Road to Rio: England a World Cup contender?

Dignitaries from all over the world will gather in Brazil in early December for the FIFA World Cup draw as the field of teams is divided into groups for next summer’s festivities. As part of its “32 teams in 32 days” series, SPORTSNET.CA will profile each of the nations set to compete at Brazil, leading up the draw on Dec. 6.

What to say about England? It’s all a matter of perspective, really. Are they perpetual underachievers, or perpetually deluded about their chances? Are they consistent contenders, or anachronisms that refuse to accept the reality of their place in world soccer’s pecking order? Whatever you think of England, one thing’s for sure—no matter what the result of their Brazilian campaign, short of total victory a great many will see the whole thing as a bitter disappointment.

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How they got here: In a group that, while not exactly a Group of Death, certainly offered challenges, the English went undefeated through qualifying to finish top of the table, clear of second-place Ukraine by a single point. What will worry English fans is the team’s away form: aside from the gimme matches against minnows Moldova and San Marino, England drew all of their away games. Though England made up for it with their home form, dropping six points in three away matches against their legitimate rivals in the group left the door open much longer than they would have been comfortable with.

Key result: Montenegro held the lead in the group for a long period early in qualifying, and held England to a draw in their first meeting in Podgorica. By the time of the return match at Wembley on the second-last matchday, the English were on top but any stumble would hand top spot to Ukraine. The pressure was on, but England came through convincingly, building steam throughout the match and ending up deserved 4-1 winners carrying the momentum they needed to finish off the group.

Star player: Wayne Rooney has had his ups and downs for Manchester United in recent years, but his form for England has been unimpeachable. With a group-leading seven goals, the 28-year-old has carried the team on his back scoring England’s first or only goal of a match five times.

Player on the bubble: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has had what promised to be a breakthrough year put on hold by a knee injury that sustained in August, and from which he won’t return until at least December. But the winger/midfielder showed great promise for England, scoring twice in qualifying and—perhaps more importantly—netting a goal against Brazil in a friendly at the Maracana. If, upon his return, he can pick up where he left off he’ll have earned a spot in the roster. But there’s no telling what an extended injury break can do to a player’s form.

Team strengths: England may have one of the best blends of youth and experience in UEFA. They can balance the wisdom, level-headedness and composure of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard with the energetic fearlessness of young stars such as Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere. If Roy Hodgson can mix that cocktail well enough, the Three Lions could taste success.

What they need to work on: England is its own worst enemy. Regardless of their form in reaching the World Cup, upon arrival they seem perpetually destined to implode from the pressure. Finding a way to forget what’s going on away from the pitch and simply focus on playing their way is the great challenge that England has never been able to master.

World Cup history