England Won't Top World Cup Qualifying Group

I was a believer, or at least I really wanted to be a believer. I believed that Roy Hodgson and this England team could take care of business in an interesting Europe World Cup Qualifying Group H. I believed that despite the talent that this team had lost and the fresh memories of being completely dominated by Italy in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals that this team could still be competitive and should make short work of reaching the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. I have to admit now that I was wrong. I do not see England winning their Group H anymore placing their World Cup place in the balance.



Of course there are reasons we can find to stay optimistic and not to get pessimistic. Hodgson's team play three of the final four group matches at home, including a crucial tie against current group leaders Montenegro. There will also be those that point to the fantastic and dominating first half display against Montenegro on Tuesday as evidence of the sort of football this team can play.

The problem is that none of this, absolutely none of this aligns with what we have all been witnessing on the field with this team.

England have won three games in Group H so far and drawn three. The three wins have come against San Marino (twice) and Moldova by a combined score of 18-0. Those results demonstrate without any doubt that this is a team that can get on top of teams and has the skill and talent to dominate teams when it gets on top of them.

However, their other three results have all been disappointing 1-1 draws. First, they needed a desperate late penalty to draw with Ukraine at Wembley Stadium. They were then outplayed in Poland by Poland and potentially can consider themselves fortunate to have escaped with a 1-1 draw there as well. Finally on Tuesday night after arguably playing their best football of the competition so far, they played a poor second half and were lucky to hold on for a draw after being dominated by Montenegro.

England will probably thrash Moldova again at home in September, but does anyone really believe they can go to Kiev and get more than a draw against Ukraine? That leaves a pair of home games against Montenegro and Poland to decide their fate in October. On paper that looks do-able, but the evidence we've seen so far suggests it just isn't likely.

Hodgson's England are guilty of doing what just about every England team has done for more than a decade. They play the big games and the big moments as if petrified by fear. The aggression and furious pace they played with in the first half Tuesday was a clear sign of what a young side could be capable of. Yes, Montenegro made some strong adjustments,but England also responded negatively to it. They didn't attack the battle in midfield, they squandered possession and lost the incisiveness in their attack.

Perhaps the biggest concern is that there really hasn't been any formal recognition made by members of the team that changes need to be made and specifically that playing style and tactics are at the core of what is wrong with England right now. Until those admissions are made, it looks like England will need a playoff game to book their place in Rio.

European World Cup Qualifying 2014: Group-by-group Breakdown

After last night's matches the European World Cup qualifying groups have just about reached their halfway point. The Carnage Report attempts to breakdown the situation and story-lines so far for the nine groups that decide the 13 European berths for Brazil 2014.

Group A - Belgium and Croatia Stretch Lead

Friday's fixtures represented a significant shift in Group A. Macedonia and Serbia had a chance to pull themselves within three points of their respective opposition, but they both lost by 2-0 margins.

Belgium scored a pair of goals playing away from home against Macedonia, while Croatia won the potentially controversial tie against Serbia 2-0. Both teams lead Group A with 13 points, which is seven points clear of third place Wales. It seems to be between these two sides for World Cup qualification.

Group B - Bulgaria and Denmark Profit In Deep Group

This looked like an extremely tough group from the moment it was drawn. Italy, Bulgaria, Denmark and Czech Republic could all be dangerous teams in the 2014 World Cup.

Denmark secured a huge 3-0 away win over Czech Republic on Friday and having played only one home game out of the first four; the Danish have decent position in this group. Bulgaria continue their charge towards World Cup qualification taking care of Malta, but they have a tough trip to face Denmark on Tuesday.

Group C - Republic of Ireland Hold Sweden

While Germany has been gradually pulling away from the competition in this group, other results kept the battle for second place pretty open.

Republic of Ireland earned a hard fought away draw against second place Sweden to keep the gap between the two teams to a single point. Meanwhile, Austria took care of business with victory over Faroe Islands. Ireland hosts Austria in a crucial fixture on Tuesday.

Group D - No Decider In Hungary v Romania

The Netherlands appear to have asserted themselves in this group, but Friday's highlight 2-2 draw between Romania and Hungary could have created a gap between second and third place. Romania will probably be the happier of the two sides considering they were away from home.

Meanwhile, Turkey beat Andorra and absolutely need a home win against Hungary on Tuesday to stay in contention. Romania have another tough fixture as they travel to the Netherlands.

Group E - Footballing Logic Fails

Group E looked like an interesting and pretty wide open group from the offset with Norway, Slovenia and Switzerland all expected to be in contention. Friday exhibited exactly the sort of strange results that have occurred though.

Norway and Slovenia both lost home games to Albania and Iceland respectively. The result means that Albania and Iceland are now second and third; they are in legitimate contention for second place and even first if something strange befalls Switzerland against Cyprus on Saturday.

Group F - Portugal Tough Out Israel Draw

Russia have the clear advantage in this group, but an interesting and crucial clash occurred in Tel Aviv on Friday. Portugal and Israel played out a fantastic football match with the visitors emerging with a 3-3 draw.

On the one hand, Israel will be pleased with the result but will know a win in this game could have secured second place. Meanwhile, Portugal will know they missed a chance to assert their position in second place, but also that they should win the fixture when it goes to Lisbon in a few months time.

Group G - Bosnia-H Win Top of Table Clash

Bosnia knew that they would probably need to beat Greece in the home tie to keep their chances of winning this group alive and they did just that. They secured a 3-1 win and are now atop the group with a huge goal difference advantage.

Meanwhile, Slovakia missed a huge opportunity to draw level on points with Greece in second place, but were held to a 1-1 draw at home against Lithuania.

Group H - Nothing New On Friday

Ukraine's 3-1 away victory against Poland kept their slim chances alive, but both teams need an England loss on Tuesday to keep their chances alive and even then grabbing second place won't be easy. Meanwhile, both England and Montenegro secured regulation wins.

Tuesday is a huge game in this group as leaders Montenegro host England.

Group I - Spain Held By France

The clash at the top of the table resulted in a useful draw for France in Spain, but the use of that draw will probably come down to how the reverse fixtures goes down on Tuesday. Spain travel to face their big rivals needing a big away win to secure their place.