Can England win the World Cup?

I was 16 years old when I went to watch England for the first time. Remarkably - for my first game - it was a World Cup Quarter final against Brazil, in Japan. It was June 2002, and luckily for me, my older brother was living in Tokyo at the time.

As the tournament began I was close to finishing my GCSEs. I grew up in the same village, and went to the same high school as England’s star striker at the time. No, not Emile Heskey, his Liverpool teammate, Michael Owen.

This would explain why our headmaster was so willing to wheel the television into the sports hall and let us watch the action. I couldn’t wait to get over there and cheer on our local hero. I was convinced that by the time my exams were over England would have been knocked out.

I needn't have worried. Sven Goran Eriksson’s side reached the last eight playing solid football in unfamiliar conditions.They had progressed from a ‘group of death’ which included old foes Argentina.

It was against the Albiceleste - in England’s second group game - that John Motson delightedly forewarned viewers to “hold the cups and the glasses back home,” as David Beckham stood over the penalty spot four years on from ‘that game’ in Saint-Etienne.

With one kick of a football the England captain exorcised his demons and ‘Beckham mania’ went into the stratosphere. My brother, who was at that game in Sapporo, said there was one hell of a party that night. Let’s just say ‘Suspicious Minds’ and ‘Mustang Sally’ echoed down Tokyo’s notorious Shibuya drinking alley into the very, very early hours.

Following an accomplished 3-0 win over Denmark in the last 16, England, to my great relief, went into the third week of the tournament. We still had a chance, and I was on my way.

I landed at Narita International Airport on the day of the Brazil game.

As I sat on a packed bullet train with hundreds of fervid England supporters, heading out into the green surroundings of the Shizouka Stadium, there was buoyant optimism. The long scenic walk from the train to the turnstiles felt like Wembley way meets the yellow brick road.

‘Follow, follow, follow, ‘cos the English are in Tokyo’ we all sang, ‘cos the boys from Brazil we’re gonna beat ‘em 2-0 and we’re sendin’ ‘em back to Rio’. And we could have done. But we didn’t.

A fluke goal from Ronaldinho shattered the dream and the Brazilians went on to become World Champions for a fifth time. England went home, but not in disgrace. I would mark this point in England’s more recent past as pivotal.

Why? Well, as fans we were devastated, of course. It was hard lines. But we still had hope. We were still enthusiastic that are promising young squad would mature and next time would be our time. 16 years, seven major tournaments, three penalty shootouts, and Iceland later, all of that enthusiasm has slowly drained away.

We are apathetic. And who can blame us? England’s poor managerial appointments, turgid displays and uncanny knack of freezing on the biggest stage has tested the resolve of even the hardiest and barmiest supporters.

It’s not as if we have turned are backs on the Three Lions. We still care, and the thought of a World Cup still stirs the soul. Football fans are a resilient breed. Forgiving fools. Gluttons for punishment.

As much as we downplay it, the World Cup still means so much. The history. The emotion. The colour. The flair. The mere mention of England’s opener against Tunisia in Volgograd on June 18 reminds us to check work commitments and wedding invitations for a clash of dates.

The 2017/18 domestic season is finally reaching its end game. Manchester City have cakewalked the Premier League but will bemoan their luck in Europe, until August at least.

In truth they were victims to a heist carried out by a crack team from Merseyside. City have been the team of the year but the European Cup looks destined for Liverpool once again.

There is still silverware to be won and lost. Promotions and relegations to be decided. Agony and ecstasy will be served up in equal measure. And once the ticker tape of early May has been cleared away focus will turn to what should be the greatest sporting show on earth.

Sadly, it’s a party nobody wants to go to. It’s hard to imagine Russia 2018 will be a hoot. Only a quarter of the number of England fans that travelled to Brazil four years ago are expected to make the trip.

Anglo-Russian relations have become increasingly shaky since the draw was made in early December at the Kremlin’s State Palace. And given the worrying context in which this politically supercharged World Cup will play out, it’s hard to believe it is happening at all.

The idea that the English FA might boycott the tournament was soon dismissed. The England squad will be settled into their secluded base camp, 19 miles from the port city of St Petersburg, when the tournament kicks off on June 14.

So what of our chances? FA Technical Director, Dan Ashworth hopes “we inspire the nation, play well and win some games.” Realistically, that’s probably as much as we can hope for. Nobody is getting overly pumped. Nobody expects us to win it. Most of us have been bored into submission, by dreary qualifiers and ITV’s even drearier coverage of them.

But could all of this play into our hands? Possibly. In Gareth Southgate, England have a capable, young, intelligent manager with an almost terrifying desire to do well. He cares and although he may not be the most colourful of characters, England fans know that he cares. That goes a long way.

Southgate has a good problem when it comes to whittling down his 23 man squad. As is often the case, we have plenty of talent to choose from. His willingness to leave out deadwood and give youth a chance, combined with the fact the pressure barometer is at an all time low, means his chosen few should be able to express themselves.

Harry Maguire has had a very pleasing season at Leicester and has looked at home in an England jersey. On his day John Stones is a Rolls Royce of a defender. The full back positions should pick themselves and upfront we have one of Europe's best strikers in Harry Kane.

Now it’s a case of filling in the midfield with square pegs in square holes. Raheem Sterling has improved markedly under Pep’s expert tutelage. He will start, as will Dele Alli who can be instrumental in unlocking tight defences.

I suspect Southgate will go with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson alongside Eric Dier in midfield. Depending on whether we play three at the back or not, either Manchester United’s Chris Smalling or Jesse Lingard are likely to be involved.

Either way England will have terrific options from the bench. Vardy and Rashford have pace to burn and could play major roles late on in games. I would hope Jonjo Shelvey and Ruben Loftus Cheek are considered to give the midfield another dimension.

The biggest conundrum facing Southgate is who to put between the sticks. I would give Pickford his chance but Butland looks to be favourite.

Speaking of conundrums, let’s be prepared for the one nine letter word all Englishmen fear. Penalties. The irony of Gareth Southgate’s England ending up in a shootout will not be lost on anyone. It’s pretty much guaranteed to happen. But not to worry. The football gods wouldn’t be that cruel to such a nice man twice. Would they?

There are positives to grasp and England have a decent group. Tunisia and Panama should not pose many problems. The final group match against Belgium looks key. Win that and we may all start to believe again. The spirit of Sapporo may return, for a little while at least.