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Nobody saw it coming three weeks ago when the tournament got going, but England are now just third favourites with the bookmakers for the World Cup title going into the quarterfinals.
Prior to the tournament, there was probably less pressure on England then there ever has been heading into a World Cup. The country has become used to failure, having seen The Three Lions fail to win a single knockout match since 2006 prior to the game with Colombia.
They failed to qualify for the European Championships in 2008, went out to Germany in the round of 16 in 2010, before a familiar penalty shootout defeat to Italy at the Euros in 2012. In 2014, England put in their worst ever World Cup performance, going out in the group stage, before suffering an embarrassing exit at the hands of Iceland at the European Championships in France two years ago.
This time things have been different, and the whole country is behind England as they head into a quarter-final with Sweden. Manager Gareth Southgate said the game with Colombia was England’s biggest for a decade, but the quarter-final could be their biggest since 1996.
Harry Kane scored the late winner against Tunisia, before grabbing a hat-trick as England dismantled Panama 6-1. They made wholesale changes for their final group stage match with Belgium, and that played a part as they lost 1-0. That has proved to be a blessing in disguise though, as England ended up in the weaker side of the draw.
They are now just two wins from the final, and the nation believes something special may be happening. Here are five reasons why football could be coming home.
#1 Harry Kane is on fire
When Kane returned home from the Euros in France two years ago having failed to find the net, there were questions asked over whether he was capable of doing the business at a major tournament. But he has silenced his doubters in the last couple of weeks and leads the race for the golden boot with six goals in just three appearances. He is England’s main man, and has proved his worth in Russia this summer.
Kane is in brilliant form and looks almost unstoppable in front of goal. He has only had six shots on target during the World Cup and scored six goals. There is still a feeling that there is more to come from him, as he probably hasn’t had as many chances created for him as he does at Tottenham. We have seen more than one side to his game as well. Against Sweden, he held the ball up brilliantly and did an excellent job of bringing others into play. If England are to go all the way, he will have to keep up this form.
#2 Stones and Maguire have surprised us all
This seemed an unlikely double act a few months ago, but it seems to be working in Russia. England have gone into the tournament lining up in an unfamiliar system with three at the back, and it appears to have bought out the best in Maguire and Stones. It perhaps hasn’t had the same effect on Kyle Walker, who still appears to be a little bit uncomfortable at centre back.
We have seen the pair perform well for their club sides, and they have bought that form into the World Cup. Stones made his mark with two goals against Panama, the first for his national side. Maguire has also impressed on the ball as well as off it. His ability to bring the ball out of defence into midfield has been crucial for England, and has helped them outnumber sides in the centre of the park.
#3 Southgate has found a system that works
As mentioned earlier on in the article, England have very rarely played a system with three centre-backs before but is the system that Gareth Southgate decided would be the best way to bring the best out of his players, and he was right. It has allowed Kieran Trippier to get further up the pitch and put balls into the box, while it has also meant Southgate can get his best-attacking players into the side.
All three of Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard and Raheem Sterling have been able to start, giving England options going forward. We are yet to see all three of them perform at the same time, but at least with all three in the team, the pressure is lifted off their shoulders slightly. There is a possibility that as the opposition gets stronger, there is the chance that Southgate may choose to leave one of them out to bring in Eric Dier and strengthen the midfield slightly.
#4 There is still more to come
It would be wrong to think that we have already seen the best of this England side. They may have seen off Colombia and Tunisia and battered Panama, but they haven’t peaked yet. We have seen the likes of Sterling and Alli play for their club sides, and there is no doubt that they have the quality to set this World Cup alight, and the same applies to Marcus Rashford, who we have mainly seen from the bench thus far.
If England can get all of their players performing to the maximum of their potential, then a front line of Alli, Kane and Sterling will rival any at the tournament already. With an impressive back line, and Jordan Pickford justifying his selection as England’s number one, there is a platform for the Three Lions to build on, and they will hope to do just that.
#5 There is no outright favourite in Russia
We have had a brilliant tournament so far, and that is partly down to how open it is. Germany were the shock exit in the group stage before both Argentina and Spain fell at the first hurdle in the knockout rounds. But with every team just two games from the final, there still aren’t any teams who standout as favourites to go all the way. We have seen flashes of brilliance from Brazil and France along the way, but neither of them have looked entirely convincing yet.
As for England, they are on the weaker side of the draw. One of Russia, Croatia, Sweden and England will reach the World Cup final, and none of them will have expected to be anywhere near this situation. England haven’t had a chance as good as this to reach the final since 1966, and they will feel that this is the perfect opportunity. Every team on that side of the draw will be feeling the same, but with the bookmakers, England are favourites to be playing in Moscow on July 15.
