Here we go again — the World Cup quarter finals. Gareth Southgate’s England will face reigning champions France on Saturday in a game that may ultimately decide the fate of the Three Lions boss.
Having dispatched Senegal with relative ease in the round of 16, those that bet on football online will have faith in England’s ability, but know the sheer strength that the French possess, especially up front.
This England team have been near perfect in tournament football thus far, and their run in Qatar has overshadowed what was an underwhelming year of results. The question now is, do they have what it takes to make the last four?
So, as England prepare for one of their biggest tests to date, let’s take a look at a different time. Considering this current crop have outperformed a proposed Golden Generation of talent, it’s easy to forget what a star-studded dressing room the Three Lions once possessed. Indeed, with players like Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the peak of their powers, it’s a mystery how the side underperformed so drastically.
With two quarter final exits to Brazil and Portugal respectively at the turn of the millennium, humiliation then followed against Germany in the 2010 round of 16. But is it as simple as pointing a finger at individuals or just assessing where things went wrong collectively? Read on, as we take a look at England’s last few World Cup campaigns and discuss their biggest underachievers.
Wayne Rooney
While Wayne Rooney is England’s top goal scorer, it’s fair to say at World Cups the talented striker failed to pull his weight. The former Everton and Manchester United man was the poster boy of English football heading into the 2006 tournament. It was a time of optimism where World Cup betting genuinely tipped England as one of the favourites. But Rooney’s flash of rage against Portugal saw him stamp on Ricardo Carvahlo and get sent off. Four years later he went to South Africa knowing he wasn’t fully fit but played anyway. After accusing his own fans of booing the side, he again failed to deliver on the main stage, with his only competitive tournament goal coming in 2014 against Uruguay, where Roy Hodgson’s side were dumped out in the group.
Jamie Carragher
Despite enjoying such a wonderful domestic career entirely with Liverpool, Jamie Carragher’s England career was full of disappointment. The Champions League winner was an experienced voice in the Liverpool side that was so successful with Rafa Benitez, but when it came to England, his chances were limited due to the options at centre back. There was plenty of competition for places so Carragher had to wait his turn behind the likes of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Sol Campbell. When his chance did arrive, things didn’t go to plan. After missing a crucial penalty in the shootout against Portugal, Carragher found himself in and out of the side before retiring from international football in 2010.
Owen Hargreaves
One of the biggest disappointments in an England shirt was Owen Hargreaves. The Canadian-born midfielder spent time at Bayern Munich and Manchester United but was unable to replicate his good club form for England, mainly due to his fitness. Hargreaves was hardly a reliable figure but looked at times to be the glue to hold Gerrard and Lampard together. However, he was often shoved out wide which meant either Michael Carrick or Paul Scholes played ahead of him, as he earnt just 42 caps. He put together some great performances in the 2006 World Cup but ultimately injury problems got the better of him before retiring from England in 2008.
