Football

World Cup 2022: Saka’s worst performance in England colours not his fault

England gave a subdued performance against Team USA, failing to live up to the expectations and earning an early place in the knockout rounds. They will have to overcome Wales in an all-British meeting that will decide their faith.

Bukayo SakaThe only silver lining from their goalless draw with USMNT was the performance of Harry Maguire. The much-maligned defender kept the Americans at bay and was a constant thorn in their plans. 

Bukayo Saka was their star in the 6-2 dismantling of Iran but the Arsenal wide-man struggled to give a decent account of his abilities. Alongside the attacking trident of Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, the 21-year-old did not make an impact as the Three Lions failed to register a shot on target. 

Tony Cascarino, a squad member for the Republic of Ireland at two iterations of the FIFA World Cup, believes Gareth Southgate’s tactics are to be blamed. England’s buildup play did not use the youngster’s strengths, leaving him to dry on the flanks with constant attention from American defenders. 

The Irishman questioned the continued emphasis on starting from the back which hampered their progress from the potent wingmen. This strategy left Saka and Sterling out of options, resulting in the worst performance by the Arsenal youth academy graduate in England colours.

“Saka probably had his worst game in an England shirt,” Cascarino told the Weekend Sports Breakfast. “I felt a bit sorry for him because wingers need the ball early.

“One thing you can’t do is keep passing to each other at the back and then give the winger the ball when basically he’s got a defender on top of him. What’s he going to do? The next pass is going to be backwards or sideways

“It was a very one-paced performance in many, many ways.

“I didn’t come away thinking, ‘this is a bad day at the office, I just felt the way they played they had to try and stretch them, which never happened.

“[Antonee] Robinson, all night, played like a left-winger for America. This team has got a lot of good players in it but you think they are dominating the pace of play. They played well.”

Group B is open for the taking

Group B is evenly poised with England leading the points table with Iran following them. In the final round of fixtures, England takes on the challenge of Wales, while Iran entertains the USA.

Thanks to their impressive opening-round victory over the Persians, the Three Lions stand in good stead to progress. Only a massive meltdown against the Dragons will hurt their chances to make it to the knockout rounds. 

On the other hand, Iran and USA will be involved in a must-win affair. A point will see Team Melli extend their adventures in Qatar 2022. The USMNT have no other choice but to go for broke in their final group fixture. 

Apart from footballing honours, the geopolitical tensions between the USA and Iran have made the meeting all the more interesting. Both sides met in France 98 with the Persians earning the plaudits at Stade de Gerland.

Team USA has struggled for goals but has shown perseverance at the back. Iran’s defence has been susceptible in the competition but has three more strikes to their name in the competition. 


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