'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Browse any English media outlet or read through the countless tweets from England fans across Twitter and you would think the World Cup is a foregone conclusion. England’s administration and the players use of social media has instilled a real belief that they will go all the way in Russia and lift the World Cup for the first time since 1966.
The belief is so strong, many English fans are already planning celebrations upon the squad’s return and where to place statues of the players from the English squad around the country.
However, caution should be adhered to among all of this hyperbole. A case in point is the not so distant Premier League season of 2013/14, one Liverpool fans would rather forget. The season began with reigning Champions, Manchester United, starting a new life without Sir Alex Ferguson.
The appointment of David Moyes didn’t pan out and the Red Devils endured a tough campaign, leaving the door open for new challenges to the title. Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal duly obliged and remained in tight contention until mid-April when Arsenal had fallen away and Liverpool continued an 11-match winning streak by defeating rivals Manchester City 3-2 in what was dubbed the ‘title decider’.
Cue mass celebrations from Liverpool fans and premature claims their first ever Premier League title. The terraces on Anfield were in full voice signing ‘Now you’re going to believe us, we’re gonna win the league’. There was, however, one final obstacle standing in their way – a battle against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.
A win would all but secure the title for Brendan Rogers and Liverpool, however, the now infamous Steven Gerrard slip allowed Demba Ba in to score for Chelsea who ran out 2-0 winners. The following game saw Liverpool lose a three-goal lead against Crystal Palace to draw 3-3 and surrender the title to Manchester City.
This cautionary tale can easily be applied to English fans at the moment. In a similar vein to Liverpool fans during that fateful season, English fans are already celebrating victory before the tournament’s conclusion.
Choruses of ‘it’s coming home’ ring around the stadium when England plays, the pubs across the country, and even in Ikea stores. The song, first released in 1996 when England hosted the European Championships, has even reached number one in the UK charts.
While England has done extremely well to reach this stage of the competition, they are yet to come up against their ‘Chelsea’. The path to the semi-finals has been comfortable and the team has remained relatively untested.
It would be a worthwhile endeavour for English fans to take a step back and enjoy progressing this far in the tournament rather than claiming to have it sewn up already. If not, they will receive no sympathy from the worldwide community upon their elimination, in a similar manner to how Liverpool fans didn’t receive any sympathy after their collapse in the 2013/14 season.
