England to make shock World Cup Group stage exit

England football has had a rollercoaster ride in terms of results over the past few years. Whether it’s being hammered by Hungary or reaching a EURO’s final. It is never clear what you’re going to get from Southgate’s unpredictable lions. The World Cup in Qatar is an opportunity for them to silence the critics, but whether they can do so, is a matter of uncertainty.

England has a good squad on paper, perhaps one of the most formidable ones in the tournament, comprised of high-quality Premier League stars. Nevertheless, I expect numerous factors to dampen their prospects of succeeding in Qatar.

England Recent form

The last time England won a game of football was at the end of March in a 3-0 win over Ivory Coast. Since then, England has failed to beat Hungary twice, Germany twice and Italy twice. Most will say that the previous form is nothing to be concerned about heading into a tournament. This is usually true, but with England, the problem lies deeper. There’s no excuse for an England side filled with stars from supposedly the best league in the world to go 6 games without a win against 2 sides who haven’t even qualified for the World Cup. What’s more amusing is that England remains the 5^thranked side in the World. Strange. It’s true that they did well during the Euro’s and reaching a final is no mean feat. However, as the host nation, it is arguable that they should have gone on to win it and perhaps underachieved. Cast your minds back to the 2018 World Cup. Reaching a Semi-Final is again, a great achievement. Yet with the ‘easy’ fixtures they had compared to other nations, they should have done better. Ultimately, England’s form is worrying to say the least and I truly expect them to continue the dire run of form through this tournament.

Incompetent manager

This leads on to a more pressing matter. Gareth Southgate has been lauded far too easily during his tenure at the slightest hint of success. This is counterproductive. Southgate has stars at his disposal, yet one would think he’s managing a Sunday league side with the uncertainty and worry of England fans heading into this World Cup.

Southgate has yet to find the perfect system for this group of England players. Southgate has utilized a 3-4-3, 4-3-3, and 4-2-3-1 since the win against Ivory Coast in March. It is evident that he’s still unable to settle on a system and on the verge of a World Cup, that seems rather worrying. For a manager who was appointed in 2016, Southgate is still yet to instill an identity into the way they plays football. The focus on ensuring England is defensively compact, which worked wonders in England’s 4-0 defeat by Hungary, has limited the impact of England’s truly quality forwards. The side has an abundance of attacking talent that performs to a high level in the league but has nothing to show for it when the lions come calling.

World Cup Predictions

England to go out in the group stages. The same issues have been facing will remain. I imagine their best chance of a result against Iran but will face issues against Wales and USA.

England 1-1 Iran

England 1-1 USA

England 0-1 Wales