England: A Tale of Three Lions

The England team posing before their friendly against Peru

A Familiar Territory for Three Lions or is it different this time?

Manaus, the Capital City of Amazonas is not a global name. However, come June 14th and Manaus will probably be the center of attention for millions of worldwide audience. The Three Lions will start their World Cup finals campaign against Italy from this very City.

Scroll back to 2010, and I clearly remember the hoopla surrounding the English World Cup campaign. After a scintillating performance during qualifiers, Capello’s men were seen as major contenders to lift the cup. Dressed in classy gray suits, the England side landed in South Africa led by Fabio Capello: the master tactician, David Beckham as the brand ambassador and motivator, to accompany the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard and Terry. Put together – it all promised so much. However, the dull performances during the group stage and the drubbing at the hands of Germany in the round of 16 were not the sequence of events that one had either imagined or had planned for.

Fast forward to 2014; it makes me wonder if there’s anything different to the current English side or are we in for a repeat of 1998 and 2010 – by far their worst performances in the World Cup. We have witnessed them freeze during penalty shoot outs, play too many long balls and fail to play a crisp passing game for a spell worth noticing during any of the ninety minutes.

If I were to pin point the reasons for their past failures in the WC, it has often boiled down to 3 major aspects. Firstly, the lack of team spirit, secondly, the lack of belief and third and finally, the lack of imagination. Simply put, any side facing these three fallacies can forget about surviving past the round of 16, forget about lifting the cup.

However, what will be interesting to see is how a combination of unrelated factors plays a part in their campaign this time around.

To begin with, the players likely to feature in the starting eleven don't carry the weight of their name; which, in the past has bogged them down with only Rooney, and Gerrard likely to represent the experienced lot. Meanwhile Sterling, Welbeck, Sturridge, Shaw and Baines represent the youth and future of the English game. This provides a fine balance to the team in terms of youth and experience. One glaring omission that could come back to haunt them however is that of Michael Carrick.

The emergence of Liverpool in the EPL will be a major boost to this English side. Like Paul Scholes said, if England can replicate the Liverpool style of 2013-14, then they can go a long way in the tournament. They will be able to express themselves better and bring in flair and pace to their game, which has been so badly missing from the national side for far too long.

England manager Roy Hodgson looks on before the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier between Poland and England at the National Stadium

Roy Hodgson has a docile reputation in comparison to the likes of expectations set by Eriksson and Capello in the past. Hodgson is one of the quieter personalities in the game, but with a sharp brain. Up until the World Cup he has managed England extremely well. He must also be given credit for putting together a team that seems to have the right credentials for a perfect World Cup squad. By getting rid of the likes of Terry, Ferdinand, Cole and Heskey, he has done away with the flab of the squad and has instead injected fresh blood with the likes of Lallana, Shaw, Baines, Sturridge, Sterling etc. Hodgson was stripped off the managerial post at Liverpool a few years ago under acrimonious circumstances. Deep down inside, he would want to make a mark at this WC to rebuild his reputation.

Wayne Rooney will again have be one of the central figures if England are to have any kind of success. With lesser expectations from the Manchester United forward, Brazil might just be the stage where he sets the world on fire. Rooney knows that any under par performance would lead to his demotion to the bench or even a possible exclusion from the playing squad. He also understands that this might happen be his last World Cup and that adds an extra incentive for him to perform at the biggest stage.

He had single handedly carried Manchester United on his shoulders for most of last season. On the national stage however, there will be lesser pressure on him this time round considering the quality of the squad. In a 4-2-3-1, he might play just behind the main striker and the formation will provide him with more freedom to express himself.

The Group of Death might just be the tonic that England players need to get their campaign rolling. Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica will all test them right till the end. If England is to come out of the group stage unscathed, they have to see out each match phase by phase. If their awareness on the field is high, then perhaps the world may witness an English side emerge out of its reputation of being a lousy and lazy team.