The 2018 FIFA World Cup has been at the centre of controversy amid the corruption scandal with world football’s governing body. The aftermath of the bidding process may have left a very bitter taste, no more so than in England. However, the talk of a potential boycott by them has been cooled for now. Therefore it looks highly likely that England, should they qualify, will be in Russia three years from now. Although England and their supporters may not be happy with the tournament being in Russia, they will be absolutely delighted with the qualifying route they have been given.
England will be delighted with 2018 draw
England will be very pleased to avoid a potential group of death, with the likes of former World Cup winners Italy and France being in the second pot of the draw. England, who were in the first pot, could potentially have had a group with France as second seeds along with a very dangerous Eastern European team such as Poland as third seeds. Unlike the European Championship qualifying campaign, where in some groups three teams can qualify for the tournament, the World Cup qualifying process only allows the group winner to qualify automatically. Although the eight best second placed teams will go into a play-off to try to reach the World Cup, the objective for England has to be to win the group.
The potential group of death scenario would have been a banana skin for England’s World Cup hopes. England will be joined by Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta, Lithuania and an old foe in Scotland. The way football is in Europe in this day and age, trips to places like Slovakia, Slovenia and Lithuania could be slightly awkward. However, England should have full confidence that if their players deal with the hostile atmosphere in those places, they will have far too much quality for those three teams and will be able to get nine crucial points away from home.
With regards to Malta, England will be expected to win both games and win comfortably. I have seen no evidence so far to point to a minnow such as Malta being able to topple a footballing powerhouse like England. Shocks do happen in sport but serious questions would be asked of England as a footballing nation should they fail to do anything but win comfortably. At Wembley, England should blow Malta, Slovenia, Slovakia and Lithuania away. England are yet to lose a World Cup qualifier at Wembley since the reopening in 2007, winning nine and drawing one of their ten matches. Therefore they will be very confident after last week’s draw.
The battle against an old foe
Both Scotland and England fans will be delighted at being drawn against each other in a competitive environment for the first time since the Euro 2000 play-off which England won 2-1 over two legs. The 2013-14 season saw England play Scotland twice in friendlies, winning 3-2 at home and then 3-1 at Celtic Park. I attended the fixture as an England fan in Scotland and witnessed one of the greatest atmospheres I have ever witnessed. This is why both camps will be delighted to be drawn against each other.
Scotland will undoubtedly get their players motivated and the whole nation will rally behind them in an attempt to beat the English. Likewise, England will believe they are better footballers but will be pleased to play in a game for their country that is played at a similar intensity that they see week in week out in the Premier League. As a fan the most enjoyable thing about the victory at Celtic Park was the passion the England players showed.
The England versus Scotland game is the oldest game in international football and throughout history has been played with the passion and intensity of a cup final. This is something of a rarity for international football that is often played at a slower pace to domestic football in Britain. These games will be fiery encounters, oozing with passion and pride, yet when it comes down to footballing ability it is difficult not to see two England victories.
Without trying to be insulting to those north of the border, the fact of the matter is many players in the Scotland squad apply their trade in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The Championship is a very good league, but there is a big difference in the quality of Championship players to players in the Premier League. Every England international in the squads against Scotland in the two friendly fixtures was an established Premier League player.
Who should shine for England in the qualifying campaign?
It is difficult to predict the rate that young players develop as a serious injury could occur at any time and hinder their development. A very good crop of English talent is currently playing in the Premier League and by 2018 some of these could be fantastic players on a global stage. The likes of Harry Kane, John Stones, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling are the obvious choices. If they avoid serious injury they could become stalwarts of the England team for the next decade.
However, one name that may not get the coverage or game time as those five is nineteen-year-old Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The young Chelsea midfielder is regarded by Jose Mourinho as a “very exciting prospect” although he is yet to establish himself as a first team regular. Loftus-Cheek’s elegance on the ball combined with his dynamic playing style could be a perfect fit for England in 2018. The teenager is already a member of Gareth Southgate’s under-21 squad and people of England will hope a player of Loftus-Cheek’s potential can break into the senior set up in time for Russia 2018. Only time will tell if the young midfielder will achieve his potential and become a world class central midfielder.
