So here’s a thing: England have landed the World Cup’s group of death.
For those who breathed a sigh of relief when the draw for Qatar 2022 was finalised in April, it might come as something of a surprise.
The gut feeling then was that opportunity flowed from Group B and Gareth Southgate’s big tournament luck had kicked in again.
But totting up the Fifa rankings of England, the USA, Wales and Iran confirms it is the toughest collection of teams in the tournament.
A mirage? Perhaps not, especially if Iran’s ominous scalp of Uruguay in a deserted NV Arena in Austria’s Sankt Pölten is anything to go by.
Anyone who thinks Team Melli will be an easy introduction to the tournament is kidding themselves. That first fixture is laced with menace, especially now Carlos Queiroz has returned as manager.
Queiroz was re-hired to steady the ship after Dragan Skocic clashed with key players in the squad, and the Portuguese believes he is returning to his “family” by taking over a team that he managed for eight years and 100 matches between 2011 and 2019.
He was less manager, more figurehead for Iranian football in that time, establishing the scouting networks and structures that helped bring through a rich crop of players who are probably reaching their peak in time for Qatar.
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The game plan they used back then – a solid defensive structure, rigid organisation, every man surrendering their own ambition for the cause – will be reheated for their desert assignments.
Is it underselling a squad with quality in it? Perhaps. Alireza Jahanbakhsh might not have made it at Brighton but he is one of a number of their forwards holding their own in Europe’s big leagues after moving to Feyenoord, while Sardar Azmoun joined Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
In truth, the return of Queiroz represents something of a marriage of convenience. He struggled as manager of Colombia and faced criticism over a perceived lack of ambition with Egypt, who were defensively minded despite having Mo Salah in their armoury.
He will be much more comfortable with Iran and the underdog status they will have in Qatar. Against Uruguay, for example, they rarely had the ball but didn’t really need it to fulfil their game plan.
When Uruguay did break the lines – such as Darwin Nunez’s long-range effort in the first half – they found goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand in inspired form. It is a name England should be wary of: he is highly-rated by the new national team manager and possesses a long throw that can bypass their opponent’s press.
Uruguay laboured and got frustrated, and when Iran’s opportunity arrived, they pounced. Porto’s Mehdi Taremi scored with a smart first-time hit after a well-worked move on 79 minutes and they were able to see out the game for a victory. It felt like classic Queiroz – and will have provided a timely top-up of confidence levels.
The presence of Iran at a major tournament always comes with geo-political repercussions, not least when they are paired in a group with the US and England, but those close to the camp emphasise that politics is never mentioned by players who mostly play their football in Europe.
Still, all press conferences were cancelled by the Iranian FA around Friday’s game – perhaps for fear of being confronted by questions about the street protests in Tehran which are capturing global attention. Some of the players spoke out in support of those protests – then hastily deleted their social media posts a few hours later. It would have been interesting to hear their thoughts.
But those inside the camp insist they are in Qatar on business and the supposed minnows of the group could conceivably do a Costa Rica, who overturned the odds to top England’s 2014 Group of Death. Southgate has been warned.
Based on ranking, the US are the second seeded side in the group but look dreadfully out of form. They were well beaten by Japan in Düsseldorf in a performance that raises more questions for manager Gregg Berhalter, who is struggling to impose his preferred high tempo, high-pressing game.
Granted they were without Christian Pulisic, their outstanding player, but the ease with which Japan were able to bypass their midfield should raise alarm bells. They looked to have little in the final third either.
Wales will fancy their chances of emerging from the group but learned little from reprising their recent rivalry with Belgium.
It was not that they performed under par – a second half fightback suggested they retain spirit and some attacking elan – but they were missing too many key men to form a proper opinion of their chances.
England’s World Cup 2022 fixtures
The group stages of the World Cup take place over 12 days from 21 November to 2 December, with four matches per day.
- England vs Iran: 1pm, Mon 21 Nov (Khalifa International Stadium)
- England vs USA: 7pm, Fri 25 Nov (Al Bayt Stadium)
- England vs Wales: 7pm, Tues 29 Nov (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium)
All times GMT
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