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Last year, The Sun newspaper's Voice of the Fans service ran an opinion poll on whether England were in with a chance of lifting the World Cup in Russia. An astonishing 90% answered in the negative – a damning verdict given the patriotism that always grips the nation when a major football tournament comes around.
Of course, that was before England had even qualified, and there were those who felt that even that was no foregone conclusion. Now the waters are clearer and as the first match against Tunisia gets ever closer, there are those in the know who feel England could pull off a surprise. Ossie is known for his boundless optimism, but there could be some sound logic behind it. Here's why.
The perfect draw
The luck of the draw can be hugely significant in the World Cup, and England have had a great result. The other teams in Group G are Belgium, Panama and Tunisia – it could have been so much worse. Of the three, Belgium are in many ways similar to England – they are a young team with lots of talent and few expectations on their shoulders.
The best news for England is that they play Belgium last in the group, meaning that by the time the teams meet, there is every chance that both will have already qualified for the knockout stages.
It's a knockout
Assuming England negotiate the group stage successfully, they will face one of the top two teams from Group H in the first knockout round. Group H looks even more friendly than Group G, comprising Colombia, Japan, Poland and Senegal. If all goes to form, they will be up against either Colombia or Poland – and they will fancy their chances against either.
Colombia are the top team in Group H and would be the toughest opponents, but they are heavily reliant on James Rodriguez. In other words, England can reach the quarter-final stages without having to play a team that's ranked above them.
One man can make a difference
The comment about James Rodriguez might have caused a wry smile, as England also boast a player who can single-handedly change the destiny of a match. Harry Kane is probably the world's best striker going into Russia 2018. That is an awesome weapon for any team to have at its disposal. The fact that Tottenham seem determined to retain his services for the foreseeable future, despite Real Madrid's obvious interest and sums in excess of £300m being mentioned tells you all you need to know.
But he's not alone
The difference between Kane and Rodriguez, however, is that there is less suggestion that Kane is in any way carrying the team. Talented young players like Stones, Sterling and Radford are fearless and do not carry the scars of past disappointments. They also carry very little weight of expectation on their shoulders, so they can just go out and play.
Everyone loves an underdog
Make no mistake, England go into the World Cup as outside shots, and while we have shown they have a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals, they will have to play out of their skins to advance further, let alone win it. However, every sports fan knows that strange things can happen, and once a team is in the knockout stages of a major tournament, it becomes as much about bottle and character as form and technical skill.
It's always worth taking a look at those outside shots, so if this objective analysis of England's chances has whetted your appetite, you can also read about five underdog teams to watch at the 2018 World Cup here:
https://sportsbet.io/bitcoin-sportsbetting/bitcoin-casino-news/5-underdog-teams-to-watch-at-2018-world-cup/
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/top-5-underdogs-in-the-2018-fifa-world-cup
http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/11/16/five-biggest-underdogs-to-have-qualified-for-russia/
