sport news England's 6-2 dismantling of Iran was put into stark context by Argentina's ... trends now
England's World Cup lift-off against Iran began to look even more spectacular as the day wore on through Tuesday. First came Argentina’s defeat by Saudi Arabia, then Denmark — a team who romped through qualifying — struggled to overcome Tunisia. If context was required in which to place England’s efforts then there it was.
What will be very interesting is what Gareth Southgate does next. The England manager has already pulled his first surprise of the World Cup on us.
His decision to switch to a back four for the first time since that dreadful home defeat by Hungary in June was not something many envisaged before this tournament started.
Gareth Southgate's tactics led England to a 6-2 demolition of Iran on Monday afternoon
England's star-studded attackers got them off to a flying start at the Qatar World Cup
Having an extra attacking player, Mason Mount, certainly contributed to England’s domination of what proved to be surprisingly meek and muddled opponents at the Khalifa Stadium.
Standing outside the dressing rooms about an hour after his team’s first game had finished, Southgate spoke in terms that many of his detractors would wish him to. He waxed lyrical about his team being fearless and forward-thinking.
‘We’ve talked about that all week as a team,’ said Southgate. ‘That’s the approach we wanted to have.’
Mason Mount contributed hugely to England's midfield domination against Iran
Alongside Jude Bellingham (left), England's midfield can devastate teams in the Middle East
Courage has not been a feature of England’s football this year. Six Nations League games without a win saw even the more reliable of their players withdraw into themselves.
When the final whistle blew on a hectic 3-3 draw with Germany in September, relief was the over-riding emotion.
It was hoped back then that the smell of actual tournament football would reboot England when the World Cup eventually rolled around. There was certainly an element of that in the way they played against Iran.
Southgate rightly celebrated England's stunning start
There was a positive tone about England’s use of the ball that was set by the precocious midfielder Jude Bellingham. That was picked up by Bukayo Saka and, when they arrived in the second half, substitutes such as Marcus Rashford and Callum Wilson.
Friday’s game against the USA will be different. The Americans did not beat Wales, but they should have. They looked like a team capable of playing at a tempo to worry opponents and will now face England needing a win.
Southgate will doubtless opt for a back four again. We can expect him to do that until his team meet opponents of higher pedigree. By then he will hope to have Kyle Walker fit enough to play on the right side of
