Finish top, play Japan.
F inish top, play Japan. Finish second, play Colombia.
England’s pathway chances
You’d rather play Japan, I think almost everyone would agree. On the other hand, Japan in the last 16 means… Brazil in the quarters.
I think the regrettable fact is that, if England do wish to win the World Cup, they will somewhere along the way have to play a team who is good at football. Shocking, I know.
a ll the motivation they need
W hat a strange and unusual match we have in prospect between England and Belgium, kicking off at 7pm UK time. Both sides are guaranteed to progress to the last-16, but the question is as to who will come top of the group, and hence who they will get to play. Jamie Johnson here argues that England should want to lose to Belgium, because second place would afford an easier path to the final. In some senses, it is hard to argue with that assessment.
England’s hero manager Gareth Southgate has promised that his team are going for the W, and that seems entirely right, but he intends to do it without some of his big names.
