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Johannesburg - General sentiment has been that, after exiting the Soccer World Cup at the hands of Croatia in Moscow, England have an impressive young team capable of getting even better ahead of the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Yet this narrative of a British nation raising their pints and beaming with pride at even reaching the final four perhaps disguises the true reality of their progress made in the competition.
Of England’s 12 goals scored in Russia, nine came from set-pieces - either from corner kicks, penalties or Kieran Trippier’s superb free kick against the Croatians.
In addition, two of the three strikes scored from open play came against Panama, who were arguably one of the worst teams in the tournament alongside Saudi Arabia.
In the opening 2-1 win against Tunisia, Gareth Southgate’s men were laboured and struggled to break down a very average side before Harry Kane’s header rescued them in injury time from a corner.
The 1996 world champions then hammered the diabolically poor Panamanians and lost what was a meaningless dead rubber against Belgium. In fact, the loss to the Belgians then presented England with what could only be considered as a “dream” pathway to the final.
By finishing second in Group G, the likes of Brazil, Belgium, Spain, France, Uruguay and even Argentina were avoided until at least the final.
All the Three Lions had to do was beat a workmanlike Colombia outfit.
However, after Kane converted a second-half penalty, the South Americans ran riot at the English back three, who simply gave up trying to pass the ball out from the back, and the pressure told with a late Yerry Mina header. Following a tight extra-time period, a penalty shoot-out was required to beat Los Cafeteros.
A poor Sweden were brushed aside in the quarter-finals, but there was defensive vulnerability even then, with Jordan Pickford making at least two outstanding saves.
In the semis, England were excellent in the first half and deservedly took a 1-0 advantage, with Kane then missing a glorious opportunity to make it 2-0 before the break. Yet Vatreni bossed the second stanza with Pickford, John Stones, Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker no longer confident enough to play out from the back amid Croatia’s relentless high-pressing game.
The pressure counted as Croatia came back to win 2-1 in extra time.
The evidence then seems pretty compelling that this group are far from the finished product, even with four years to improve before the next World Cup. Spain scored just one set-piece in winning in 2010 and, in 2014, three of Germany’s 15 goals came from dead balls.
This shows that, at the very highest level, a side has to have a system in which they play their way through teams, and possess an incisive passing game that is ingrained into the DNA. Given that 25% of English goals came from open play and two were against Panama, an effective system is not in place.
Indeed, the side failed in arguably the only two major tests of the entire competition in needing penalties to beat the Colombians and then in losing to the Croatians. In other words, when put under pressure, the passing out from the back system buckled.
Factor in that some of the giants of world football were avoided by the luck of the draw, and it is fair to say that England failed miserably in not at least advancing to the final.
With 10 of the 23-man squad set to be in their 30s when Qatar rolls around, the weight of evidence reflects that Southgate’s formula could be yet another false dawn for England. A World Cup final spot was in their hands, and they threw it away.
