Tony Adams on World Cup 2018: The country’s going crazy, it feels like Euro 96 – now England must seize the moment
I had Gareth Southgate’s men down for the quarter-finals, so they have exceeded my expectations and probably the nation’s... maybe even their own
A WORLD CUP semi-final. Just think about that.
I had Gareth Southgate’s men down for the quarter-finals, so they have exceeded my expectations and probably the nation’s. Maybe even their own.
But I reckon they should now make the final. They are in the kinder half of the draw, yes, and for me they are the best side in that half.
Yesterday’s win over Sweden was professional, even routine.
The Swedes were an ordinary team, by comparison a Championship side, one who were direct and turned the ball over.
Even by their own standards, they played poorly.
And while it needed three fine saves from Jordan Pickford to keep England’s first clean sheet of the tournament, I thought we had more in the tank to go on and score again if we needed to.
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WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE IN A SEMI-FINAL?
The country’s going crazy at the prospect of football coming home and it’s about to rival that amazing summer when the song first came out and the England side I played in reached the semi-finals of Euro ’96.
There are big differences, though, not least that while everyone was having the time of their lives in 1996 — the last time England reached a major championship semi — we were in a bubble, even though it was in our country.
These days, while they may be thousands of miles from home, these players will still be subjected to more media and social media than we had.
But so far, this group of honest and dignified young players, who are mirroring their honest and dignified manager, are handling everything thrown at them well.
WHAT ARE THE THREE LIONS DOING RIGHT?
Where England are looking strong is in both boxes, which is encouraging.
The introduction of VAR, and the clampdown by referees as the tournament has gone on, has meant defenders can’t get away so easily with holding and pulling.
Not enough defences are adapting to that change.
It’s easier for the English as we teach players to keep an eye on man and ball, rather than just the man.
Some others are still concentrating on the man but losing him.
It’s like a game of tag — and you will know how hard it is to stay with someone in that.
That’s why I’ve always liked a mix of man and zonal marking.
Harry Maguire took full advantage in opening the scoring and is growing in stature, along with Kyle Walker and John Stones.
It remains a bugbear of mine that we are not starting the game with a left-footed player, giving us less balance.
I know Ashley Young has done little wrong but the team might be even better with a left foot out there.
Gareth is not going to change now, though, since everything he has done so far has worked.
WE ARE STILL UNDERDOGS — DOES THAT SUIT US?
My old team-mate and part of that back three at Euro ’96 has been exactly as I expected — calm and calculated, as well as honest and dignified.
He will also remember that build-up to the semi-final against Germany those 22 years of hurt ago and use it to his benefit now.
Then, everybody was saying that match was the real final, with France and the Czech Republic contesting the other. And it felt like that in the build-up.
It will not be lost on Gareth that this time, everyone will be saying that France and Belgium is the real final, coming from that cut-throat top half.
For that reason, while there will always be pressure on an England team, the intensity of the expectation to win the tournament should be less and give them greater freedom.
In fact, this is a team that looks to operate best as the underdog, as they will be in the semi-final.
Croatia have a sound defence and two top-drawer players in Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic.
Their performances to date, including beating the host nation, will make them favourites.
But this could well be this England team’s time.
HOW SHOULD THE PLAYERS APPROACH THE SEMI-FINAL?
Young players sometimes don’t realise what they are experiencing.
They think they have time on their side and this can all happen again one day.
Trust me, as a veteran of four major championships, it doesn’t work like that.
Expectation for future tournaments, after their performance in this one, is going to be huge.
Best then, to seize this moment and chance now, while there is confidence, the legs of youth and the euphoria of a nation to draw on.
Besides, if there is any stigma about this easier passage to the final, there is one way of silencing any criticism.
That is to win on Wednesday, then go on and beat France or Belgium in the final.
