We all need to calm down a little when it comes to the reaction to England’s goalless draw with Ghana. I’ve been there, I’ve lived it, and one game this early in the World Cup changes nothing.
I woke up to a lot of negativity on Wednesday, but I really think we need a bit of perspective here.
Was it a brilliant performance? No. Was it disappointing? Of course. But some of the fallout would have you believe England’s challenge has fallen apart overnight. Having played in three World Cups, I can tell you that tournaments simply don’t work like that.
The biggest mistake supporters and pundits make is assuming every game should follow the same script. You see England score four goals against Croatia and then expect another four against Ghana. Football doesn’t work that way, especially at major tournaments.
In 2002, we drew our opening game against Sweden and everyone was flat. A few days later we beat Argentina and suddenly people were talking about winning the World Cup. Then we drew 0-0 with Nigeria and the doom merchants returned. In 1998, we lost to Romania in the group stage and people questioned everything. Then we beat Colombia.
Even at the last World Cup, Argentina lost their opening match against Saudi Arabia in Qatar and went on to lift the trophy. That’s why I struggle with some of the backlash after one frustrating game.
England were held by Ghana but some of the backlash has been over the top
The reality is that Ghana came to defend. They put bodies behind the ball and sat deep. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective. People underestimate how difficult those games can be – but they are not really where World Cups are won and lost.
Those deciding games, against better opposition, are entirely different. You need to look at this type of match in isolation. At the end, we were also only one Harry Kane shot away from it being a 1-0 win and everyone praising England for their patience.
Instead, too many want to suddenly rewrite their opinion of the team. As a player, that’s not how your mind works. One thing elite footballers are very good at is compartmentalising performances. You have to be. I could do that with missed chances, entire matches, bad results. Put it in a box and leave it there, gone. If every disappointing result sent you spiralling into self-doubt, you wouldn’t survive at the highest level.
Trust me, the players will not be sitting in their hotel rooms thinking, “Oh, I’m the worst player and we’re the worst team”. They’ll be reminding themselves they scored four goals in their previous game. They’ll be reminding themselves they have world-class attackers. They’ll be reminding themselves they already have four points from two matches. And so they should. This is a perfectly healthy position to be in. In fact, if somebody had offered England this before the tournament started – this is a harder group than most – then I think you would have accepted it.
There’s also another reason I think the reaction is over the top. This 48-team format is incredibly forgiving. The days when one poor result could send a major nation home are gone. England are virtually through already. If anything, now was the time to have an off-day.
I’ve joked throughout this tournament that you could almost go to sleep for three weeks and wake up when the knockout rounds begin, because that’s when the real competition starts. The group stage is important, of course, but it’s more about building rhythm, managing fitness, rotating players and finding momentum.
That’s why I can’t get too worked up about team selection, either. I’ve heard endless debate about who should start. This World Cup will be won by a team who use their substitutes best. In these conditions, fresh legs matter enormously, especially against tired defenders. The idea that one selection decision suddenly transforms England is nonsense.
But that noise will exist and we’ll hear it over the coming days, be it Marcus Rashford for Anthony Gordon or Bukayo Saka for Noni Madueke. There will be criticism of individuals, too. How do you deal with that as a player and as a team?
We’re not here yet, far from it, but a dressing room starts telling itself that outsiders don’t understand, that it’s them against the world. You develop a siege mentality. For now, though, I don’t think that’s necessary.
It was only last week the players were singing Wonderwall in front of the fans, and they probably will be again at the weekend after beating Panama. I like that – feed off it, enjoy it.
But Thomas Tuchel will have delivered a very simple message after Ghana – four points, clean sheet, top of the group, job nearly done. Inside the camp, I suspect there was a lot more positivity than there has been on the outside.
Jude Bellingham and Co will still be fully confident of topping their group
That’s often the case in tournaments. The outside world lives emotionally from game to game, but players and managers have to take a longer-term view.
I do think the substitutions could have come earlier against Ghana, and that is something to learn from. But England weren’t outplayed. They controlled the game for the most part.
They remain one of the strongest squads in the competition and are more than capable of going deep in this World Cup. We shouldn’t lose sight of what is possible after one sticky afternoon.
NEGATIVITY FUELS RONALDO
I wrote in Saturday’s column that it was ridiculous to write off Cristiano Ronaldo after he failed to score in the opening game.
In fact, I said he would go out and score a hat-trick against Uzbekistan in response. Well, I was wrong, he only scored two!
But we saw what he is all about and we will do again. Ronaldo will be motivated by the negativity, and that’s a positive for Portugal.
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