England Expects: Can Sven and his men deliver? :: Wessex Scene Online

England Expects: Can Sven and his men deliver?

6th June 2006
Richard Clare

Rate this story

Jun 06 - Another Poor Showing From English Football?
May 06 - What women want (from a football tournament!)
Oct 07 - EuroHockey 2007
Mar 07 - POWER to the people
Feb 07 - “Ronaldinho is rubbish!”

More by Richard Clare

Dec 05 - Busy days for SUSU RAG
Nov 05 - RAG raid takes Guildford by storm
Nov 05 - Kendo Club destroys the enemy, finds peace
Nov 05 - Freshers fair?
Nov 05 - Promotion is key for Saints’ manager, Harry Redknapp

Before the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico, Bobby Moore was falsely arrested in Colombia for the suspected theft of an emerald bracelet. If an attempt was made to blame an England player for theft ahead of this summer’s World Cup, it would be more believable to suspect them of pilfering ‘pick n’ mix’ such is the young age of Eriksson’s squad, although many see the injury of one of England’s young stars, Wayne Rooney, as having already robbed the country of a great chance of lifting this summer’s prestigious trophy.

Back in December, England were drawn in Group B along with Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, and Sweden. The first opponents will be Paraguay in the summer climate of Frankfurt on 10 June. Like England, this is the third time that Paraguay have qualified for this illustrious competition. The three lions will have to be wary of Paraguayan star striker Roque Santa Cruz, who is winning an injury battle to be fit in time for the finals. The South-Americans come to the competition ranked 33rd in the world and it is their attacking capabilities that may be a cause of some concern for Sven.

Dwight Yorke’s Trinidad and Tobago will record their first World Cup finals appearance this summer, and they can look forward to an encounter with England in Nuremberg on 15 June. They are the smallest nation to compete and will likely be happy to gain a single point from the tournament. Dwight Yorke and Stern John provide the only real opposition worthy of any note with the squad consisting of players from a low-level. However, there will surely be a carnival atmosphere wherever their travelling support ventures, as their fans savour the moment.

England’s bogey side and Sven’s home nation, Sweden, provide the third and final test of the group stage on 20 June. They are captained by Aston Villa’s defender Olof Mellberg, but it is going forward that Sweden look the strongest. Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Juventus and Barcelona’s Henrik Larsson provide goals upfront, while Arsenal’s Freddie Ljungberg hardly needs a map to find the net himself.

Sven-Goran Eriksson transformed from predictable manager to gambler when announcing the 23-man-squad that will make the journey to this summer’s World Cup in Germany, with 17-year-old former Southampton striker Theo Walcott’s inclusion in the squad surprising many, not least Wallcott himself.

Fingers remain crossed that Wayne Rooney will recover in time to play some part in England’s campaign, although the belief must be instilled in the players that a Rooney-less England squad still possesses the qualities it takes to be world champions.

By and large, the magic of the World Cup is its ability to arouse patriotism in England. St. George’s Day may pass by unnoticed but the World Cup is scrutinised with hopeful patriotic eyes. So for the competition’s duration, let us enjoy an England awash with St. George’s flags, dig out those classical football songs and tunelessly sing along, as we get behind the players and for one more time we say: England expects.