England aren't terrible at football then, according to Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland - The Warm-Up
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ByEurosport
Published 16/11/2022 at 08:27 GMT
Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland have talked up England’s chances at the World Cup. This comes despite England's decidedly patchy form since the Euros. Perhaps the Three Lions are still actually quite good. Elsewhere, the Lionesses were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-women Norway but that might not be a bad thing, and Antony has detailed the upbringing that moulded him into the footballer he is today.
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WEDNESDAY’S BIG STORIES
England backed to have a strong World Cup
Gareth Southgate had a fairly lengthy honeymoon period as England boss. However, it would be fair to say that came to a shuddering halt at the back end of England's Nations League campaign when - on their way to getting relegated - they were walloped 4-0 by Hungary.
In a group that also consisted of Italy and Germany, the Three Lions finished with a record of played six, drew three, lost three, scored four and conceded 10. It was a campaign about as good as a Tony Adams Cha Cha Cha.
It piled misery, pressure or whatever your tabloid weapon of choice may be on Southgate. And yet, the boos and the hand-wringing ignored the context. A number of major European teams were on an awful run of form in that same period after scheduling forced their players into a near two years of constant football.
England were knackered. And Southgate was not to blame.
Yet - at home at least - it seems they have been written off, dismissed as the same old England. However, it appears that viewed from a distance - say, through the eyes of Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland - England are still a force to be reckoned with.
Here is what Haaland said: “I think the favourites should be Brazil, Argentina, France and maybe England. I cannot only say one, because there are so many good teams, so yeah, these four."
Here is what Messi said: "Whenever we talk about candidates, we always talk about the same teams. If I have to put some above others I think Brazil, France and England are a little bit above the rest. But the World Cup is so difficult and so complicated that anything can happen."
Now, of course, the easy counter to England being backed is, well, these players will again be knackered as they have played an inordinate number of games in the build-up. While this does hold to an extent, it also ignores the fact this is a World Cup and not - sorry UEFA - a collection of glorified friendlies. And thus, the same rules do not really apply - the buzz, hype and general energy of a World Cup will serve as a potent riposte to tiredness.
England have had a bit of a patchy run since the Euros but they are undoubtedly one of the favourites for this World Cup.
Lionesses in draw shock
Sarina Wiegman's England team drew 1-1 with the 10-women of Norway on Tuesday. It means that the Lionesses have not lost in the 26 games since Wiegman took charge.
Still, it was a reality check. But reality checks are no bad thing for the Lionesses, especially in what is technically a World Cup year.
Of course, winning is better, and you could argue the momentum from England's Euros triumph helped them lay down a marker when beating USA last month, but last night was a reminder that they are not the finished article, having failed to beat a Norway side reduced to 10 players.
It was a harsh lesson in particular for Ellie Roebuck, who was hoping to impress when taking the gloves ahead of Mary Earps, but instead made a crucial error that allowed Norway to draw the game.
Yet, Wiegman was still delighted.
"This week three players made their debuts, lots of players have made minutes now. We take a lot from this and the overall year," she said.
"You hope for things but this is really incredible."
The Boy From Hell
Antony is the latest player to tell their story in the Players' Tribune.
The Manchester United player opens by telling readers that he was born in hell. Or, more accurately, the favela he grew up in in São Paulo is called 'Inferninho', or Little Hell.
The 22-year-old then details how his life there moulded him, and that "you cannot be scared of anything in football" after his experiences. Antony details how he jumped "over dead bodies just to make it to school" and that when he scored against Corinthians in the Paulista Final for Sao Paulo in 2019 - his side would lose 2-1 - he returned to the favela. Three years later he is playing in the Premier League, and set to play in his first World Cup - it is a remarkable story.
Thinking back to 2018, the year in which he made his debut for Sao Paulo, he said the following:
"I was so skinny, but I always played with 'blood in my eyes'. This is the kind of intensity that comes from the streets. You cannot fake it. People think I am lying when I tell them this, but even after I made my professional debut for Sao Paulo, I was still living in the favela. No, no — this is the truth — at 18, I was still sleeping in the bed with my dad. It was either that or the couch! We had no other choice."
In other news
Marcelo Bielsa loves graft. Loves it. The former Leeds United coach was invited to assess the Polish national team by the Association of Polish coaches. 'El Loco' did it with relish according to reports, watching the last 50 - YES 50 - of Poland's matches before delivering his presentation.
Current Polish manager Czesław Michniewicz was there. Poland are in Argentina's Group C - alongside Mexico and Saudi Arabia - at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Hat-tip
The Warm-Up does not mean to be a braggart here, but, well, Eurosport's World at their Feet series, is #greatcontent. The series profiles a number of elite footballers who will be appearing at the World Cup. We discuss their careers and experiences at the Olympic Games. Here is what Tottenham player Richarlison said about team-mate Neymar.
"He's someone I admire a lot, a real idol for me. On the pitch, it's wonderful to play with him. I admire him so much. Whether you like it or not, Neymar is an ace, a standout player, so we do everything to make him feel good."
The following players have - or will - be profiled in the series:
- Sardar Azmoun
- Alexis Mac Allister
- Kaoru Mitoma
- Chris Wood
- Imran Louza
- Matthias Ginter
- David Raum
- Cheikhou Kouyate
- Unai Simon
- Jan Bednarek
Retro corner
We could get lost in the old Nike, Pepsi and adidas adverts for a good few hours, but is this the best of the lot?
From 1998, it’s certainly up there.
Coming up
So you’ve got a fair few friendlies today ahead of the World Cup. Croatia, Argentina, Germany, Mexico and Poland are the Qatar 2022 teams in action. Italy also play. And Scotland.
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To celebrate the 2022 World Cup, we have launched our new bracket game, where you can give your predictions, challenge friends and create mini-leagues.
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