MANAGER: Gareth Southgate
He still doesn’t get the credit he deserves for taking England from tournament flops to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and to the brink of glory on home soil at Euro 2020.
With greater success comes bigger expectations though and if England fail to reach at least the semifinals in Qatar then questions will come over whether Southgate is good enough to take England all the way.
Hopes springs eternal though, and there is quiet confidence in the Class of 22 heading to Qatar.
Justifying those raised expectations are the impressive campaigns that took the Three Lions to within a whisker of UEFA EURO glory and to their best FIFA World Cup finish since 1990.
FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jude Bellingham | Position: Midfielder | Age: 19
• England’s third-youngest player when he debuted in 2020, and big things are expected.
• Bellingham’s ball-carrying ability, athleticism and maturity have established him as one of the most exciting youngsters in the game.
Phil Foden | Position: Midfielder/Forward | Age: 22
• Pep Guardiola described Foden as “the most talented player I’ve ever seen” is now firmly established as a key man for club and country.
• Player of the tournament when England won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India five years ago, Foden brings skill, vision and creativity and will be crucial to the nation’s hopes of senior success in Qatar.
Harry Kane | Position: Striker | Age: 29
• England’s captain remains the first name on Southgate’s team sheet, and for good reason.
• Kane has already scored more goals in competitive matches and major tournaments than any player in England’s history.
• Having fired his way to the Adidas Golden Boot at Russia 2018, the Spurs star is the bookies’ favourite to top the tournament’s scoring chart once again in Qatar.
Declan Rice | Position: Midfielder | Age: 23
• David Moyes labeled Rice as “the best midfield player in Europe” and was England’s top performer at the EURO.
• Southgate, in lauding Rice’s athleticism and “outstanding” ball-recovery skills, has even suggested this powerful holding midfielder could succeed Kane as Three Lions captain.
Bukayo Saka | Position: Forward | Age: 20
• Southgate has acknowledged that Saka is “less appreciated” and enjoys a profile that “isn’t quite the same as some of our other attacking players”.
• Saka is a humble and hard-working attacker with speed and intelligence that make him a near-certain starter in Qatar.
MANAGER: Dragan Skocic
The Croatian coach was appointed in February 2020 as a replacement for former Belgium manager Marc Wilmots and has guided Iran through qualifying and to their sixth World Cup appearances.
Skocic has great experience of the Iranian football system, having worked with domestic clubs Malavana and Foolad. He has a sublime track record so far, winning 15 of the 17 games he has overseen as manager.
As Iran prepare to participate in their third consecutive FIFA World Cup campaign, the nation’s finest generation aspires to make it past the group stage at the sixth time of asking.
Team Melli look to create history in Qatar 2022.
FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Amir Abedzadeh | Position: Goalkeeper | Age: 29
• Heading into Qatar 2022, that task seems to be destined for Abedzadeh, who came through the ranks at Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford.
• He continues to impress in Spain where he represents second division side Ponferradina.
Omid Noorafkan | Position: Leftback/defensive midfielder | Age: 24
• Noorafkan adds versatility to the Iran side. Capable of playing as leftback, defensive midfielder or even central defender when called upon.
• It will be Noorafkan’s first World Cup, the utility man had the experience of captaining his nation at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017, their first appearance in that age group in 16 years.
Ahmad Nourollahi | Position: Central midfielder | Age: 29
• Nourollahi slowly but steadily developing into one of the most reliable midfielders in Iranian and Asian football.
• He is a indispensable part of the national team setup throughout the Asian Qualifiers for Qatar 2022 since the arrival of Skocic as coach.
• Combative off the ball and calm in possession, Nourollahi’s ability to strike the ball from range.
Mehdi Taremi | Position: Winger | Age: 30
• Taremi is a household name in European football, with a FIFA Puskás Award nomination and the top scorer award in the Portuguese Primeira Liga to his name.
• Taremi formed a devastating trio alongside Sardar Azmoun and Alireza Jahanbakhsh, with the three of them combining for over 170 international goals between them.
• This will be his second FIFA World Cup as seventh amongst Iran’s all-time top scorers with 27 goals in 58 caps.
Sardar Azmoun | Position: Striker | Age: 27
• Azmoun has spearheaded Iran’s attack for the past seven years with great success. – He uses his combination of poacher’s instinct and imposing physique to convert chances.
• Azmoun has established himself as one of the most recognised goalscorers in European football, becoming the all-time highest Iranian top scorer in the UEFA Champions League.
• He is currently the nation’s third all-time top scorer with 40 international goals.
MANAGER: Gregg Berhalter
Berhalter was handpicked to take over as US coach back in 2018 when he was plucked from MLS franchise Columbus Crew as part of a huge reset following a shambolic 2-1 defeat by Trinidad and Tobago that saw them miss out.
