Costa Rica manager Jorge Luis Pinto appears to have begun the mind games even before the World Cup 2014 has begun after he suggested that their group stage opponents England do not have precision. England will come into the World Cup looking to win the trophy for the first time since 1966. However, they are not close to being considered as favourites for the title after their repeated failures in major tournaments until now. They also face a tough group stage since they will be up against former world champions Uruguay and Italy along with Costa Rica.
Ashley Cole has announced his retirement from international football after he learned that Roy Hodgson did not include him in the squad for the World Cup. Cole comes on the back of a very disappointing season with Chelsea during which time he has failed to win a major trophy. The 33-year-old is also out of contract at the end of the campaign and there seems to be little indication from the club that they are willing to extend it. Cole retires from England duty after having become the nation’s top appearance maker for a left back.
England will be going to the FIFA World Cup 2014 as one of the rank outsiders of the tournament after having failed to get past the quarter-final stage of a major tournament for the last few decades.
At the last tournament – the Euro 2012, they once again failed to get past this stage in what was Roy Hodgson’s first big job. After having been experienced with the team for the last two years, Hodgson says that they are in a good position to be challenges for the World Cup.
The future of Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole for the England national team has been highly speculated following the emergence of capable replacements in the last few months. Due to their age and concerns about longevity, it has been speculated that manager Roy Hodgson may consider leaving them out for the World Cup 2014.
However, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has insisted that his Chelsea players should be part of the plane to Brazil since he feels that the old-timers will offer a lot to the squad. Lampard and Cole were a major part of the squad that won qualification to the World Cup.
Despite England heading into the World Cup 2014 as rank outsiders to win the tournament, manager Roy Hodgson says that it will be wrong to write of the 1966 winners. England have not lifted a major tournament since this victory, which was achieved in home soil. They have also not been past the quarter-final stage in recent major tournaments.
Former Liverpool striker Andy Carroll has said that he is very keen on making it into the England squad for the World Cup 2014.
The striker made the £ 15 million move to West Ham in the hope of playing regular first-team football after not figuring in the plans of Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool. However, since making the permanent move to West Ham, he has rarely played for the club after being injured for most of the season. He has just returned from the spell on the sidelines hoping to impress manager Hodgson at just the right time.
England manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed that Chelsea captain John Terry will not be coming under consideration when picking the future squads.
England suffered defeats against Chile and Germany in the space of a few days. They failed to score in both these matches, while also conceding soft goals in the process. This has sparked talk about Terry returning to national team duty. The Chelsea captain retired from international football a few years ago after he said that the England FA did not treat him properly in the Anton Ferdinand racism scandal.
Just a month after being picked apart for being too buttoned-down, England footbal team coach Roy Hodgson was being filled with kudos for leading the team to the 2014 World Cup finals that will take place in Brazil next year.
The roller coaster journey of England through a difficult group that alternated victories and draws till wins in the past 2 games, ending with a 2 - 0 win over Poland on Tuesday, ensured his men ended a point in front Ukraine to take the automatic qualifying position for finals in Brazil next year.
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, who is regarded as one of the rising stars of English football, has said that he will definitely consider leaving Arsenal if the club decides to part ways with manager Arsene Wenger.
There is a lot of doubt about the future of Wenger at the club after several years of underachievement by the club. They have also failed to spend any money in the hope of winning trophies. This has infuriated fans a lot and they have turned their back on the manager in recent times.
Former England manager Fabio Capello has questioned the chances of England winning a major tournament for the first time since 1966 due to the lack of the winter break in their domestic league. England is one of the major nations to not have a winter break in its domestic league.