AHEAD OF THE England-Belgium tonight, with both sides guaranteed a place in the knockout stages, it is no surprise that the build-up has been dominated by the consequences of the game’s outcome rather than the match itself.
Should England gain a favourable result, they would top Group G and thus potentially face Japan in the round of 16, Mexico or Brazil in the quarter-finals, and Uruguay, Portugal, France and Argentina in the semi-finals.
On the other hand, should the Three Lions come second in Group G, they will play Colombia in the second round, Sweden or Switzerland in the quarter-finals, and Spain, Russia, Croatia or Denmark in the semi-finals.
While there is nothing wrong with simply stating these facts, suggestions that England would be better off losing to Belgium and conceivably enjoying an easier passage in the knockout stages is hardly fair to their rivals.
Anyone who thinks that, for example, beating Switzerland in a quarter-final would be foregone conclusion has a short memory.
Just two years ago, there was plenty of concern over England potentially facing France in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals. Of course, it’s impossible to forget what happened next, as Roy Hodgson’s side were dumped out of the tournament by an unfancied Iceland outfit in the round of 16.
Yet that humiliating result hasn’t stopped some people getting over-excited about a perceived easier route to the final.
The Telegraph have a piece entitled ‘Why England should want to lose against Belgium… and what it means for their World Cup chances’. CNN has described the game as the match “both teams might want to lose”. A poll in The Times asked: ‘Should England try to finish second in group G?’ And Business Insider described the encounter as a match “nobody wants to win”.
Meanwhile, there has been plenty of debate on Twitter about the supposed merits of losing to Belgium, with some high-profile names weighing in.
The idea that we should try to finish second because we avoid Brazil in the quarters is a swift return to the old English arrogance. We're already writing off Senegal/Colombia/Japan by doing that and assuming they're easy pickings. It's absurd.
— Oliver Holt (@OllieHolt22) June 28, 2018
I am so, so up for England NOT winning Group G. Totally understand all the counter-arguments, including momentum and, yes, the possibility of facing Colombia. Totally accept it could backfire terribly. But I think defeat tmrw could be quite welcome. No doubt Belgium feel the same https://t.co/uVemX94bOr
— Oliver Kay (@OliverKayTimes) June 27, 2018
England haven’t won a knockout game at a major tournament for 12 years and we’re discussing playing to lose to avoid a more difficult quarter final. Do me a favour. 🙈
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) June 28, 2018
Tactics v momentum.
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 28, 2018
It's the question on the lips of every England fan - is it better to lose to Belgium tonight?
We've taken a look at all of the outcomes 👉 https://t.co/TmG0w6Is72#worldcup #bbcworldcup pic.twitter.com/9NCVGzxStk
Let's just clarify this, the suggestion that England would deliberately lose against Belgium has come from the English media.... Quelle fucking surprise. Parasites 🙄
— Brian Moore (@BriMoo9) June 28, 2018
I reckon England should try to win the group. Keep winning, keep developing, don’t assume they’d beat Sweden or Switzerland, don’t assume they’d lose to Brazil (who may not beat Mexico). Leave all that stuff to clairvoyants. Just win games.
— Paul Hayward (@_PaulHayward) June 28, 2018
As many critics have acknowledged, anyone who pays heed to claims that England would be better off finishing second has clearly not been paying much attention to this World Cup.
If there is one defining characteristic of the competition, it is that the so-called weaker nations are better organised and harder to beat than ever. The vast majority of games have been either drawn or decided by a single goal. While England’s group is an anomaly, with themselves and Belgium progressing comfortably, the majority of the groups have been quite tight. There have been surprises, such as South Korea’s win over Germany yesterday, while Group G aside, Croatia and Uruguay are the only two teams to have won all of their matches so far.
After tonight’s game, England will face either Japan or Colombia in the round of 16. There are still a number of players in the squad who were part of the Iceland embarrassment. While sections of the media will inevitably get carried away during the major tournaments, the players simply cannot afford to fall into this trap.
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