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It’s that time of year again when the Premier League season is over, the World Cup squad has been announced, and England are suddenly the favourites; riding a huge wave of optimism after a couple of friendly wins against minor European and African footballing nations.
So the usual rhetoric goes anyway. By now, after 52 years of hurt, I think even the most ardent England fan, the one who parades around the host nation with his bare gut spilling over his Adidas shorts, thumping the Three Lions badge tattooed across his bicep, would be reluctant to label us as a serious threat.
Nevertheless, there is room for cautious optimism.
Gareth Southgate had displayed his ruthless streak as England manager long before the confirmation of his 23-man World Cup squad, and those left out were the latest examples of his determination not to be swayed by reputation.
Joe Hart, Jack Wilshere and Ryan Bertrand joined Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Daniel Sturridge and Chris Smalling on the list of players to be discarded during his 18-month reign in charge.
Billed as a safe pair of hands when appointed as Sam Allardyce’s successor in 2016, following the controversial departure of his predecessor after just one game in charge, Southgate was portrayed as football’s Mr Nice Guy. But, since taking on full-time a role over which he was initially hesitant, he has been bold virtually every step of the way with his decisions and selection and his squad for Russia, which has an average age of 26 years and 18 days, is all about potential and possibility, rather than a second or third shot at redemption for those who failed before.
Whether England can win the World Cup remains to be seen and, with a potential quarter-final against either Brazil or Germany, a place in the last eight may well be the limit of Southgate’s ambitions. But at least this squad will go into the tournament without too many scars of the past, burdened by memories of abject failure and an inability to cope with pressure.
There are no survivors from those taken by Fabio Capello to South Africa in 2010 and only five of Roy Hodgson’s Brazil 2014 party have made the plane. Southgate has simply cleared out the old guard; he started with Rooney and Walcott during qualifying and completed the job by leaving Hart, Wilshere and Bertrand at home.
In goal, the big call was overlooking Hart, who his 75 caps but was farmed out on loan by Manchester City for the past two seasons and couldn’t even make the West Ham starting line-up for most of this season. With Jordan Pickford and Jack Butland obvious choices, Southgate has taken a chance on Burnley’s Nick Pope on the grounds of form, which should, in reality, always be the first criteria.
The absence of a top-level playmaker in midfield is a problem that Southgate has had to grapple with since taking charge, so his options in that area lack the creative flair of the leading nations in Russia.
Wilshere may once have had the potential to tick that box, but the Arsenal midfielder now lacks the requisite fitness and finesse. Physically, he also struggles to compete against the most accomplished teams and players.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is Southgate’s biggest gamble but the Chelsea midfielder, who spent the season on loan at Crystal Palace, was outstanding against Germany and Brazil last November and so has earned the chance to impress in Russia.
Up front, Southgate possesses a world-class striker in In Harry Kane, while Jamie Vardy once again proved his credentials for Leicester with 20 league goals this season. And with Sterling and Jesse Lingard offering a goal threat from midfield, the concerns over Marcus Rashford’s form and Danny Welbeck’s ability to avoid injury are not quite as worrying.
Indeed, another noteworthy aspect of the squad concerns the versatility offered by many players. For example, Alexander-Arnold, Ashley Young, Fabian Delph and Eric Dier can play in defence and midfield, while the attacking midfielders included also offer a certain fluidity.
Ultimately, there can be no escaping the fact that this squad is largely unproven at international level, with the shadow of Euro 2016 and the defeat against Iceland still hanging over the team at a major tournament. But Southgate’s selection has brought a freshness and sense of realism to the England set-up; the big question is how long that will last before misplaced optimism takes over.
With their draw, England have a good shot at making the quarter-finals, which is a respectable result and should be the aim.
England do not have the players of a Brazil or Spain, they do not have the squad depth of a France or Germany, and they do not have the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who are capable of almost single-handily carrying their nations to World Cup glory.
But what England do have in abundance is potential … which is better than a bunch of over-hyped primadonnas who fail to deliver.
