The slow, dull, unimpressive start that many expected from England simply didn’t materialise on Monday.
Instead they were fast, creative and very, very impressive, putting aside a poor Iran team 6-2.
There may be some saying ‘it was only Iran’, but forget that, England were impressive, putting up the ideal performance to really kickstart their tournament, and get some belief in the squad.
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Freedom and a Genuine Attacking Threat
What we saw from England yesterday was something we haven’t seen too much, a genuine attacking threat from England. They scored six goals, that’s great, but don’t let it slip your mind that they created enough chances to score six goals too.
In the past, England have been accused of playing defensive football, not creating six chances, nevermind putting them away.
A back four, rather than playing five there, coupled with the more attacking Jude Bellingham chosen over Kalvin Phillips, were the key reasons for this.
Given how well it worked, surely Gareth Southgate has to stick with this, and name an unchanged team for Friday night’s game against the United States?
Those off the bench also did their bit too. This wasn’t closing out a game, it was continuing the high level, from the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Callum Wilson, who all entered the pitch and combined for goals.
England World Cup Odds Shorten After Win
Of course, it will be no surprise to read that England’s odds to win the World Cup have shortened on the back of their opening performance.
Available at 9/1 before they kicked a ball at the tournament, England are now 7/1 with Paddy Power and some other World Cup betting sites to win the tournament. A second impressive performance and win on Friday night would more than likely see those odds tumble further, and group qualification would be confirmed, though top spot may not quite.
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England to win the World Cup - 7/1
the Three Lions are now 7/1 to win the tournament
At 7/1 a £10 bet would return £80
When is England’s Next Fixture?
England have a short period of rest before their second game of the group stage. They will face the United States on Friday night, kicking off at 7pm and live on ITV. You can check the latest England v USA Free Bets and all the betting offers for the World Cup on our dedicated pages.
An England win in this one, would confirm their qualification to the knockout phase, while a win combined with a draw in the game between Wales and Iran, would give England top spot with a game to spare.
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