With the World Cup Quarter-Finalists now confirmed, United manager Gary Johnson gives his thoughts on the tournament so far.
Echoing the feelings of the vast majority of the Yellow Army, former Latvia manager Johnson has been delighted with England’s showings so far, which culminated in the Three Lions securing a last-eight spot on Sunday evening, some 24 hours after witnessing his Torquay team clinch a welcome victory of their own at Dagenham & Redbridge.
England Impress
“They’ve performed very well, especially in the group stage,” said The Gulls’ boss.
“Against Iran they were terrific. Then they had a breather against USA, and they were terrific again against Wales. They carried that on against Senegal, which was not an easy game – that could have been a dodgy one for us, but we’re through, and you expect to come up against some big ol’ footballing nations now like ourselves, and of course, we’ve got France, and there’s all to play for.”
Ahead of the ‘Battle of Britain’ clash, the Gaffer could perhaps have been excused for having split loyalties, with no less than four of Robert Page’s Wales squad enjoying first-team football under Johnson’s tutelage, with Keiffer Moore & Wayne Hennessey spending time at Yeovil Town, whilst Joe Rodon & Joe Morrell spent part of their early careers learning their trade at Cheltenham Town.
“I worked with Pagey when he was a player and I was a coach with Graham Taylor at Watford. I was still rooting for England, but I’m always interested to see my ex-players doing well, when they reach a World Cup, like they did, they can only be proud of what they’ve achieved, and you’ve got some good memories as a manager.
“None of them were the players that they are now, but they’ve got to start somewhere. These were long-ish term loans that I was able to bring in, and they were all good lads too, people that you want to do well. That’s important.”
Best Of The Rest
England will undoubtedly face the sternest test of their credentials on Saturday against the holders, however, Johnson was quick to highlight that there are plenty of other sides also to be wary of, with Brazil turning on the style to join Gareth Southgate’s men in the Quarter-Finals on Monday evening.
“If we had had this discussion a day or two ago, we wouldn’t have seen the best of Brazil, but we saw it against South Korea – I thought they were fantastic, and they look like they’re enjoying what they’re doing. They don’t look under pressure, and that’s not a bad mental state to be in.
“Argentina look strong, so I think – with England – it’ll come from one of those teams in my opinion.”
With a whole host of players lighting up what has become a festive footballing festival, the Torquay boss picked out three individuals that had stood out for him.
“Being English, Bellingham seems to have done what everyone thought he would do. He’s always had great potential, but now he’s got to his potential. He’s stood out for me.
“Mbappe looks an absolute Superman – he looks like he’s got everything in as far as he’s big, strong, quick, and he’s in that sort of ‘Messi’ mould, that can affect games. There’s also Neymar, so it’s difficult to pick out one, but there will be a hero in this World Cup, and we’ll just have to wait and see if it comes out from one of those I’ve just mentioned.”
Upsetting The Odds
Although the knockout stages has seen a semblance of normality return to the tournament, the Group stages provided a whole host of shock results, with the likes of Saudi Arabia, Japan, Tunisia and Cameroon all claiming notable scalps in the early stages in Qatar, prior to Morocco defeating Spain on penalties yesterday.
Having spent two years as manager of the Latvian national side himself between 1999-2001, Johnson is ideally placed to give some background as to why some of these previously unfancied sides have managed to bridge the gap against some of international footballer’s big-hitters.
“Only a few years ago, they were called the ’emerging teams’ – well, they’ve emerged now. They’ve proved that they can compete with the best in Africa and Europe. They way the Japanese played their games, it’s great to have a World Cup where everyone is competing.
“I’ve had experience of that, when Latvia qualified for the European Championships after the World Cup campaign. While I was Latvian manager, I brought over seven Latvian players that played in the English leagues, and it was a much better competition for them. If you look at those so-called emerging nations that have done well in the World Cup, most of their players are now in big leagues in Europe and the rest of the world. They’ve got to have tough games, they’ve got to have difficult games, and they’ve got to believe in themselves.
“The Latvian league, there was only ten teams in their top league, and of course, most of the national team in Latvia played for Skonto Riga, and they won the league and got into Europe every year. It was only when we got one at Arsenal, a couple at Southampton, one at Fulham, one at Bristol Rovers – don’t know what happened there! – and two at Crystal Palace, that they were getting big games every week. The experience they gained made the national team a better team, 100%, and that’s of course, what’s happened with the so-called smaller football nations that have done so well in the World Cup.”
The Greatest Show On Earth
Johnson reflected on how, as Latvian boss, attending the Qualification Draw for the 2002 World Cup gave him first-hand experience of the sense of occasion that only a FIFA World Cup can bring.
“I had the pleasure of going to the draw for the 2002 World Cup Qualification, in Japan.
“I went to Tokyo for the draw, Kevin Keegan was the manager for England, and Craig Brown was the manager for Scotland, and it was unbelievable – the atmosphere, and the way the Japanese look after you, and make it a fantastic event for everyone to remember for the rest of their lives.
“It was nice to meet Craig and Kevin, three English-speaking people out there, we had a good few hours together, and it was quite nice. But it was the experience that everybody gets – even managers – at World Cups, and to be part of that elite, was a fantastic honour. ”