England are included in Group B in the group stage of the World Cup, with the first match against Iran on November 21 at 9pm Beijing time, followed by the United States and Wales. England, led by Southgate, is still the backbone of last year's European Championship runners-up, and the squad includes Kane, Sterling and Maguire. England are among the favourites to win this World Cup, and if they break through in the group stage, they will meet Group A teams in the round of 16.
Analysis of the situation in England's group stage:
In terms of world rankings, England are in Group B the strongest and closest, with all four teams in the top 20. Seeded England are ranked 5th in the world, followed by the United States at 16th, Wales at 19 and Iran at 20th. Therefore, England also played a tough battle in the group stage.
In terms of cards, although Iran is the weakest opponent in the same group, it is also the first brother in Asia. Iran have won 8 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat in the Asian Round of 12, scoring 15 goals and conceding 4 goals in 10 games to qualify for the World Cup in first place. Iran was rude in the group stage of the last World Cup, winning Morocco 1-0, Spain 0-1 and Portugal 1-1; In the group stage of the 2014 World Cup, they played 0-0 against Nigeria, even against Argentina and lost 0-1. It is believed that Iran will be a hard bone, and it will be a hard battle for England, which may draw or win by one goal.
England's second match was against the United States, where the two teams met four times since the turn of the millennium, with England winning three and drawing one, but in the 2010 World Cup group stage, England played 1-1 with the United States. The United States qualified for the World Cup in third place in Central and North America after 14 wins, 7 wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats in the final round of the World Qualifiers. The United States have been weak and have not scored in the two warm-up games in September, believing England can win with their track record.
In the third group stage, England and Wales staged the English derby. England have an overwhelming advantage over Wales, winning all six meetings since the turn of the millennium and winning 3-0 in their most recent friendlies. Wales qualified through the play-offs and have recently been as sluggish as England in the Nations League. On the cards, Bale's old age has greatly reduced his power, and most of the Welsh players have settled in the English league, especially the English B team. Therefore, it is optimistic that England can win.
England routing considerations:
England are in Group B and if they advance first, they will be placed second in Group A; If the second place advances, the opponent in the round of 16 will be the first place in Group A. In Group A, the Netherlands are the only ones to take the first place, and if England finish second in Group B, they have a good chance of beating the Netherlands in the last 16. If England advance to the top place in Group B, it is believed that the opponents will be Senegal, Ecuador or Qatar, all of which are inferior to England.
England update:
England have been in a slump recently, with six Nations League games from June to September without a single win, only three draws and three defeats, finishing at the bottom of the group and relegating in the coming edition. In two games in September, England lost 1-0 to Italy and 3-3 to Germany.
England World Cup record:
England were champions in 1966, and the closest they came to a trophy was in 1990 and the previous edition, reaching the last four. After expanding to 32 teams in the World Cup, England have successfully reached the knockout stages in five of the last six tournaments, with only the 2014 group stage exit, two round of 16 (1998, 2010), two round of eight (2002, 2006) and one (2018).
England manager introduction:
England manager Gareth Southgate, 52, took over in 2016 and has led the team for six years and has led the team to good results in recent years. In 2018, he led the British team to the World Cup finish, won the third place in the UEFA Nations League in 2019, and finished runners-up at last year's European Championship. Southgate was also an England international as a player, playing as a defender and played in the 1998 World Cup.
England "Spotlight" stars:
England's top star is undoubtedly centre-forward Kane, who is in his 29-year-old and has scored 51 goals in 75 international appearances, while in the last World Cup, he scored six goals to become a World Cup sharpshooter. Kane is very versatile, with a good level of overhead kicks, a strong sense of smell in front of goal, and in recent years he has also been good at dragging the ball back. Kane's play will certainly have a direct impact on England's fortunes in this World Cup.
Introduction to England's formation:
Under Gareth Southgate, England used two formations, 4-2-3-1 and 3-4-2-1. Regardless of the formation used, it is believed that Jordan Pickford is England's top goalkeeper, Nick Pope is the secondary, followed by Ramsdale and Dean Henderson, and Sam Johnstone has little chance of being selected.
Although Harry Maguire has lost his starting line-up at Manchester United, he is still very popular with Gareth Southgate and is expected to be the first choice if he plays as a double centre-back. If England switch to playing at three centre-backs, add the fast Kyle Walker to play right-centre-back, with Stones in the centre and Harry Maguire on the left. Eric Dyer, Connor Cody and Mark Gey will be the deputy candidates.
In a 4-2-3-1 game, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier are bound to be the preferred two full-backs, with Reece James and Luke Shaw as the secondaries. If he plays 3-4-2-1 and moves to play centre-back, the right wing-back will be between Reece James and Kieran Trippier, and Kieran Trippier can also be used as a left wing-back, and he or Luke Shaw may play as a starter. On the right-back bench, Trent Alexander-Arnold seems to be unhappy with Southgate, while Ben White can double as a centre-back or catch the last bus. At left-back, Ben Chilwell also competed for a start.
England like to use a double back, and Declan Rice will have a place, and his partner is more likely to be teenager Zodd Bellingham. Calvin Phillips has long missed the starting game at the club, Jordan Henderson is getting older, and James Ward-Prowse, who specializes in free throws, has always been only a substitute.
In terms of attacking midfield, England have a lot of talent, Phil Foden, Mason Mount, Sterling and Bukayo Saka are the most used by Southgate, Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and others are just marginal people, and it will be interesting to see if James Madison can be selected by his bravery. In the center forward position, captain Kane is an inevitable starter, and others can only compete for substitutes, including Ivan Tony and Tammy Abraham.
Major wounded soldiers in England:
Kyle Walker was injured in a Manchester derby in early October and is in a race against time to recover. The Manchester City right-back revealed in mid-October that his recovery was better than expected and that he was aiming to reach the World Cup for England.
Reece James suffered a knee injury in the Champions League against AC Milan in early October and is expected to recuperate for eight weeks, with the Chelsea right-back hoping to make it to the World Cup.