Skip to main content

England versus Belgium: To win or not to win?

Moscow: To win or not to win? That is the question that England head coach Gareth Southgate and his Belgian counterpart Roberto Martinez are probably asking themselves right now as the draw for the next stages of the World Cup opens up ahead of them.

England and Belgium are already assured of a place in the last 16 of the World Cup after impressive wins over Tunisia and Panama. The European heavyweights will face each other in their final Group G game, with a tie against Senegal, Colombia or Japan waiting in the last 16, reports Xinhua news agency.

All three possible rivals present a difficult challenge, although not an insurmountable one, but if you look beyond the last 16 the panorama changes drastically. The way things stand the winners of Group G would (if they get through to the last 16) have a quarter-final against either Brazil or Germany, with Mexico or Switzerland awaiting the side that finishes second.

Both the Mexicans and the Swiss have impressed and the Germans and Brazilians are having disappointing World Cups by their high standards. That being said, England and Belgium would probably prefer a quarter-final against Mexico or Switzerland rather than the defending champions or the World Cup's most successful team.

"Everyone wants to look at a possible pathway," Martinez said on Monday, before adding, "I don't think as a professional you can go on a pitch not wanting to win."

Southgate echoed that sentiment. "I don't know how we would go into a game not wanting to win and play well, so I think that's dangerous territory if we start trying to plot and predict where we might end up," the England coach said.

"We want to win every game of football we go into," he added, reminding people not to get overconfident after their two opening wins. At Euro 2016 England thought they had a favourable draw in the last 16 but lost 2-1 to Iceland.

"We had a really favourable draw, we all thought, in the last tournament and it didn't work out that way... We just have to keep playing as well as we can, keep preparing the team the right way, keep the momentum," he concluded.

If the game between England and Belgium ends in a draw, fair play would decide which of the two ends up as the winner of the group.



via Sify.com https://ift.tt/2KqoDVR
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

India withdraw Smith protest as boards make peace in DRS row

India have withdrawn an official protest about the actions of Australia captain Steve Smith in the second test as the governing bodies of both countries moved to bring an end to the acrimony surrounding the ongoing four-match series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had earlier registered a complaint to the International Cricket Council (ICC) over Smith looking to the dressing room for guidance on whether to review an lbw decision during the Bengaluru match. Despite the hosts winning the test to level the series at 1-1 on Tuesday, India skipper Virat Kohli alleged the tourists had indulged in the practice throughout the match, sparking a war of words in the media and a robust response from Australia. The boards released a joint statement on Friday saying the chief executives of both bodies had met in Mumbai on Thursday and agreed to try and bring the focus "back to the game" ahead of next week's third test in Ranchi. "India has always cherished a c...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pogba is one of best players when in form: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Leeds [UK], Dec 7 (ANI): Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has praised midfielder Paul Pogba, saying that he is one of the best players in the world when he is in good touch. "Paul is going to play when he gets his fitness. He is one of the best players in the world when he's in form and we just need to give him time to be 100 per cent fit," Goal.com quoted Solskjaer as saying. Pogba has endured a frustrating 2019-20 campaign to date, having only managed five Premier League appearances in total due to a string of fitness issues. He is currently recovering from an ankle injury and last played for the club on September 30 against Arsenal. Solskjaer had said that the France international will be out of action till December. "It might be 45 minutes in the first game, it might be half an hour, it might be 90. It depends on what game he comes back in and I'm looking back to get Paul back to where I had him about a year ago," Solskjaer said. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Virat Kohli and co. leave for West Indies

The Virat Kohli led Indian team left for the West Indies for the four-Test series starting July 21st. The team was accompanied by its newly appointed head coach Anil Kumble and other support staff. The 16-member squad will play a tour game against the West Indies Cricket Board President's XI at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts on July 9 and 10. The journey begins. #TeamIndia leaves for the tour of West Indies. #WIvIND http://pic.twitter.com/ebK1jkoFiN -BCCI (@BCCI) July 5, 2016 That will be followed by a three-day warm-up fixture at the same venue from July 14 to 16. The first Test match will be held at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua from July 21 to 25. The other three Test matches will be held at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica (Jul 30-Aug 3), Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia (Aug 9-13) and Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad (Aug 18-22). When India last toured West Indies in 2011, the visitors won the series 1-0....
Post a Comment
Read more