England – the country, the football
The United Kingdom’s most powerful nation, England, is a European country separated from the continent by the English Channel and bordered by waters everywhere. On the North West, England has the Irish Sea while the North Sea flows on the east and the Celtic Sea sweeps the territory’s South West coasts.
England is believed to be a very ancient country inhabited by settled Germanic tribes since the 5th century. History explains that the country’s name originates from one of these tribes – the Angles. Unlike countries like France or Germany, the English people possess a Royal Family with Queen Elizabeth II being the current ruler. England have a very long story behind them, mostly characterized by the Black Slavery, colonialism, the Anglican Church, and several wars.
Since the end of the World War II in 1945, hostilities and conflicts virtually don’t exist in England anymore. However, they still have an army that has been fighting every time in honor of the country’s flag and anthem “God Save the Queen, Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory”:
This army is England's national soccer team, The Three Lions. The year 1966 will forever be remembered in England’s entire history because of the country’s first and only triumph in the World Cup. After four consecutive attempts since 1950, The Three Lions finally brought the World Cup trophy home at the delight of millions of fans.
In 2006, English supporters thought that the 40 years of waiting would finally be over but this was not the case. In the quarter-finals, 120 barren minutes of football followed by a 3-1 loss in the penalty shoot-outs against Portugal at the World Cup in Germany meant that England’s hopes were destroyed.
After enduring more pain as they failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championship, England seem to have found light in the end. Since the appointment of Italian manager Fabio Capello, The Three Lions look stronger and they are ready to roar in hunger and to devour their preys during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
England – the road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
When England kicked off their 2010 World Cup qualification campaign, the eyes of the entire nation were on Fabio Capello as the 63-year-old’s credibility was about to be truly tested. The Three Lions were under pressure to win automatic tickets from Group 6 which also contained the likes of rivals Croatia (who inflicted agony on England after disqualifying them from the finals of Euro 2008 on the last day of the qualifiers).
England started on September 6, 2008 with a 2-0 victory away to Andorra which didn’t really convince the public. Four days later, Fabio Capello had to lead his men at the Stadion Maksimir to face Slaven Bilic’s fierce Croatians in a crunch game.
In England, expectations on The Three Lions to revenge themselves against Croatia by winning were high, although anxiety and disbelief were also there. Unexpectedly, this game turned out to be so different from everyone’s predictions. Arsenal youngster Theo Walcott emerged as the hero of the match as his historic hat-trick earned England an emphatic 4-1 victory over the hosts, Croatia. Manchester United's Wayne Rooney was also pretty much they man behind England's emphatic victory.
Well, revenge had therefore been fulfilled but England were up for more. When the qualification campaign resumed in October, The Three Lions pursued their good start with a 5-1 thrashing of Kazakhstan at the Wembley Stadium before securing a 3-1 victory away to Belarus.
Like a few teams in the European World Cup qualification zone such as Spain, England were possessing a 100% record that was yet to be broken. Ahead of match-day 5, some might have placed their money on Ukraine to end the English’s great run. But The Three Lions’ resilience cancelled the prospect of succumbing to their first defeat in the campaign.
The match ended 2-1 in favor of England; Ukraine had to wait until match-day 9 before celebrating a vital 1-0 win in Kiev over the 1966 World Cup champions.
Before this loss though, England came on top of Kazakhstan and Andorra with easy 4-0 and 6-0 wins. These victories were followed by a thumping 5-1 triumph over Croatia which sealed England’s sweet revenge on the country that controversially prevented them from reaching the finals of the 2008 European Championship.
This 5-1 victory only just emphasized England’s greatness as they more than sealed their qualification into the 2010 World Cup tournament.
On October 14 last year, England wrapped up their 2010 World Cup qualification campaign with a 3-0 victory at home to Belarus which saw them bounce back from their sole defeat (against Ukraine) in the qualifiers.
England – 2010 FIFA World Cup group stages
The hard work and great results of The Three Lions during the past twelve months uplifted the country’s status in football matters. Consequently, England made it in Pot 1 as top seeds during the draws on December 4, 2009. They are now seen as the favorites in a group that contains the United States of America, Khartoum heroes Algeria, and surprise contenders Slovenia.
