somehow minimize defensive errors resulting in corner kicks or a penalty, England would have a mountain to climb to earn a place in the semi-final.