1966 through 2022.
Soccer has been coming home for almost a decade, and the two men in the 1966 World Cup photo, Queen Elizabeth II and England captain Bobby Moore, have both passed away, the Remy Cups in their hands long since lost. In between, the heroes and heroines of the Three Lions have continued to emerge. In every generation, England has had at least one iconic world-class player. From David Beckham, Wayne Rooney to the current Harry Kane, it's like jumping up and touching the edge, but never being able to hold on to it. Thus, the endless waiting has become helpless and habitual.
↑? England have never been short of world-class stars, yet have been slow to win the longed-for major championships.
The country with the world's No. 1 league has been slow to pick up the long-awaited World Cup. Or perhaps, this is the real problem. As the most watched league in the world, the English Premier League naturally attracts good players from all over the world. Premier League teams are made up of players and coaches from different countries and styles of play, from the coaches and management down to the players. In addition to the global broadcasting and high ratings of the EPL, players and coaches from various countries will naturally be more familiar with the EPL players. The members of the England national team are mostly star players of the EPL, which makes it easy to recognize the weaknesses and characteristics of the players, resulting in frequent losses in short-term cup matches.
This year England, as usual, consists of Premier League stars plus a handful of good travelers. The squad is still strong and there are many young stars in the team. With the support of last year's Euro runners-up, this World Cup's most valuable team could bring us a lot of surprises.
England's three goalkeepers this year have similar strengths. Compared to Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale, Jordan Pickford, who has been the No.1 goalkeeper for about 4 years, is still in a solid position to start, and Pickford's strength in long passes, which has been criticized in the past, has been greatly improved in recent seasons. Pickford is, unsurprisingly, the obvious choice for England's starting goalkeeper this term.
↑ Jordan Pickford's starting position is pretty solid
In the UEFA Nations League in September this year, Pope, who has been performing steadily in the league, replaced the injured Pickford and got the chance to start for the national team. However, his performance was poor in several matches, with many defensive lapses and turnovers being the key to the team's losses, and causing many to question his consistency in big matches.
Ramsdale's defensive and goal-scoring abilities have contributed greatly to the stability of the Premier League this season. However, due to Pickford's stable form and his experience and merits accumulated in the past two tournaments, Ramsdale is still difficult to shake Pickford's position as the No.1 international goalkeeper. As England's second international goalkeeper, Ramsdale is definitely a reliable option if Pickford is unable to play.
