Now that the Lionesses have brought it home, it’s time for the Three Lions to do the same thing. That’s the sentiment many English football fans feel after England’s women’s national team won the European Championships for the first time this summer. The Lionesses bested Germany in the final at Wembley to send the home crowd of over 87,000 fans into cheers, becoming the first English senior team to win a major championship since the Three Lions won the 1966 World Cup at home. Now, Gareth Southgate is looking to make sure England rules international football by leading the national team to a title in Qatar.
England Odds at the 2022 World Cup
England Odds to Win the 2022 World Cup +660
England Odds to Win Group B -310
England Odds to Qualify for the Round of 16 -1600
Some of the top teams in Europe struggled during qualifying, but England was easily the best team in its group. The Three Lions were able to run up the score against minnows Andorra and San Marino to finish with a +36 goal differential in topping a group that also included Poland, Albania, and Hungary. They won eight of their 10 matches, and they played Poland to a draw on the road and Hungary to a draw at home in their other two games.
Recent Form
England looked sharp in its two friendlies in late March. The Three Lions overcame an early deficit to beat Switzerland 2-1, and they controlled the action in a 3-0 win over the Ivory Coast. However, Nations League play was unkind to the English, and they look set to drop out of group A.
The Three Lions are 0-2-2 in their four matches with two losses to Hungary. The Magyars knocked off England 1-0 in Budapest in early June, and they obliterated the English 4-0 in Wolverhampton 11 days later. Although the English controlled the action with 69% of the possession, they could only put two shots on net. Hungary poured it on late with three goals in the final 20 minutes to get some revenge after failing to qualify for the World Cup.
England was fortunate to settle for a 0-0 draw against Italy as the Italians had some very good chances but failed to score, and the Three Lions were also lucky to earn a result against Germany in Munich. Harry Kane had to convert a penalty in the 88th minute for the draw in that match.
Roster
Few countries have an attack as strong as that of England. Captain Harry Kane has already scored 50 goals in just 73 appearances with the national team, and Raheem Sterling is a strong second option. Bukayo Saka, Tammy Abraham, and Jack Grealish figure to be solid reserve choices, but it is looking increasingly likely that both Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho won’t make the cut.
Jordan Henderson is a rock in the midfield, but he is the only midfielder that has definitely earned a spot in the starting lineup. Mason Mount and Jesse Lingard look to have an edge when it comes to starting spots, but James Ward-Prowse and Declan Rice could figure into the equation. There isn’t a lot of goal scoring power in this midfield as Lingard’s six goals are the most of any midfielder.
There are questions about the back line as both Harry Maguire and John Stones have struggled. Maguire and Stones have been the lynchpins at center back for England in its last two international competitions, but both players seem to have lost a step. The Three Lions have a lot of talent on the outside though as Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all solid choices.
Jordan Pickford has proven that he is the first-choice goalkeeper with his play at the 2018 World Cup and 2020 Euros. Aaron Ramsdale is the probable No. 2 option for Southgate given his play for Arsenal, and he has the potential to challenge Pickford if he shines at the start of the Premier League campaign.
Prediction
England should have little trouble topping a group that also includes natural rivals Wales and the United States and geopolitical rivals Iran. The Three Lions are likely to make a deep run at the World Cup just as they have at the last two international tournaments, but they need Maguire and Stones to improve if they are going to win it all.
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