Why Did England fail at the Qatar World Cup 2022?

Cover Image Credit: James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images.

England did indeed fail at this year's world cup held in Qatar. They showcased an enthralling run of form through the group stages despite having been poor in the run-up leading to the Qatar World Cup 2022. Two wins and a draw with a goal difference of +7 would have tipped England as one of the front-runners to go all the way in this prestigious competition. Their crop of players had the perfect mix of promising youngsters and players in their prime years. This certainly boosted England's chances of winning the world cup this time, having gone close in 2018 by reaching the semi-finals. However, this proved to not be the case as they would go crashing out to a depleted French squad.

Focusing on the quarter-final match itself, England did not disappoint in their display. The first half was a rather even game, slightly more in the favour of the French but the second half proved to be total English dominance. Of course, many would claim the poor refereeing display played a major role in the elimination of England but despite this England was awarded 2 pens which only one was converted from. Kane's reliability in big games has come under the microscope as it has become evident his performances certainly do deviate downwards in crucial knockout games whether it be for Spurs or England. It was highlighted again when he missed a penalty late in the game to possibly take the game to extra time. However, football is a team sport and other players also missed crucial chances, such as Maguire's free header. But these players cannot be blamed as they have shown in previous games that they are capable footballers for the national team especially Maguire, whose time at Manchester United in recent times has been poor but has redeemed himself in this year's Qatar World Cup.

The players are not hindering England's chances of winning a major trophy but rather the management. Many argue that Southgate has been one of England's most successful managers recently, reaching the semi-final in 2018, the final in 2021 and a quarter-final this year at the Qatar World Cup. While there has been an improvement in mentality and squad depth to call a trophyless run successful is the wrong statement. Yes, Southgate has certainly improved England's reputation at tournaments but his managerial prowess is not enough to win a major tournament. A manager who has experience in winning tournament football would certainly help England win a major tournament with this current crop of players whereas Southgate has proved to be a big-game 'bottler' in football terms.

Examples of his poor management became evident in the EURO 2020 final bringing on Rashford and Sancho just to take penalties. And the recent bore draws against the USA in the group stages of the Qatar World Cup 2022. Poor substitutions and team selection in that match showed England as the inferior side to the USA, with all due respect England should have won that game comfortably with the correct tactics. Then in the quarter-finals, taking off Bukayo Saka, who was the man of the match, certainly for England, and bringing on out-of-form Mount and a jet-lagged Sterling clearly highlights that Southgate has favourites which is a sign of unethical leadership. Marcus Rashford only got roughly 5 minutes in that quarter-final to save the match despite being one of England's best players at the tournament. James Maddison did not even get a kick at this world cup, despite being one of the best English players in the domestic seasons.

One of the main areas to highlight from these poor selections is the misuse of Marcus Rashford. Joint top scorer at the world-cup for England and only was allowed 5 minutes in a crucial quarter-final match against arguably the toughest opponents England would face leading up to the final. Rashford has been in red-hot form for both club and country as it was his goal to prove everyone wrong since his unfortunate miss in the EURO 2020 final. In the group stages, he clearly showed that he is a key player for England currently as well as for future tournaments with his directness, pace and finishing he is a deadly weapon to have. He is one of a kind winger that England possess and for his minutes to be limited despite putting in great individual performances were criminal. With Kane dropping deep and spraying through balls, Rashford was a perfect option to have on the wings as he is the only English winger who is a willing runner and with excellent off the ball-movement. And in the limited minutes he had, he clearly demonstrated he should be a starter for England. However, it was clear to see that Southgate's trust in the Man Utd forward was lacking ever since the EURO 2020 final despite his brilliant performances.

Overall, it is clear to see that England is not far off from winning a major trophy with the current set of players proving that they have enough abilities to win a tournament. However, I believe with better management and guidance behind them this will be possible and if Southgate is still at the helm it is difficult to see England winning a major tournament any time soon.