MY ACCOUNT
Rob Green believes England are well placed to lift the World Cup — despite their miserable Nations League form.
The Three Lions kick off their campaign against Iran on Monday looking to erase the disappointment of being knocked out in the semi-finals four years ago and the heartache of losing the Euro 2020 final.
Hopes of Gareth Southgate’s men going all the way in Qatar have been dampened by a winless run of six games, which saw them relegated from the top tier of the Nations League.
But while preparations have been far from ideal, former England keeper Green is confident the blend of youth and experience in Southgate’s squad means they are capable of competing for the top prize once again.
Speaking exclusively to LiveScore, he said: “If you’d asked me before the Nations League games, I’d have said this is the one to go for.
“I feel we’re reaching a point with this team where it’s now or never. It’s one of the more established sides with caps and in terms of age. You’re looking at players who may not make another World Cup or Euros.
“They need to find form. They need to find that way of bringing that energy and element of control to games.
“The recent games have been a setback because they brought more questions than answers. We kind of had a team where you could pretty much name it.
“Now we’ve got a couple of players who’ve been injured and are coming back and you’re relying on them to hit the ground running and to stay fit. There’s still some quesiton marks in there.
“You’re looking to get to at least the quarter-finals. But it’s such a strange tournament in that no one really knows how it’s going to play out.
“The vast quantity of games, how that’s going to affect the players. We’ve got four games a day in the group stage.
“But we’ve got a squad who know what they’re doing, they know the ropes with this manager. They know how to play under him.
“They’ve got a week or so to suss it out, to get back into it. It might not be a fluid performance against Iran.
“They’re going to be tough opposition and it might be that bit of experience that gets England through it.”
Release the shackles
Despite leading England to two of their three best performances since 1966 in his two major tournaments to date, Southgate has not been short of critics during his time in the hotseat.
His defensive style — despite the star-studded attacking talent at his disposal — is a particular criticism levelled at the former Three Lions defender.
While Green feels that conservative approach has served them well, he still believes Southgate’s men can learn from twice falling just short in the last four years.
He added: “It’s about playing without fear. The two games where England have been knocked out [in the last two tournaments], that’s where the element of fear has crept in.
“That was the story against both Croatia [in the 2018 World Cup semi-final] and Italy [in the Euro 2020 final].
“We saw it when we played without fear we could take them to the cleaners. That first 10 minutes, Italy didn’t know what to do, but we stopped playing like that.
“If they can reproduce what they were doing in those moments for the whole of games, I think that’s the next step.
“There are times when you can do that and release the shackles.
“We’ve got that three at the back, you’ve got that extra bit of cover, so why not? You’ve got a centre-half stepping in to protect you, so why not have a go?”
Strength between the sticks
With question marks in a number of areas before Southgate announced his 26-man squad, selecting his three goalies seemed an easy decision.
Everton stopper Jordan Pickford, 28, is expected to be first choice after performing well at previous tournaments, while Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale have both impressed at Newcastle and Arsenal respectively.
On England’s depth between the sticks, Green said: “Yes, it’s settled. Jordan’s going to play, Gareth likes him.
“When you break from deep, he allows you to do that with his distribution. He’s always enjoyed playing for England.
“Even when he wasn’t in a settled Everton team, he’s enjoyed coming to the England team and always looked assured.
“You’d say that’s the one position where you’ve got your No1, No2 and No3 decided. Everyone is in form. Everyone knows where they are.
“As a manager, you want 10 problems, not 11. They’ve certainly not got a problem there.”
Rob Green will join BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds for their coverage of every World Cup game. You can also watch the World Cup on the BBC across TV, iPlayer and the BBC Sport app.
