The English would always pride themselves as the founder of the beautiful game, but ironically their only success at the round leather game at the biggest stage was their 1966 controversial victory on home soil.
However, since the kickoff of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Three Lions have started dreaming again, and with a mission-bring football back home.
Therefore, against Sweden at the Samara Arena today, England will continue in their mission to bring football home.
Gareth Southgate’s men have reached this stage of the competition for the first time since 2006, having overcome Colombia in their first ever World Cup penalty shootout victory.
The two teams have known each other well over the years and yet neither of them have figured out a way to consistently beat the other.
Part of what has made Southgate a likeable figure among England’s football fans has been his measured calm when he talks to the press. He has come across as eloquent, confident in his approach and a no-nonsense guy.
Take for instance, his post-match interview to the British broadcaster after a nerve-wracking penalty shootout against Colombia. You would have forgiven him, even encouraged him, to be a little giddy with excitement. History was made. England don’t win World Cup penalty shootouts. But on Tuesday night, they did.
Southgate however, seemed content, but never flustered. And what stood out the most was his response when he was thrown the obvious bait. Is England now delighted to be in a quarter-final facing Sweden when the whole world expected – if at all the Three Lions made it this far – to be faced up against Germany or Brazil?
This is the classic banana-peel question. There’s no perfect answer for this. But even at the moment, Southgate, without a moment of hesitation, pointed out England’s record against Sweden is not all that great. This is a team that England have historically struggled against. If the interviewer wanted a sensational answer, Southgate put that thought to bed with a near-perfect retort. If an “easy†opponent is what England were after, then there is a disappointment in store.
Sweden and England have met 23 times overall, with both teams winning seven matches and nine ending in draws. Interestingly, of those 23 matches, two have been in the Euros group stages and two in the World Cup group stages – at the Euros, England and Sweden have one win each (both by a solitary goal margin) while both games at the World Cup were draws (1-1 in 2002 and 2-2 in 2006). It’s fair to say the two teams have known each other well over the years and yet neither of them have figured out a way to consistently beat the other.
But this is the first time the teams are meeting in a knockout setting at a major competition. This is unexpected territory for both teams, arguably. While England’s presence in the last eight was, marginally, more predictable, hardly anyone thought Sweden would top a group that had Mexico and Germany in it and make the quarterfinals by beating Switzerland. These are two teams familiar with each other but when they take the field on Saturday in Samara, not much else will be.
For instance, the last time these two sides met in 2012, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored all four goals for Sweden in a 4-2 win but Zlatan is not around anymore. This is a Sweden team that got through the business end of the qualifying campaign without their talisman, adjusting to a new way of life. While the Swedes have always been known for their organistation and discipline, there was an X-factor up top who could make the difference. For years, it was Henrik Larsson, and then Zlatan took over. But they didn’t come to Russia 2018 with the help of a talisman. They came to the World Cup, riding on one sturdy defensive display after another, culminating in a 180-minute masterpiece to keep the Italians at bay.
And just as they have shown through the duration of this World Cup, they won’t be hard to break down. Just ask Germany, who needed the most precise free-kick you are ever likely to see by Toni Kroos in the 94th minute to grab a winner. Just ask Mexico, who were stunned 3-0 and left hanging on for dear life, hoping South Korea pull off one of the greatest upsets to ensure qualification. Just ask Switzerland, who huffed and puffed but could blow the house down.
So far in this tournament, England have had it easy only against Panama. Against Tunisia, they were expected to dominate but breaking the African team down proved tough – they had to rely on set-pieces and Harry Kane. Against Colombia, who preferred to employ the dark arts over their South American flavour, it was again similar. Although in the latter distance, England were guilty of retreating into their shell, trying to settle for a 1-0 win.
Does England have enough creativity to break down sturdy defensive setups? On the basis of what we have seen so far, not really.
And that’s where the Three Lions’ forward line has to step up. It won’t be just about Harry Kane. The Golden Boot favourite will need the service from Raheem Sterling and Jesse Lingard and (if he starts) Dele Alli. While the trio have shown great energy going forward, the end product has been lacking.
But, perhaps, for the first time at Russia 2018, there is real pressure on this team to deliver. Goodwill and cautious optimism have carried them this far, but now it’s not just Sweden that’s a familiar foe that awaits them in the quarter-finals: there are expectations. Expectations of a place in the World Cup semi-final and beyond. And that, Southgate would do well to point out, is England’s oldest and deadliest enemy.
Meanwhile, John Stones is continuing to dream of World Cup glory but knows Sweden presents a formidable challenge.
After disappointing showings in the past two editions in South Africa and Brazil, England’s progress to the quarterfinals has whipped the nation into a frenzy of optimism and fantasy.
Stones, who impressed at the heart of defense against Colombia, is daring to dream but is wary of a supremely well-drilled Sweden side.
“I’ve said it from the start. I’d love to win the World Cup. I’ve dreamt about it,” he said at a news conference. “That’s what we want to do. We’ve come here to try and win it.
“I’d love to win a World Cup, England would love to win a World Cup. It’s been a long time since we last won it. We want to make people proud back home, proud of the England team.
“We’re one step closer to doing that but we still know that we’ve got games ahead of us. We should be solely focused on this Sweden game, one step at a time and take it from there.
“There are no easy games. I think if you say it’s an easy game in a quarterfinal of a World Cup then you are pretty stupid to say that. They’ve got a lot of quality.
“We show them the respect we do to every team, there are still a few days until the game but we do our research on them. Make sure we take advantage of every opportunity and see where it takes us.”