Match-day One: England vs United States
The Three Lions of England will kick off their 2010 World Cup campaign against the 2009 Confederations Cup runners-up, the United States of America. England will not attempt to underestimate their opponents as they know that the USA will certainly build on their 2009 Confederations Cup experiences.
If past statistics reveal that England have the upper hand in the overall head-to-head against the USA (7-2-0 record and 35-8 goals record), the same cannot be said in the World Cup tournament.
Both countries met only once in the World Cup with the USA surprisingly running away with a 1-0 victory. England manager Fabio Capello will therefore try to lead his team to nothing else but a win at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on June 12.
Match-day Two: England vs Algeria
The Cape Town Stadium will host England and Algeria on June 18, as Group C will go into match-day 2 of the 2010 World Cup competition. Many might perceive this clash as a David vs Goliath affair considering England’s size in terms of stars compared to Algeria’s lack of experience at the highest level.
However, The Three Lions of England would not want to make the mistake of underestimating their African adversaries. Instead they’ll be hoping to perform solidly and to hit six points en route to the last sixteen of the 2010 World Cup tournament.
Match-day Three: Slovenia vs England
Would this match be of any importance for England? Would it go down as a classic in Slovenia’s history of football?
As always, England will enter this match as clear favorites to dominate and win in the end. But, nothing should be taken away from Slovenia.
Unlike England, Slovenia had to undergo a play-off before qualifying for the finals of the 2010 World Cup tournament in South Africa. During their campaign, they saw off the likes of Slovakia, and 2006 World Cup finalists Poland, before thrashing out Russia in the play-off.
Fabio Capello might not need these facts to be repeated twice before he asks his men to go all out for a victory against Slovenia. Should England be already safe at that stage of the competition, their mentality will still not be affected by complacency. For manager Fabio Capello, consecutive victories keep the spirit high and alive.
As England intend to win the 2010 World Cup trophy in South Africa, they’ll make sure to create the right tempo from A to Z. Slovenia vs England is expected to be staged at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on June 23.
England – 2010 FIFA World Cup squad
Goalkeepers:
Robert Green; David James; Joe Hart
Defenders:
Stephen Warnock; Matthew Upson; John Terry; Glen Johnson; Rio Ferdinand (now ruled out through injury, has been replaced by Michael Dawson); Ledley King; Ashley Cole; Jamie Carragher
Midfielders:
Shaun Wright-Phillips; James Milner; Aaron Lennon; Frank Lampard; Steven Gerrard; Joe Cole; Michael Carrick; Gareth Barry
Forwards:
Wayne Rooney; Emile Heskey; Jermain Defoe; Peter Crouch
England – Expectations from the country and its top stars
After successfully battling their way out from the qualification stages to the finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, England are regarded among the favorites to win the tournament.
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In terms of cup glory, The Three Lions cannot compare themselves with Brazil, Italy, or even Germany. Their 1966 World Cup triumph gave England their only major title and only old people can remember this sweet and heroic moment marked by the influence of the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton which benefited from the suspiciously "plotted" injury crisis that hit the strongest teams from South America.
Since then, the English national soccer team has failed to raise the flag of their nation to the highest level.
In 1990, The Three Lions were inches away from tasting glory once again. However, two losses – in the semi-finals and in the Third place final – meant that England were left with nothing, not even bronze medals. The story was even worse in 1998 as they crashed out from the competition in the last sixteen. England then succumbed twice in a row in the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
These fates seemed to explain one thing: the English team lacked of organization and strength in depth to compete on the world stage against other great teams.
For the people in England, the country’s national team should always play to win games and titles although history doesn’t favor the squad too much. England’s frustration at underperforming at the highest level was so high (after the country’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008) that they felt it was time to take new measures.
Now as the most powerful nation in the United Kingdom, England have always shown a lot of pride at being British. This ideology had a great influence on the FA’s managerial choices after it decided to sack English manager Steve McClaren.
But after several speculations and debates, England finally appointed Italian-born and former Juventus and Real Madrid coach, Fabio Capello. There wasn’t much to celebrate initially as the players of the England team revealed their difficulty to adapt to the tactics and personality of Coach Fabio Capello.
But after months of togetherness, the Italian somehow mesmerized the country’s supporters by smoothly leading England all the way to South Africa. Considering England’s wonderful form over the past year and throughout the 2010 World Cup qualification campaign, the Three Lions are poised to impose themselves and reach at least the semi-finals of the tournament in South Africa. The truth is that many soccer analysts can already see them lifting the 2010 FIFA World Cup trophy on July 11.
