5 potential surprises that could happen in football in 2018

Modified Jan 05, 2018 14:27 GMT

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#1 England will have a successful World Cup

Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League — England boss Gareth Southgate is hoping for a successful World Cup campaign

So to set the record straight to begin with, by “successful” I’m not predicting that England will lift the famous trophy in Russia this summer. I simply don’t think their squad depth will be good enough to take them past the very best sides, teams like Germany and France.

But a quarter-final finish – which would be their first since 2006 – or even a semi-final? I think both of those goals are more than achievable for Gareth Southgate’s men, which would mark a massive leap forward from the disastrous campaigns that were the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.

What’s changed? Well, if you’re just looking at qualification, not much. England got through their group relatively easily but also appeared to be sleepwalking at times, struggling past poor sides like Scotland and Lithuania while boring the fans to tears with a stodgy brand of football.

But the friendly games against Brazil and Germany in November offered so much more. Southgate dispensed of older players such as Gary Cahill, experimented with a new formation – a three-man defence – and also introduced youngsters like Joe Gomez, Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, players who proved to be big hits.

If Southgate can capture the exuberance of this youth talent – remember that the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Marcus Rashford are all younger talent too – and help them to keep up the momentum that England’s youth sides had last year when they won three tournaments – then an improvement on the last couple of efforts should be easy.

Drawn in a group with Belgium, Panama and Tunisia, the last 16 is definitely reachable and given they’d likely face Poland or Colombia there, then the quarter-finals are a distinct possibility. And from there, who knows?

About the author

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

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Edited by Tanya Rudra