England to get the job done
Can England make a flying start to their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign?
Big year for Three Lions
In their former life as an international no-hoper, a new qualifying campaign tended to signal the beginning of a new era for England. Poor tournament showings in the past had often done for the manager with the arrival of a new regime promising to right the wrongs and make the country proud again.
A bright future
Fortunately, this is no longer the case. Last summer’s sterling effort in Russia and subsequent progress in the Nations League points towards a bright future for England under Saviour Southgate.
Building on the success of 2018 and sustaining momentum ahead of Euro 2020 is the remit for 2019. To do this England will be expected to come through their qualification group comfortably and give a good account of themselves in the Nations League; who knows, perhaps we’ll see a first trophy since ’66 find its way into the cabinet?
Dealing with expectation
Southgate, sensible to the last and from what we’ve witnessed so far, not a guy to rest on his laurels, will remind players and fans alike of the importance of taking maximum points from the first double header of the upcoming qualifying phase.
Two games in four days against Czech Republic and Montenegro, on paper the two toughest opponents of Group A also featuring Bulgaria and Kosovo, will serve as a good indicator of how far this group of players have come in a short period.
Having spent the last international calendar playing as the underdog for the most part, the test for this new and evolving England side is dealing with the pressures of playing in front of a capacity crowd and being expected to win. And win well.
Czeching out the opposition
Dare I brand this Czech outfit an average bunch? Well, I have and 44th in the world rankings suggests so.
Losing out on second place to Northern Ireland in World Cup qualification, as well as two wins and two defeats (and second place) in the Nations League indicates the limitations of this current Czech team whose most recognisable player to you and me would be Burnley bench warmer Matej Vydra.
44th in the world rankings
Capable of beating sides similar in ability and standing, manager Jaroslav Silhavy is suffering the same issue as his predecessor Karel Jarolim in coming unstuck against the bigger nations.
Clearly, there’s no disgrace in losing to sides bigger and better but Sweden and Iceland are recent examples of what a limited group can achieve and will be used as inspiration ahead of a new qualifying campaign.
Betting tip
Three points is the priority for England and there’s little doubt in them starting the year off with a win. Quite how they achieve the points is a bit harder to say though.
The in-form front three of Kane, Rashford and Sterling is further complemented by Sancho, Wilson and now Hudson-Odoi - a group which spells goals.
On the other hand, England squeezed past Slovenia and Lithuania in their last two qualifying games prior to the World Cup, eventually breaking down stubborn backlines intent on claiming a famous draw.
A similar scenario cannot be ruled out here so a combination of England/Over 1.5 goals at 5/8 (1.62) is my tip. Better odds of 5/4 (2.25) can be found in backing England/Over 2.5 if you see the hosts putting on a show.
