Will Steven Gerrard and England crumble under weight of great expectations at World Cup?

By Kenneth Tan/Red Sports

Rejuvenated under new manager Fabio Capello, England look set for their strongest tilt at the World Cup in recent years.

The Three Lions have underachieved in the past decade as they have not gone further than the quarter-final stage in a major tournament since 1996. To rub salt into wound, they did not even qualify for the 2008 European Championship.

They are arguably the best supported international team on local shores because of the popularity of the English Premier League. Pubs, coffee shops and fast food outlets are often packed to the rafters whenever there is a match involving the so-called ‘Big Four’ teams of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Many of these same fans will keep their eyes on how England will fare in South Africa. Can England finally shrug off their ‘perennial underachievers’ tag? Or will they fail again in a penalty shootout?

Here’s a preview of England going into the World Cup that will kick off on Jun 11th.

World Cup Pedigree
Despite inventing the game of football, England have only won the World Cup once in their history — back in 1966. Singapore was barely a year old the last time they lifted the Jules Rimet trophy.

Qualification
With Fabio Capello at the helm, the English banished the nightmare of missing out on Euro 2008 by winning nine of their 10 qualifying group matches in style to book a ticket to South Africa.

The most notable highlight of their qualifying campaign was beating Croatia twice by huge scorelines — a 4-1 win in Zagreb and 5-1 thrashing back in Wembley. The two victories tasted even sweeter as Croatia played a huge part in England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008.

The Three Lions were in the same Euro 2008 qualifying group as Croatia and ended up losing both encounters — a 0-2 away loss and most crucially, a 2-3 home loss in their last game. That game also proved the downfall of former coach Steve McClaren.

Their only loss in their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign came away against Ukraine after they had already qualified for the finals.

Achievement in 2006 World Cup
The Three Lions made it as far as the quarter-final stage in the 2006 edition held in Germany.

Victories in their first two group games against Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago enabled early progress to the last 16.

They then drew 2-2 against bogey team Sweden in their last group game to finish top of their group. The match will be remembered for Joe Cole’s wonderful 30-yard volley into the top corner.

England scraped through to the quarter-finals via a superb David Beckham free kick that clinched a 1-0 win over Ecuador in the second round.

However, just like what happened in Euro 2004 against the same opponents, England succumbed to the dreaded penalty shootout. It ensued after a goalless stalemate in regulation time and they only managed to convert one out of four attempts to fall 1-3.

Captain
Plagued by injury all season, Rio Ferdinand has not gone into the World Cup with the best preparations. With age catching up on him and increasingly error-prone, the 30-year-old Manchester United centre back will need to rediscover his form to lead his country.

Coach
Having led teams like AS Roma, AC Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid to various domestic titles, the experienced Fabio Capello is no stranger to success.

Considering this is his first international appointment, the 63-year-old has done a great job in revitalising England with his no-nonsense Italian approach. Players like Peter Crouch admitted that that they were shocked with his strict training regime initially when he took over.

He could be hailed England’s ‘Messiah’ if he manages to bring them their second World Cup.

Players to Watch

Steven Gerrard — A box-to-box midfielder, the Liverpool skipper is a midfield maestro on his best with his surging runs from midfield and long-range piledrivers. However the 30-year-old is coming off a woeful season with his club which could affect his psychological state going into the World Cup.

Gerrard is quoted in media reports that he is “focused on the task at hand” and that this “could be my last chance to win the World Cup”. Perhaps that is the added motivation for Gerrard to show up and give England fans a treat this summer.

Wayne Rooney — Widely hailed as England’s biggest hope to win the World Cup, the current golden boy of English football is coming off an excellent season with his club Manchester United.

The past season has saw him finally maturing into a real centre forward with most of his 34 goals coming from inside the box. His improved heading ability is also a big asset.

If he replicates his club form in South Africa, England will have a high chance of winning the World Cup.

Adam Johnson — A natural left-footer, the 22-year-old could be England’s surprise weapon should he be selected for the final 23-man squad.

A move to Manchester City in January created the platform for him to impress Capello as his incisive dribbling and runs down the right flank created many goalscoring chances for his forwards.

Not expected to be in the starting 11, his abundant energy could prove a difference when he comes on as a late substitute.

Team Strengths
England are a much more resilient side nowadays with Fabio Capello at the helm.

Goals should not be a problem with Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard capable of scoring from midfield, and lethal finishers Wayne Rooney and Jermain Defoe playing upfront.

Team Weaknesses
A 100-percent fit Wayne Rooney could be the key to success. However, if he gets injured, England will sorely miss his presence with the bite he provides upfront.

The English media notoriously builds the team up but bring them tumbling down when they fail to succeed. Expect headlines like “This is our time” in the pre-tournament period to fill their papers to create unneeded pressure on the team.

The England players could be under massive pressure to perform at the World Cup.

Overall Squad Strength
The 30 players named in the preliminary squad all ply their trade in the English Premier League (EPL).

A total of 14 players hail from the top four clubs of last season while the rest play for clubs lower in league position.

First-choice goalkeeper David James is the only one who plays for a club that was relegated — Portsmouth.

Probable Starting 11
David James (GK), Glen Johnson, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Aaron Lennon, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe

1st Round Predictions
England are placed in Group C alongside United States, Algeria and Slovenia.

After such a successful qualifying campaign, fans expect nothing less than maximum points from these three games.

United States should provide the biggest threat in the first group game, but if they get past that hurdle, they should qualify for the last 16 with maximum points.

Ed’s note: Red Sports will be covering the World Cup daily and so join us each day to share your opinions about the night’s action.

2010 World Cup Fixtures, Groups, Results

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