FWC-England
England:-
Ah yes, the English (first of three…)! “The Three lions” travel to Brazil with many expecting an early exit; unusual given the traditional pre-WC SKY HIGH ambitions in England. But are those expectations really justified?
Well, for starters, England’s defense seems “fragile”, to say the least. Neither Cahill, Jagielka nor Baines (all most likely to start) have ANY experience at a major international tournament; in Jagielka’s and Baines’ cases, they even lack experience at ANY major competition apart from the EPL.
That being said, it is ludicrous to assume that, under Roy Hodgson’s command, the defense will play with anything BUT their utmost best! Hodgson places a huge emphasis on strong, coordinated defending and a very high level of commitment from his back-four. So it is pretty unorthodox to expect England to concede many goals at the WC!
The real headache for England will be in midfield. They have a huge contingent of talented and experienced midfielders; however, as always, they seem to go missing in big tournaments! The Gerrard-Lampard combination has proven, time and time again, to be ineffective and it would be a surprise if Hodgson chooses to start with those two simultaneously.
Regardless who features in front of Gerrard, England will look to play a direct style of football. Gerrard will be launching long-balls forward and dispersing play either side of the pitch. The central midfielder playing has the responsibility of properly coordinating the bridge between both sides of the team; which is why a unique positional awareness is needed at all times, SPECIFICALLY against Italy and Uruguay, for starters.
Whatever tactic Hodgson chooses to apply, England will look to expose spaces on the channels and deliver accurate crosses in between both sides of the opposition’s box; wide players might even dive deeper into the final third and roll the ball back to Gerrard and/or the CM, who will look for precise deliveries in between opposition defenders.
A huge responsibility will be, therefore, placed on the striker’s shoulders. It will be the main striker’s moment to shine every time he receives the ball in the middle of the box. Should Sturridge start, he must, hopefully, bring his shooting boots from his club season with him to score the goals England need.
Main man: Wayne Rooney: Amazing vision, pure strength, quickness with the ball and an extremely lethal shot are all just a small part of the complete package a full-fit and in-form Rooney brings along. He is quite simply irreplaceable and it will be his last chance to prove to himself, and to the world, that he is England’s best-ever player.
Odds (average from top 24 betting firms): 31.04167
Ah yes, the English (first of three…)! “The Three lions” travel to Brazil with many expecting an early exit; unusual given the traditional pre-WC SKY HIGH ambitions in England. But are those expectations really justified?
Well, for starters, England’s defense seems “fragile”, to say the least. Neither Cahill, Jagielka nor Baines (all most likely to start) have ANY experience at a major international tournament; in Jagielka’s and Baines’ cases, they even lack experience at ANY major competition apart from the EPL.
That being said, it is ludicrous to assume that, under Roy Hodgson’s command, the defense will play with anything BUT their utmost best! Hodgson places a huge emphasis on strong, coordinated defending and a very high level of commitment from his back-four. So it is pretty unorthodox to expect England to concede many goals at the WC!
The real headache for England will be in midfield. They have a huge contingent of talented and experienced midfielders; however, as always, they seem to go missing in big tournaments! The Gerrard-Lampard combination has proven, time and time again, to be ineffective and it would be a surprise if Hodgson chooses to start with those two simultaneously.
Regardless who features in front of Gerrard, England will look to play a direct style of football. Gerrard will be launching long-balls forward and dispersing play either side of the pitch. The central midfielder playing has the responsibility of properly coordinating the bridge between both sides of the team; which is why a unique positional awareness is needed at all times, SPECIFICALLY against Italy and Uruguay, for starters.
Whatever tactic Hodgson chooses to apply, England will look to expose spaces on the channels and deliver accurate crosses in between both sides of the opposition’s box; wide players might even dive deeper into the final third and roll the ball back to Gerrard and/or the CM, who will look for precise deliveries in between opposition defenders.
A huge responsibility will be, therefore, placed on the striker’s shoulders. It will be the main striker’s moment to shine every time he receives the ball in the middle of the box. Should Sturridge start, he must, hopefully, bring his shooting boots from his club season with him to score the goals England need.
Main man: Wayne Rooney: Amazing vision, pure strength, quickness with the ball and an extremely lethal shot are all just a small part of the complete package a full-fit and in-form Rooney brings along. He is quite simply irreplaceable and it will be his last chance to prove to himself, and to the world, that he is England’s best-ever player.
Odds (average from top 24 betting firms): 31.04167
Ahmad Al-Omar - 23. May, 14:36
