Nice guy Southgate ruins the glorious chance to beat Brazil at the World Cup
Happy days. England will play Colombia in the first World Cup knockout phase. Had Gareth Southgate’s team beaten Belgium and not lost 1-0, having put in a performance devoid of verve and cohesion, England would be playing Japan, who are not as good as the South Americans and only progressed because they behaved better than Senegal. But this is great news because after England have seen off the Colombians, it’s easy street all the way to the final. That’s Colombia who reached the quarter-final last World Cup and are, according to FIFA, the world’s 16th best team. England are ranked 12th. Belgium are 3rd. What a chance, indeed, to defeat a team tanked so high.
We win!
England’s first XI will take on Colombia at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow. They will will win, of course, and play an ‘easier’ team in the next round. We won’t again watch the same England side that lost to Belgium, a match in with Southgate made 8 changes from their previous game (Belgium made 9) and cemented his reputation as a nice bloke. Everyone gets a game with Gareth. Sure the team lost the momentum it gained from victories over Tunisia and Panama (a side ranked higher than Japan) but everyone on the plane gets a memory of a good day out.
And the even better bit is that England get to avoid a thrilling, electrifying, nation-binding quarter-final with Brazil, a side that don’t look all that good. And instead of all that excitement and the chance – the glorious chance – to defeat the mighty Brazil at the World Cup, England lose to Belgium and set up a quarter-final with Sweden or Switzerland. After then it’s the ‘easier’ semi-final with any one of Russia, Denmark, Croatia or – gulp! – Spain. What can go wrong?
Meanwhile, those Belgian muppets get Brazil in the quarter-finals, a game they have a cracking chance of winning, before a semi-final with any one of France, Argentina, Uruguay and Portugal. Belgian should fear no-one. England, well, best of luck with Spain, the best side in this year’s Cup…
Posted: 29th, June 2018 | In: News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
