Trevor Steven: England have tremendous World Cup chance and Three Lions can still get better
There’s no question that Tuesday’s penalty shoot-out win against Colombia has presented the best opportunity that England have had since 1990 – or will have for a very long time – to reach a World Cup final. It’s a tremendous chance.
Traditional heavyweights Germany, Argentina and Spain were sent packing early in Russia, while Italy and Holland didn’t even make it to the tournament.
England are in a really good position – with Sweden standing between them and a semi-final against Russia or Croatia – and I’m very positive about the team’s chances now.
Read more: England beat penalty curse on fraught night of fine margins
In captain Harry Kane they have a great leader. With six strikes already, his goalscoring has been great, while his general play has been excellent. He’s been brilliant in everything he’s done.
The two emphatic penalties he scored in the 6-1 win over Panama had an inspirational quality. They showed other players how to do it: believe in yourself and put your foot through the ball.
Gareth Southgate has been terrific as manager. He showed courage in selection, focusing on a group of players that he felt best suited the style that he wanted.
And at the World Cup he has showed leadership, backing the players and speaking in positive narratives, with just the right amount of caution to stop expectations getting too high.
We also have to talk about Jordan Pickford, hero of the shoot-out win over Colombia after he stopped Carlos Bacca’s kick. It was a world class save to follow a superb performance in the game itself.
Pickford has grown into England’s undisputed No1 at this tournament. His communication with the back three looks excellent; you can see he’s strong and clear in what he’s saying.
That shoot-out triumph is a huge lift for England, given the penalty issues of the past. They have cracked that nut and should have nothing to fear from similar scenarios now.
England’s last World Cup semi-final came in 1990, when they lost to West Germany on penalties (Source: Getty)
I liked that they won it in a positive way, too. There was an element of luck in that Mateus Uribe’s kick hit the crossbar after Jordan Henderson’s effort had been saved, but England seized their second chance. It shows the mentality in that group, and the way they all ran to celebrate Eric Dier’s winning penalty showed great togetherness.
I think there is more to come from England. Against Colombia there were the makings of a very good performance, but they lost energy and ran out ideas in the second half.
It’s been a recurring theme for them in Russia. They always have a good start, are up at the opposition, but dip and struggle to recover momentum. Compare that to Brazil, who hit a level for 90 minutes.
Sweden are good opposition; stubborn, organised and hard to beat. Man for man England’s squad is better but they can’t afford an off day. I don’t think we’ll see that, though.
Brazil have been among the most impressive teams in Russia this summer (Source: Getty)
They can get better. I’d like to see them be braver in the centre of the pitch, with Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard and Raheem Sterling willing to take a bit longer on the ball rather than offload too quickly. Play can get stuck in midfield at times, so be prepared to take a risk or two.
Brazil have impressed me with the way they slow down the game when under pressure. If England can take a leaf out of their book even a little then it will help them control the pace and get even more out of the squad.
So can England win it? If they get to the final then confidence levels will be so high, they’ll be inspired and motivated, so who knows? I don’t think they’re the best team at the World Cup – that’s Brazil, followed by France and probably Belgium – but they are a dark horse.