2022 Fifa World Cup: a perfect storm of ‘injury, fatigue and déjà vu’ for England?
After a wretched Nations League campaign the Three Lions seem headed for disappointment in Qatar
In just five months’ time, England’s footballers travel to Qatar to compete in the first ever winter Fifa World Cup, said Oliver Brown in The Daily Telegraph. And on current evidence, there’s scant reason for optimism.
Last summer’s finalists at the Euros seem to have regressed “into grim lethargy” across their four recent Nations League clashes. After a wretched 1-0 loss to Hungary, Gareth Southgate’s men earned uninspiring draws against Germany and Italy, before slumping to yet another demoralising defeat to Hungary on Tuesday, this time to the tune of 4-0 – the worst home loss in 94 years.
Yes, the squad must be exhausted after ten months’ “unbroken toil”; even so, their “lack of sharpness was painful to behold”. True, some successful World Cup campaigns have had similarly inauspicious starts, but there is no way to sugar-coat “England’s toothlessness” in these matches. As things stand, it is utterly fanciful to imagine that Southgate’s team will be contenders in Qatar.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
How odd to think that, a year ago, “England’s attacking options were being feted as the most bountiful in the world”, said Nick Ames in The Guardian. Today, the cupboard looks worryingly bare. As Southgate has himself admitted, the team has become “far too reliant” on just two players – Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane: if these two misfire or get injured, it’s hard to see where goals will come from.
Further adding to Southgate’s woes is the lack of opportunity to experiment between now and November, said Henry Winter in The Times. England play just two more matches – return legs against Germany and Italy – before setting off to Qatar on 15 November. And an unusually jam-packed autumn league calendar will mean that most of the squad will clock up a huge amount of club football in the weeks leading up to the tournament. These two factors, taken together, are unlikely to result in World Cup glory. Instead, a “perfect storm of injury, fatigue and déjà vu” may lie in wait for Southgate’s men.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Elevating Earth Day into a national holiday is not radical — it's practical'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
UAW scores historic win in South at VW plant
Speed Read Volkswagen workers in Tennessee have voted to join the United Auto Workers union
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 22, 2024
Cartoons Monday's cartoons - dystopian laughs, WNBA salaries, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The England kit: a furore over the flag
Why everyone's talking about Nike's redesign of the St George's Cross on the collar of the English national team's shirt has caused controversy
By The Week UK Published
-
FIFA is embroiled in back-to-back controversies around the World Cup
Under The Radar The controversial selection of the 2030 hosts puts Saudia Arabia in a prime position for 2034
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup: glitz, glamour and 'grimly inevitable'
Talking Point Critics claim country is guilty of sportswashing as it stands unopposed to host tournament
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Bobby Charlton: England's old-fashioned sporting hero
Obituary Not only was Sir Bobby one of the country's greatest-ever footballers he was lauded for his demeanour on and off the pitch
By The Week UK Published
-
Coco Gauff: a tennis prodigy comes of age with US Open win
American 19-year-old battled back from a set down to claim first grand slam title
By The Week Staff Published
-
Lionesses will have regrets but their legacy can be ‘incredible’
feature England stars return home after heartbreaking Women’s World Cup final loss to Spain
By Mike Starling Published
-
How English women’s football could become a billion pound industry
feature Building on the success of the Lionesses won’t be easy but it is eminently possible
By The Week Staff Published
-
‘Fairytale’ for Wiegman as Lionesses roar into first Women’s World Cup final
feature England will face Spain on Sunday after spoiling the Matildas’s party in Sydney
By Mike Starling Published