Quote · The Rest Is Football
Kane to the rescue as England squeeze past DR Congo
Where this was said
Was England's Display Encouraging or Alarming?
At 6:51 · chapter starts 4:47
Gary Lineker makes the optimistic case: yes, the first 20 minutes against DR Congo were poor, and the team was shaken by the early goal, but from the hydration break onwards England looked assured, created chances, and — crucially — kept Congo largely quiet. He counters the criticism that England always expect to score freely without conceding, calling it an unrealistic standard. Joe Cole adds that going 1-0 down to Congo and fighting back showed mental fortitude that will matter in the knockout rounds. Brad Friedel, though, presses the panel on whether they are seeing real improvement. Brad Friedel points out that England's right-back crisis is self-inflicted — Livramento injured, Spence playing out of position — and that the midfield and defence look alarmingly uncoordinated. He argues that against better opposition the weaknesses will be mercilessly exposed, closing with the stark verdict that England will not reach the final if they keep performing like this. [1] — Micah Richards "I tell you now, if we continue to play like we are playing, then we're not getting to the final." 10:17
England were 1-0 down to DR Congo within 15 minutes and looked disorganised — but Gary Lineker says the last two-thirds of the match were genuinely encouraging, with chances created and composure shown under pressure. The goal was coming.
Gary Lineker said VAR had a terrible couple of days with three poor decisions in the games played on the day of the DR Congo match.
Harry Kane was blatantly fouled by the DR Congo goalkeeper — a nailed-on penalty, per Joe Cole — and VAR somehow missed it. Gary Lineker says VAR has had a disastrous run of decisions and the problem is super slow-motion replays that allow officials to read anything into any contact.
Micah Richards argued England have played only around 90 minutes of decent football across their four World Cup games, with the defence and midfield remaining disorganised.
Micah Richards isn't buying the positivity. England have played roughly 90 minutes of decent football across four games, the right-back situation is a self-inflicted wound, and a disorganised midfield is leaving a vulnerable backline totally exposed. Without improvement, the final is out of reach.
