40 years later: What are England's chances against Poland this time around?

England’s emphatic 4-1 win against Montenegro on Friday ensured that the Three Lions’ qualification hopes remained in their own hands. It also lifted some of the pressure from manager Roy Hodgson, who had come under a lot of criticism during England’s qualifying campaign for taking the safety-first approach. But it also made football fans take a trip down memory lane. Nearly40 years ago, England needed to beat Poland in their final qualifying match, which was to be held at Wembley, but ended up getting a 1-1 draw. As a result, they didn’t qualify for the 1974 World Cup.

England went into that game as favourites and they certainly did well during the match. They had around 30-odd shots during the match compared to Poland’s two. Yet they only managed to score one goal, and that too was a penalty. England dominated possession for most of the match yet weren’t clinical enough and couldn’t turn it up when it mattered. Poland weren’t the strongest of teams at the time, but their team spirit was excellent and they went on to finish third in the 1974 World Cup, beating Brazil in the third-place playoff. England, on the other hand, were left broken and desolate. Manager Alf Ramsey lost his job and veterans like Norman Hunter and Allan Clarke missed out on their last chance to represent England in a World Cup.

Fast forward to the present day. England are in the exact same situation currently and the stakes are just as high this time around, if not higher. Players like Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Steven Gerrard are in the twilight of their careers and will in all probability be retired by 2018. Given the underachievement that has surrounded the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ of English football, they will be keen to win the World Cup and go out on a high. However, they will have to qualify for it first.

Andros Townsend will be looking to carry on from where he left off against Montenegro

England also have some hungry young players looking to make a mark on the world stage. Players like Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere, Andros Townsend, Kyle Walker (to name a few) will be looking to get themselves on a flight to Brazil in order to mix it with the best nations in the world.

It’s fair to say England go into this game as favourites, but the Poles possess quality players like Jakub Blaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski so they won’t necessarily be pushovers. England looked good against Montenegro and are yet to lose a match during their qualifying campaign but they have struggled a bit against the bigger teams, preferring to sit back and defend instead of taking the attack to the opposition. The last time these two teams met during the qualifiers the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

It took England a long time to get over the ghosts of 1973. If they don’t make the World Cup this time around, suffice to say the fall-out will be far worse. Winning is not just an option for England; it’s the only option.