England heading towards a bright future as young stars shine against Iceland in UEFA Nations League
England fans have a lot to be happy about as the 2022 FIFA World Cup approaches. The Three Lions boast an exciting team of young, talented players, who are all hungry for success.
In a week where Germany was humiliated 6-0 at the hands of Spain, England picked themselves up after their own disappointing loss to Belgium to record an emphatic 4-0 victory against Iceland.
Gareth Southgate’s side failed to advance to the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League. However, the victory against Iceland is evidence that the team has improved in the last couple of years.
Four years ago, Iceland eliminated England from the Euros, in what was one of the most embarrassing defeats in the nation’s football history. On Wednesday, when the two teams faced each other again, the Three Lions started the game with a new team filled with exciting prospects.
A team of young talents
Aside from Harry Kane who led in attack, the supporting cast of Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Mason Mount and Declan Rice are all players under the age of 23.
In the end, Foden stole the show with two goals against Iceland, while Rice and Mouth also got on the scoresheet. There were also assists from Harry Winks and Jadon Sancho. Grealish was voted the Man of the Match for his dazzling display in midfield.
This England team has got a lot of potential and these players can play together for the next decade. This is a group that is bound to dominate world football in the coming years.
“We are very conscious of the crop of young players coming through that we think will be fabulous for England for years to come. It was great for the public to get a glimpse of that,” Southgate said of his side, as quoted by the Guardian.
“They were surrounded by some excellent professionals. It would have been easy for us to not perform well tonight, there was every excuse possible not to perform well. But that wasn’t the mentality of the seniors and I have to say the captain led that from the start," added Southgate.
Currently, the only thing this team lacks is experience, but if they keep playing together, that aspect of their game will improve. England’s young stars shone against Iceland and fans can be excited about the future of this group of players.