One of my unresolved thoughts about this FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is how England could possibly fare in the competition after a dire run of form by Gareth Southgate’s men.
I’ve been a fan of what Southgate has achieved with the Three Lions but it was becoming as though sunset was nigh for his reign. Some of the signs that triggered these thoughts were not limited to that six games winless run alone.
Against Iran on Monday though, England ended that abysmal run in the most emphatic of fashions – a 6-2 drubbing of Iran at the Al Rayyan stadium, just falling short of their best ever win at a FIFA World Cup tournament by conceding a last gast penalty kick.
While many did expect the Three Lions to typically tear Monday’s opponents into pieces, the scoreline and the manner of the performance should send some messages that this was not just about the inadequacy of the opposition but also the brilliance of the Lions.
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Southgate’s side had struggled for creativity and often exhibited a palpable lack of motivation during that six-game spell so it was instructive that the former defender abolished his much loved back three formation for the inclusion of an ‘extra creator’ against a team they were expected to beat.
Even when eyebrows were raised on the Manager’s trust in Harry Maguire for a centre back role, having a fluid midfield trio – Rice, Bellingham and Mount – ahead of them means the Iranians would have plenty on their plate to contend with.
As flattering as the 6-2 result sounds, one cannot take away from the six-star performance of England which exuded freedom in many parts. Before Monday’s game, Iran had never lost a World Cup game by more than a two-goal margin so to crumble in that manner was not ideal for Carlos Queiroz who led the team to the last two World Cup tournaments as well.
England’s performance does surely then provide me what I needed as an inkling into Southgate’s readiness to possibly conquer the world and at least a step further after a semi-final showing last time around.
While I also think that Southgate would still need his back-three structure later in the competition, Monday’s flowing experience should have encouraged the conservative manager to go for it more especially in the group stage as more difficult oppositions come next in the USA and then Wales.
