Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
England World Cup Team Preview
England
FIFA Ranking: 5
Manager: Garteh Southgate
Federation: UEFA
Group: England, USA, Wales, Iran
Odds to win World Cup: +800, Caesars
Odds to win Group B: -250, FanDuel Sportsbook
Odds to advance in Group B: -1100, FanDuel Sportsbook
How did England qualify for the World Cup?
England dominated qualification, going unbeaten and scoring 36 goals, the most out of every team in UEFA qualifying.
Who is England’s most important player?
Harry Kane
England will need to score goals, and lots of goals, if they are to make a deep run in this tournament. Kane won the Golden Boot in the last world cup and is +750 on FanDuel Sportsbook (+525 consensus) to win it this World Cup. Kane is an elite talent and if he is not in form, England have no shot at beating some of the heavyweights they expect to beat in the Knockout Stages.
What are England’s strengths, weaknesses, style of play and form?
England is expected to play a 3-4-3 to start the tournament based off recent matches but Garrett Southgate has been known to change his formation mid-tournament before.
England’s biggest strength is far and away their ability to score with an embarrassment of riches between Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Mason Mount, Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford. That doesn’t mention wonderkind Jude Bellingham who is expected to start in the midfield.
For anyone who follows England on any social media platform, England’s defense, specifically Harry Maguire, is England’s biggest weakness. The majority of Garrett Southgate’s criticism is directed at the fact that he continues to play Harry Maguire throughout his horrid stretch of form. Be on the lookout for Harry Maguire memes throughout the entire tournament.
It’s justified criticism of England’s defense as they are winless in their last six matches and were actually relegated from the Nations League going 0-3-3 with a -6 differential.
What is England’s World Cup Outlook?
Even in poor form, England is fully expected to make it out of the group stage, even in what is a more difficult group than it may look. That said, the winner of Group B has a challenging road in the knockout stages as they will play the runner-up of Group A (Netherlands or Senegal by most predictions) and if they win would most likely have to face one of France or Argentina in the quarter finals.
Best England World Cup Bet
Harry Kane, To Score Most Goals (+750 FanDuel Sportsbook)
England to win the world cup is not a great value and remain around -200 to advance to the quarter finals. With a matchup likely against France or Argentina, I’m staying away from a top 4 future. Kane is going to score goals and is the favorite to win the Golden Boot. +750 still has some value.
England’s World Cup Roster
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope
Defenders: Kieran Trippier, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Ben White, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eric Dier, Conor Coady
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher
Forwards: Harry Kane, Callum Wilson, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, James Maddison
Group A | Ecuador Senegal Netherlands Qatar
Group B | Iran Wales USA England
Group C | Mexico Saudi Arabia Poland Argentina
Group D | Tunisia Denmark Australia France
Group E | Japan Germany Costa Rica Spain
Group F | Croatia Morocco Canada Belgium
