Former England and Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has tipped Southgate’s side to go all the way and lift the trophy on December 18, and explained that the strength in depth of the squad, the relative quality of the group and a favourable potential tie in the round of 16 are factors that go in England’s favour.
“I’m going to be bold here and go with England to win the 2022 World Cup,” wrote for Sportskeeda. “Our squad is big – we could play our second eleven against our first eleven and it would be an even game.
“I like the group England have drawn, and I think they should finish at the top. If they do, they could be playing against Ecuador in the Round of 16, and they’ll fancy their chances against France and Argentina.”
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“I like how Spain play with the ball, and I think they could go deep into the tournament this year. They’ve picked a young squad and I can see where the manager’s coming from. Portugal also have an all-star team, and I think they’ll do well.”
Southgate himself has not got into the same thinking however, and admitted he was not completely happy despite the thrashing of Iran.
“I’ve got to be happy but we shouldn’t be conceding two goals at that stage of the game and we’ll have to be right on our game against the [United] States,” Southgate told the BBC. “It’s a great start but we’re going to have to be better.”
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