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On Monday night, England played a masterful game against Spain. The match was played in Seville, but it seemed as if The Three Lions were playing at home. Especially in the first half, where they tore apart Spain with quick counterattacks.
Their run to the semi-finals in the 2018 World Cup and their continuing good form will surely make the English fans hopeful for a major trophy since 1966. Here are some reasons why.
#1 Harry Kane
Not since Alan Shearer terrorised opposition defenses has England produced a proven goal scorer. While the likes of Micheal Owen and Wayne Rooney have donned the Three Lions shirt, they did not score with consistency. Then Harry Kane arrived.
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Kane has taken the Premier League by storm and has been the top scorer in two of the last three seasons. Last season he just finished behind Mohamed Salah. He is one of the best strikers in the world at the moment, and was also the Golden Boot winner in the 2018 World Cup.
It would not be a surprise if he ends up being the top scorer of England when he decides to hang up his boots.
#2 Young Lions
England has been blessed with some of the best young players at the moment. The under-17 squad won the World Cup for their age group last year in India. In the current national team, there are players who can be world class.
Players like Rashford, Sterling and Alli among others are regular first team members now. They still have a lot to improve, but they are on the right track. In two years time, they will be close to their peak, and could give England a real shot at the Euros.
#3 Solid back line
When John Terry and Rio Ferdinand retired, they left huge boots to fill for their successors. England struggled to find replacements, and the managers kept shuffling the back line to find a solid combination. Finally, it seems Southgate found a pair.
The versatile John Stones and the towering Harry Maguire are a perfect combination. While Stones is good with his feet and can play the ball out from the back, Maguire provides insurance for the English in the aerial battle department, and can out-muscle any forward out there at the moment.
With the emergence of Joe Gomez and backup options like Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, England has a good depth in the defense department.
#4 Gareth Southgate
When Southgate was hired, it was only on an interim basis. But such has been his impact on the team that his position was made permanent. For someone relatively young in terms of coaching, you may think it could have backfired. But instead, that lesser experience has been an inspiration for Southgate to try out different tactics and formations.
He has the bravery to chop and change at will, and that has made England more adaptive and dynamic.
His experience with the junior levels has also helped him. The young players who now play in the senior squad know what to expect from him, and that has made their transition easier.
#5 No superstars
The England squad of old boasted some superstars of football. The likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, and Beckham were some of the best. But that didn't turn out well for England. The superstars failed to bring any trophies back home, and there was a feeling that their egos might have hindered them from giving their best.
The present England squad can only call their Captain, Kane, a superstar. The rest are vulnerable to be dropped if they do not play well, and that means they have to prove themselves every opportunity they get.
Therefore no one except their captain is guaranteed a starting spot in the squad, which means the performance of the team always remains optimal.
#6 Premier League managers
When Spain won the 2010 World Cup, Guardiola was the manager at Barcelona. When Germany won the 2014 World Cup, he was at Bayern Munich. So according to that trend, England should have won the 2018 World Cup. Though it didn't happen, they came close.
The reason why Spain and Germany won could be their club form. The national team predominantly contained players from Barcelona and Munich, and they continued their form into the WC.
In England though, it is not the same case. The current players are in different clubs, but the Catalan's impact in Manchester City can be seen. Sterling, Stones, and Walker have improved, and England has a versatile Fabian Delph to call upon.
In Merseyside, Jurgen Klopp has made Henderson reliable and can also be credited with the emergence of Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
At Chelsea, Ross Barkley has credited Sarri for his return to form. This resulted in him being recalled to the England squad and he played a killer pass for The Three Lions' third goal against Spain.
In the other London club, Tottenham, Pochettino has developed Kane into a World class striker, and players like Dier, Winks, and Trippier are an important part of the Spurs squad.
Therefore it is clear that Guardiola, Klopp, Pochettino, and Sarri have had an impact on the England squad. If they continue to do their good work, England will surely benefit from it.
