England have been regarded for years as ‘favourites’ for any major football tournament they have participated in. This is despite the fact that they have only won it once, back in 1966. Whenever a major tournament comes around, the English press jump on the bandwagon and promote England, building up fanatical support within the country that creates feverish excitement among millions of fans.
This year is no different, however, with injuries plaguing the team and some unconvincing performances recently, will England go all the way and claim victory in the world’s biggest football tournament?
I’d say it’s unlikely they will for a number of reasons. First, injuries affect any major team, but England have seen Rio Ferdinand injured on the first day of training, which means he will miss the entire tournament. Ferdinand, the England captain, is a major player missing. The absence of Gareth Barry is also worrisome. With the midfield having been a source of contention and therefore weakness for a number of years, losing a pivotal player in Barry means we’re back to the age-old debate about whether Lampard and Gerrard can play together.
Secondly, the team spirit that Fabio Capello has tried to instill still seems a long way off. It’s not that the English players don’t respect the fact that they’re playing for England, but rather the fact that there doesn’t seem to be any cohesion within the team. The players do not seem to be willing to fight to the end, for each other, for the country, to win the tournament. This lack of cohesion or team spirit will probably be the biggest influence on England’s chances. If they can’t take advantage of this, they will almost certainly fail to achieve their goal.
Finally, good luck. England is historically a failed team. Penalties have never been his forte, but the likelihood of another shootout isn’t that unlikely, and to do so requires a certain amount of luck. There isn’t much evidence to suggest that they have learned their lessons in the last 4 years, but will lady luck be on their side? I hope so.