Former England striker Emile Heskey believes the Three Lions’ performances will improve as the tournament goes on and remains confident they can still win the World Cup.
After the positivity that surrounded the opening win against Croatia, England have stuttered to a goalless draw with Ghana and an uninspiring 2-0 victory over Panama, casting doubts on their ability to land a first major trophy since 1966.
Thomas Tuchel’s side come up against DR Congo in the round of 32 tomorrow evening and while Heskey wasn’t willing to nail his colours to the mast, he does believe England’s attacking threat means they have a chance.
He told 101 Great Goals, via World Cup betting site 888sport: “From the games England have played so far, I wouldn’t necessarily say they will win the World Cup, but that’s not how major tournaments work. They will get better as the tournament progresses and they face tougher opponents.
“They can definitely improve their first-half performances. They let in a couple of goals in that first game against Croatia, and then failed to score in the first 45 minutes against either Ghana or Panama. But they’ve got more than enough firepower to go all the way.”
Playing a centre-half at right-back ‘not ideal’ for England – Heskey
Tuchel has received criticism for the make-up of his squad. Having already looked a little light in the full-back positions, he then opted to replace the injured Tino Livramento with Chelsea centre-half Trevoh Chalobah.
And with Reece James injured, Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah had to fill in at right-back against the Panamanians.
Heskey, who made 62 appearances for England from 1999 until 2010, said: “It’s definitely not ideal having centre-backs filling in at full-back. You have to remember though, we had Jamie Carragher in my time who was a centre-back who would often play at right-back, thinking back to the 2006 World Cup in particular.
“But tournament football is different to club football. Thomas Tuchel is not picking a team for a 38-game season, he’s looking at just five knockout games, and that’s a different conundrum. The main thing for Jarell Quansah, if he does start any of the knockout games at right-back, is that he has players around him who are helping ensure he is in the right position.
“Quansah got caught out a couple of times against Panama in one-on-one situations, but he needs help in those situations from his midfielders and his centre-back.”
Heskey defends England boss Tuchel over squad selection
One accusation levelled at Tuchel is that he placed too much emphasis on good character over playing ability when selecting his squad, Newcastle’s Dan Burn being the classic example, but Heskey says it is important to have a settled group at a long event.
“It’s 100% important that when you are at a major tournament you have good characters in the squad,” he said. “You are going to be away for a long period of time – if England reach the final, that will be six weeks from their first pre-tournament friendly.
“As an international player at a major tournament, you are in each other’s company 24/7. You need team-mates who can pick you up, that can make you laugh, that are going to keep you on the straight and narrow but also that will be honest when things are not going right. You need every type of player in your dressing room if you are going to be successful and ultimately get to where you want to be, which is to reach the final.”
Heskey backs England skipper Kane to come good
England captain Harry Kane has scored three goals so far but missed a great chance to win it late on against Ghana, firing over from six yards out.
Heskey says there should be no concerns around the Bayern Munich star, adding: “We already know everything we need to about Harry Kane – he’s a fantastic goalscorer. He knows where the back of the net is, and every chance that comes his way, there’s an expectation that he’ll score. The reason so many were surprised with the opportunity he missed late on against Ghana was because we’re so used to seeing him putting those chances away.
“As the tournament progresses, he’s going to have to see how games open up and where he can find space. That may be dropping back to take the ball of the midfielders, or spending more time in the box. But he’s a very clever player, he’ll figure that out himself.”
