DOHA, Nov 20: It’s been nine years since then-English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke set the national team the bold target of winning the 2022 World Cup.
While that aim may not feel as fanciful as it once did, the issues Dyke said had held England back for nearly 50 years, since its only triumph in 1966, remain just as pertinent ahead of Monday’s opening Group B game against Iran.
A Premier League awash with global talent means fewer home-grown players in the top flight for England coach Gareth Southgate to pick from.
In 2013, Dyke described it as a “frightening trend” and said “English football is a tanker that needs turning.”
“The problem is serious, very serious,” he said in a speech that has been proven correct, not least because England has so far met or surpassed his targets in spite of ongoing concerns still not being fully addressed.
At the last World Cup in Russia, Southgate led his team to the semifinals, which was ahead of Dyke’s schedule.
Not a single player that featured in the final of the under-20 World Cup-winning team is part of Southgate’s squad in Qatar.
Only Phil Foden and Conor Gallagher have made it from the U17-winning team. (AP)
