Harry Maguire’s red boots shone brighter than the Doha sun on Friday afternoon at the Al Wakrah Sports Club complex. As the England players walked into the ground with a swarm of travelling media lenses scanning every movement, the bright red boots of Maguire stood out.
Perennial underachievers in the World Cup, England’s woes in football’s biggest tournament, and Maguire’s own predicament dealing with his loss of form and taunts from fans, made it all the more glaring.
Since the arrival of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax, Maguire is no longer the firstchoice centre-back in the Manchester United set-up. Here in Doha, though, manager Gareth Southgate is expected to start Maguire at the back-four. The first test will be against Iran on Monday in a 4pm local time (6.30pm IST) kick-off.
England and Maguire will surely feel the heat. England have not won any of their last six games and were relegated to the Uefa Nations League second tier for the first time following defeat to Italy in September.
Aaron Ramsdale, the Arsenal goalkeeper, in his first World Cup duty, refused to buy the idea that confidence is low. “If anything, it’s given us extra motivation. We have added motivation to turn our form around and put those results behind us,” Ramsdale said at a news conference.
“We’re going into this full of confidence, knowing how good we are.”
The side, he said, would perform well so their fans don’t need beer to enjoy themselves. “Hopefully with them not being able to drink, we can perform on the pitch to give them that sort of excitement and buzz,” Ramsdale chuckled when asked about the ban on alcohol in stadium precincts.
At the training ground in Wakrah, the English base, they have made heat shacks with ice baths to give the players some respite. “Adaptability will be the key since we are used to dark days and dark nights back home this time of the year,” the 24-year-old goalkeeper said.
It’s not that England have done well when days are brighter and longer. Even at home in the delayed Euro 2020 final last summer, they frittered away a first-minute goal advantage to lose to Italy on penalties.
Bukayo Saka, Ramsdale’s clubmate, flunked England’s last shot from the spot and had to endure a barrage of abuse on social media. The 24-year-old goalkeeper revealed how he told Saka about his own setbacks to help Saka overcome that phase.
“Saka is a lovely boy, he has time for everyone, he works super hard throughout every week. He used all that motivation of criticism but more so the love that everyone gave him. I can’t wait to see him take this stage and thrive over here.”
Ramsdale’s own journey has been remarkable. In 2018, he was following England on television, sitting in a bar, suffered two relegations with Bournemouth and Sheffield United but Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta saw enough talent to sign him.
“There are times when it is a pinch-yourself moment,” said Ramsdale.
