This hasn’t been the prettiest World Cup run for Thomas Tuchel. In his first appearance as manager of England, the Three Lions have shown flashes of why many picked them to win the World Cup, while they’ve battled through multiple low points.
After trailing the DR Congo 1-0 for most of the first round of the knockout stages, doubts began to set in for England. Yes, captain Harry Kane was able to play the hero to keep them alive, but having to travel to the Estadio Azteca to face a Mexico squad that had only lost there three times ever would pose new challenges.
Jude Bellingham’s two goals and another from Kane got them by Mexico with minimal struggles, but a matchup with Erling Haaland and Norway would be the toughest test yet for England.
And it was England’s toughest fight. Norway has some world-class talent. Martin Odegaard and Haaland would likely be a part of most starting XI’s across the globe; however, they were severely lacking in talent compared to an England squad full of the best in the world.
Even Tuchel himself was disappointed in the gritty win for England. He said they played “sloppy” and were “lucky” to move to the semi-finals. But isn’t this exactly what England has been looking to find for so long?
Too many times we’ve seen different iterations of the England squad outclassed by far less talented countries, but they’ve truly embodied a “survive and advance” mantra this time around. Also, despite the poor performance, they managed to do something no other team had done in the World Cup. They truly shut down Haaland.
He had only one shot on target and no goals, something no other squad had managed. Not only that, but Ivory Coast was the only nation to hold him to a single goal, so England’s defense should be given more credit for holding strong on their back line.
Truthfully, it has been a fairly easy bracket stage for England.
DR Congo: World #41
Mexico: World #10
Norway: World #19
Each round, the media has spun a new narrative as to why this road has been so challenging for England, and I’m just not sure that’s the case. Facing Mexico in the round of 16 was challenging, yet they played their best game of the World Cup in that moment.
They’re going to have to do that again, as the World Cup truly starts in the semi-finals against Argentina. Our four remaining teams had the five best odds to win the World Cup before the tournament started. If England can get past the defending champs and pull off an upset versus France or Spain, nobody will remember how easy their early tournament run was.
With that being said, I still believe France at +140 is the best bet left in the World Cup. They had the best attacking third on paper, and they’ve lived up to the hype and more; that’s why I still think there’s some value on France.
