The latest FIFA World Rankings have been announced and England fans across the country have now seen the lowest ranking for their team in 12 years. The placement of 17th may come as a shock to some, but it should be taken as a stark warning. Despite some of the teams being very wrongly placed (Colombia in 5th, having dropped from the heady heights of 3rd) in a very dubious ranking system, England can have no complaints.
There are around eight teams miles better than England in terms of squad and form at the moment: Spain, Germany, Brazil, France, Argentina, Uruguay, Italy and Holland. There are several teams in a similar position to England: Portugal, Belgium, Russia, Croatia, Chile, Ukraine and more. Alone, this shows that England is already looking at a very hard fight to even feature in the top 10.
Of course, expectations are thrown high whenever a good performance against a big side happens. However, does Russia expect itself to be called a top side after pulling off shock wins? No, with a major point being that it was a shock win.
Regardless of the teams going above and below England, it is a fair ranking. The team has had some shoddy form, with sides like Poland holding them to a draw, and the fact is that the squad is average. England do have some world-beaters in Wayne Rooney and a limited few others. Jack Wilshere is being expected of too much, as are others when not ready. If you compare again to Poland, they have Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski as star players and then a very mixed squad. Remind anyone of a certain country that clings to its 1966 glory?
This is not to say Poland are at England’s level – they aren’t – but it is more to show that two or three great players cannot elevate you to the highest ranks anymore. A top quality team needs to be built a la Spain and Germany.
There Elo football rankings provide a different view, and some say a more accurate one. England is rated as 6th best team, however these ratings have slowly declined in accuracy over the past couple of years, It may readjust after a major tournament, such as the upcoming World Cup.
The irony of all this shock at England’s low ranking is that the fight to keep a summer World Cup in 2022 still rages on. How much egg would be on the FA’s (metaphorical) face if the decision to change locations of the World Cup was made to keep with tradition and fit in so well with the English league format? A team that could feature Tom Cleverley as a leading ‘star’ may well be ranked lower than Scotland come the next decade.
To go back to comparisons, of the last starting eleven for England against Ukraine, only Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard can really call themselves top international stars and two of them have seen better days. It is an embarrassing state for the nation to be in. Injuries and suspensions can be blamed, but the fact is it wasn’t good enough to beat Ukraine, a side who have had better squads themselves than the one put out against England.
The rankings can still be ridiculed further, with Wales having been confirmed as the second-best home nation and Northern Ireland rising, despite a recent defeat to Luxembourg. The point still stands though: England is no better than it has been rated. On their day, the side can beat Spain or Brazil, as proven, but the consistency and squad quality lacks. Also, when was the last time England beat a ‘top’ team in a major cup, such as the World Cup or European Championship? Does it not suggest that friendlies can be misleading? Would that be where it is all going wrong?
In spite of whether England should be rated 6th or 17th, the rankings bring home a cold truth: England is on a slippery slope of decline and needs to act quick, or a warm winter in Qatar will be the least of its worries.
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