Jack Wilshere has experienced the burden of expectation that comes with representing England at a World Cup. He felt it envelop the squad as they crashed to a group-stage exit in Brazil in 2014.
It is worth listening, then, when the former midfielder, who has since transitioned into management with Luton Town, says this squad is different. Wilshere is convinced the class of 2026 can handle the pressure and deliver the trophy for the first time since 1966.
It starts, he says, with the head coach. Thomas Tuchel, a Champions League-winner with Chelsea, has of course brought elite managerial acumen to the role. But Wilshere highlights another point of difference from Gareth Southgate and Roy Hodgson.
“There were a lot of question marks when Thomas got the job. People were saying, ‘Oh, the English manager should be English’.
“I think Gareth Southgate did a fantastic job of bringing everyone together. But actually, if you’re an English person, you feel that same pressure. I think back to my experiences of the World Cup. There is pressure, there is an expectation that you really do feel.
“But now you’ve got someone who doesn’t feel that.”
Wilshere believes England’s opening group game against Croatia, when Tuchel’s half-time team talk inspired a storming 4-2 victory following an edgy first-half performance, demonstrated the value of the German’s detachment from the English football psyche.
“In the first half we had some nice moments, some good periods, but we didn’t look that comfortable or that confident in ourselves.
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Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville lauded England’s second-half display against Croatia and gave his verdict on their tournament chances
“Then in the second half, I think you saw a different team, where you had a manager who had gone in at half-time and said, ‘Yeah, I understand all that, but this is how we’re going to win that game, forget all that expectation, forget all that pressure’.
“And we’ve definitely got players that can execute it.
“There will be tougher tests, for sure. Tougher tests in opposition, and tougher tests in conditions. I think a lot of it will come down to how we deal with those conditions.
“But we have, in my opinion, one of the best teams, physically, that we’ve had in a number of years, and I saw things the other night that I probably haven’t ever seen from an England team.
“So, yeah, I’m confident we can go all the way this time.”
Wilshere was speaking to Sky Sports over Zoom ahead of England’s second group game against Ghana as part of his role as co-host of eBay Live’s Showdown: 7s vs 10s, an interactive livestream taking place on Sunday when he will debate football’s great No 7s and No 10s with Landon Donovan as fans bid on memorabilia items.
Both numbers have meaning to him.
Wilshere inherited the No 10 from Robin van Persie at Arsenal in 2012 but wore the No 7 as an academy player and idolised David Beckham growing up. “I can think of so many games when he dragged the country through with the No 7 on his back.”
Wilshere is a memorabilia collector himself. “And not just football,” he adds. “I’ve got a couple of Tiger Woods items I got off eBay.” Mostly, though, his collection is made up of mementos from his playing career, including his ceremonial England caps, proudly displayed on the wall behind him in his home office.
I’m confident we can go all the way this time
There are 34 of them in total, a number which would be far higher if not for injuries. Two years younger than Jordan Henderson at 34, it is not a stretch to say that Wilshere might be there with the squad this summer had his career progressed as anticipated following his thrilling breakthrough with club and country as a teenager.
An outstanding and elusive technician, Wilshere had precisely the qualities England lacked in their midfield at that time. He showed them most memorably with a starring display against Brazil in 2013 and a two-goal performance against Slovenia in 2015.
Wilshere celebrates one of his goal against Slovenia in 2015 in the No 7 shirt
Now seeing the game through the lens of a coach, though, he accepts the emphasis has shifted. Technical quality remains essential but physical power is just as important. Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham have it in abundance.
“I think they are a completely different team physically.
“We’ve had some great midfielders over the years, and I’m not saying that this midfield is the best midfield we’ve ever had, but I think physically, it probably is. They have the ability and the capacity to dominate duels, to dominate big areas of the pitch.
“They have quality as well, which certainly helps, but I feel like modern-day football is about that, about having players who can dominate physically, and we certainly have that.”
I’m not saying that this midfield is the best midfield we’ve ever had, but I think physically, it probably is
It is just another factor in a long list which differentiates this England squad from previous ones, according to Wilshere, and convinces him of their potential to go the distance.
“Number one is that they have the experience of getting to finals,” he says, referencing the last two European Championships.
“They have the experience of being the team that Gareth brought back and everybody loved, who couldn’t do anything wrong, to then all of a sudden, in the last tournament, facing a little bit of adversity.
“They didn’t really play that well, but they still came through their moments and brought the nation back together, so they have the experience of that as well.”
Harry Kane scored twice in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia
Wilshere points out that England also have outstanding individuals, one of whom, in Harry Kane, faces Ghana having scored twice against Croatia following a stunning, 61-goal season with Bayern Munich.
“We’ve had some players over the years. Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, players like that. But it seemed to me that when they got to tournaments, they couldn’t quite find form.
“I think Harry Kane can – and is. You talk about Kylian Mbappe, you talk about Lionel Messi for Argentina, you talk about all these big players. He is in that conversation, and that certainly helps.”
Wilshere highlights the importance of another player who got on the scoresheet against Croatia. “Jude (Bellingham) as well,” he says. “I think this is a big tournament for Jude, and Jude will be really important for us.
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Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett explains how Jude Bellingham has ‘fully bought in’ to Tuchel’s idea of and England brotherhood
“I think he’s probably had a little bit of a frustrating year where he hasn’t played as much as he might have wanted, but actually that could probably help us now. So, I think there are a few things, but probably the biggest one is the physical capacity we now have.”
The game against Ghana will provide further clues as to whether the pieces are finally in place. Wilshere will be watching on, and hoping they can succeed where previous generations have fallen short.
Jack Wilshere co-hosts eBay Live’s Showdown: 7s v 10s on Sunday June 28 at 2.30pm as football’s most iconic shirt numbers go head-to-head, with signed memorabilia and live auctions
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
