Football

World Cup 2022: Carragher: “England is impressive, but France even more so…”

World Cup 2022: Carragher: “England is impressive, but France even more so…”

England has qualified for the quarterfinals of the World Cup after routing Senegal 3-0 in a performance that earned a lot of superlatives from pundits and supporters alike.

England did most of their damage from mesmerizingly fast counter-attacks, taking advantage of their opponent’s lack of vision and culpability in the last line of defense. It was especially impressive to see how England’s midfield works together, the ball going from toe to toe in a stunning fashion with the finishing a sort of icing on the cake.

“This was very impressive from England once again. Yes, we did not have an opponent from one of the big teams, but you play who is in front of you. Nobody else beat their so-called lesser opponents the way England did,” said Jamie Carragher.

However, the former Liverpool player, and now turned TV pundit, said there is only one team that has impressed him more.

“France. Yes, England has been playing great, but France is doing their job incredibly well.”

France eased past Poland in their last 16 match with a 3-1 victory, and Kylian Mbappe once again showed how good he is by scoring twice. The PSG star is topping the goalscoring charts at the World Cup with five, and it seems that France is once again in control of their destiny as they defend their crown that was won four years ago.

Australia

How can England beat France?

A lot has been said about all the injuries that France had to deal with before the tournament even started. Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Christopher Nkunku, and Karim Benzema were the stars that were dismissed before the first ball was struck at the World Cup, and during the opening 15 minutes of their first match against Australia, left-back Lucas Hernandez was injured.

However, France manager Didier Deschamps found players who could fill those important roles and got deserving credit for getting some of those players in the perfect position to succeed. Mbappe is someone who was expected to lead this France team, but Olivier Giroud was also as important as ever, scoring goals that made him the top France goalscorer in history.

France passed their group with wins over Australia and Denmark, while they lost to Tunisia in a game that didn’t matter as France was already ensured of their place in the second round of the tournament.

Like England, nobody can say that France beat world-class opposition, even though Denmark was supposed to be very good, but they finished last in the group.

France and England incredibly never met in the World Cup knockout stages, and this will for sure be one of the most anticipated games at the Qatar tournament.

France does have Mbappe, but England has its strengths. Harry Kane finally got on the scoresheet against Senegal with a cracking goal, while England’s midfield will hold the key to the match.

England’s team is younger, and with players like Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Phil Foden playing important roles, France could find itself in a tough situation. Their midfield lineup of Rabiot, Tchouameni, Dembele, and Griezmann will make it work, but can they handle England’s speed, versatility, and brilliant counter-attacking?

It will be interesting to see how Didier Deschamps chooses his formation to counter England’s young stars.


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