Betting: Can England Win The World Cup?
Every four years the nation unites to cheer on the England side that has promised so much yet delivered so little. The golden generation of Terry, Ferdinand, Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, Owen and Rooney are in line for one last chance to bring success back to England that has been missing from our international football for so long. The English Premiership is said to be the best league in the world according to many footballing authorities yet England have not managed to achieve anything in major tournaments. Football betting will enjoy a surge at next years World Cup, but are England a good team to bet on when all patriotic emotion is removed from your decision?
Emerging players like Ashley Young and Glen Johnson are cementing their place in the starting team and in manager Fabio Capello they have a manager that demands effort and application. The senior players are all approaching 100 caps which should reassure sports betting enthusiasts that they have the experience to deliver victory in a major tournament. It is the last chance for these players to seal their legacy. They have played many times for their country but have only near misses and numerous quarter final appearances to show for it.
England have flattered to deceive in many recent large tournaments, even failing to qualify for Euro 2008. Lampard and Gerrard continue to fail to gel at international level and Barry is preferred in the centre of midfield. This inability to form a partnership is probably due the fact that they are so dominant in their teams individually that sharing the spotlight often dulls their impact on international games. Rooney looks to be emerging into one of the best players in the world and now that Ronaldo has left Manchester United this may be his moment to grab the baton of superstardom and run with it. Soccer fans will expect a lot from him as he now has seven years experience in the Premiership.
Peter Crouch is a player sure to be at the World Cup. He has a prolific goal scoring record for England, particularly against weaker teams that struggle to deal with his height and touch. Jermaine Defoe looks to have claimed his place in the squad after getting strong praise from Capello after a brace in this week’s friendly match against Holland. Michael Owen, now playing for Manchester United, will surely be involved providing he scores goals for them this season. He seems to have rediscovered his hunger for the game and for the first time in his career has to prove he still has what it takes to play at the highest level.
The bwin.com odds for England to win the World Cup are 9.00 behind favourites Spain (5.00), Argentina & Brazil (6.25) and Germany (7.00). England are probably the value bet of the market with their odds being quite high for a team that has performed so strongly in qualifying. You would expect Germany to perform well, with one of Argentina or Brazil taking a spot in the final. England will be heavily backed by dedicated football betting punters, so the odds of 9.00 may shorten throughout the season providing key players do not get injured.
I believe that England can certainly win the World Cup. The stars of Spain are Villa and Torres, Brazils star is Kaka and Argentina boast the talents of Messi. England’s team has a crop of established stars such as Terry, Lampard, Rooney and Gerrard. If they can discover a way of playing together effectively we may just fulfil the dream of every football fan and win the tournament. After the tournament players like Jack Wilshere, Keiron Gibbs and James Milner may be brought into the international first team with older players being phased out. For a team that has played so long together this is their last chance to write this England team into the history books.
By Malcolm Clarke