However, England’s defeat in big friendly matches – like their 2-0 and 1-0 defeats against European champions Spain and Confederations Cup winners Brazil – have raised doubts over the country’s ability to face elites. Recently, the team also lacked of spark against Mexico and Japan despite emerging victorious.
Consequently, fans will be relying on the experience of Fabio Capello and on England’s top stars to unite and overcome any challenges.
Fabio Capello
At 63 years of age, Fabio Capello can boast of a multitude of collective awards as a club manager. His revolution of the English national soccer team should also be considered as an achievement.
The 2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award winner is regarded as one of the best managers in the world. In spite of all that though, his credibility is still questioned by some pro-British people due to his Italian origins.
However, Fabio Capello will stand the chance of imposing himself as an adored hero when he guides England throughout the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. According to previous reports, Fabio Capello’s task is to send The Three Lions into the semi-finals of the competition at least.
Wayne Rooney
The Manchester United number 10 is physically strong and aggressive and his presence in England’s national team was influential throughout the qualifiers. The most important thing for Rooney will be to perform at his best during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
His first World Cup tournament was overshadowed by two things: fitness worries and temper. In the quarter-finals during Germany 2006, Wayne Rooney’s struggle to control his emotions on the pitch saw him pick a red card in a sending off situation that will forever be remembered by English fans for Cristiano Ronaldo’s detested involvement.
This summer, Wayne Rooney will prefer to make the headlines for no other reason than heroic performances. Let's see how the reigning EPL player of the year may succeed Lionel Messi as the planet's best footballer.
Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard
In the English Premier League, Gerrard and Lampard are enemies as they play for Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
In the national team however, Fabio Capello would want to see them partner in unity as The Three Lions aim to march all the way from the group stages to the final podium of the 2010 World Cup tournament.
Both of them are considered to be among the world’s best midfielders and they’ll be eager to showcase their talent in the name of England when they play in South Africa.
Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard each have a different style of play and many might find it hard to pick one over the other in terms of which player is the best. There has always been some kind of competition between these two footballers, and perhaps even some bad blood flowing through if rumors are to be true.
But all these things will not matter during the World Cup. Whether enemies or buddies, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard will be instructed by coach Fabio Capello to do one thing: to rule the midfield. And certainly, with the captain's role to fulfil since the exclusion of Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard may prove why he has the right to be nicknamed 'Captain Planet'.
John Terry
Former England captain John Terry, who lost his armband after being involved in a publicized relationship scandal, once revealed that there wasn’t a day when he could live without being haunted by two things: Cristiano Ronaldo's wink at the Portuguese bench during Germany 2006, and his penalty miss against Manchester United in Moscow which cost Chelsea the 2008 UEFA Champions League trophy.
According to the defender, each day of his life has become a struggle since the penalty miss incident. In other words, the player is yet to find comfort and satisfaction in his professional life.
However, winning the prestigious World Cup trophy might erase all the pain in John Terry’s heart. But to achieve such a huge dream, hard work will be needed. As a result, John Terry is expected to play at his best throughout the competition as a defender. The public could watch out for him as he might then be voted among the tournament’s best players.
England – Relevant quote
England coach, Fabio Capello: “We have to win the World Cup!”
“Every opponent at the World Cup is going to be difficult. […] I know from experience as a player, that when you play here [at the FIFA World Cup] the pressure is different, the mentality is different…
“But, are we going to win the World Cup? We have to!”
England – FIFA World Cup record
The first time that England entered into a World Cup tournament was back in 1950 after the World War II. They couldn’t mark their first appearance with great memories but sixteen years later, they heroically lifted the trophy for the first time ever.
Until now, England’s 1966 World Cup triumph remains the country’s only cup success internationally.
Here is England’s FIFA World Cup record:
2010: Qualified
2006, 2002, 1986, 1970, 1962, 1954: Quarter-finals
1998: Round of 16
1990: Fourth place
1982: Group Round 2
1958, 1950: Round 1
Between June 11 and July 11, LiveSoccerTV.com will bring the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa at your fingertips. Just stick with this site as it covers the entire event which will include latest news, live feeds, video highlights and more on England’s national team, The Three Lions!