After an uninspiring first year in charge, Berhalter has managed to make the most of the promising crop of American talent springing up across Europe and get a tune out of them.
A former defender, the 48-year-old represented the US at two World Cups (2002 and 2006).
FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sergino Dest | Position: Rightback | Age: 21
• USMNT are not only blessed because Dest is as good at terrorising fullbacks as he is at nullifying wingers.
• Dest is immoderately experienced for his age, having appeared in two FIFA youth competitions and represented Ajax, Barcelona and AC Milan, whom he recently joined on loan.
Weston McKennie | Position: Midfielder | Age: 24
• McKennie has been “obsessed with the World Cup” since he was seven. He got to meet his idol before USA played Poland in a Germany 2006 warm-up, with Landon Donovan signing Weston’s cleats.
• He is a box-to-box midfielder who has been juxtaposed with Edgar Davids and Arturo Vidal, is set to realise his dream at Qatar 2022.
Yunus Musah | Position: Midfielder | Age: 19
• Gareth Southgate made a personal plea to sway Musah, who won over 30 caps for England at youth level, to commit his senior international future to the Three Lions speaks volumes about how highly he values the prodigy.
• Musah boasts power, sprinter’s pace and electrifying dribbling, has taken inspiration from N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Christian Pulisic.
Christian Pulisic | Position: Attacking midfielder | Age: 23
• Pennsylvanian city’s second-most famous son is the most successful football player his country has ever produced.
• Pulisic has already inspired Borussia Dortmund to DFB-Pokal glory, and helped Chelsea win the UEFA Champions League.
• Christian ‘Captain America’ Pulisic has set innumerable USMNT records, headlined their Concacaf Nations League conquest, and boasts 21 goals and 10 assists from 51 caps.
• After lifting a trophy on the Arabian Peninsula at the start of 2022, Pulisic wants to end the year there with the sport’s biggest prize.
Ricardo Pepi | Position: Forward | Age: 19
• Berhalter couldn’t stop striker-tinkering until he saw ‘The Train’. “Incredible,” the USA coach said of Pepi’s international debut in September 2021.
• Pepi now has nine starts for the Stars and Stripes to his name, and Berhalter continues to be in awe
• He’s intelligent, he makes great runs, he scores goals.
• Pepi is probably the best natural finisher that the US has ever had. His goals are similar to a Lewandowski. He scores in every single way, from everywhere on the pitch.
MANAGER: Rob Page
Page has been doing the Wales job as caretaker since Ryan Giggs stepped aside following his arrest on assault charges in November 2020. Allegations which he denies.
It was reported in The Athletic in April that the Welsh FA were awaiting the outcome of Gigg’s August court case before making a decision, but Page – after guiding Wales to a first World Cup since 1958 – has since made clear he would be leading the Welsh team to the Finals.
Despite that record-breaking gap between appearances, manager Page travels to Qatar with a squad boosted and battle-hardened by two impressive continental campaigns. Reaching the knockout stages at the last two UEFA European Championships was no mean feat, and the key men from those squads remains in place.
Now, with a few hugely talented youngsters lining up alongside established stars like Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, there are high hopes of making a similar impact at Qatar 2022.
FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Gareth Bale | Position: Forward | Age: 33
• Captain, all-time record goalscorer and so much more besides, Bale remains Wales’ undisputed talisman.
• Everyone remembers the flag that famously proclaimed the order of his priorities and affections, and Bale himself has never hid the extra energy he finds when playing for Wales.
• Bale may be 33, but he showed during qualifying, with vital goals, driving runs and spectacular set pieces that he is as vital to the Welsh cause as ever.
• Given all that, and his advancing years, Wales plan on enjoying this all-time great for as long as they possibly can. A World Cup should be the perfect stage on which to showcase and savour Bale’s talents.
Daniel James | Position: Winger | Age: 24
• First, he was dubbed “the next Gareth Bale”. The hype surrounding James then went into overdrive when Manchester United signed him as a teenager after just a season of second-tier football.
• Having made his name as a winger, James has also been deployed as a centre-forward by his national team and could well be seen in that role in Qatar.
• James is not an out and out striker. But he’s a talented footballer with unbelievable pace who can score goals and create chances. He also makes opposition defenders drop deep, which in turn creates more space for our creative players in the middle of the park.
Brennan Johnson | Position: Forward | Age: 21
• Johnson is another young attacker to whom considerable hype has been attached. Page went as far as to dub him “the future of Welsh football”, and there are plenty who share those lofty expectations.
• Like James, the Nottingham Forest star brings a number of offensive tactical options to Wales, having excelled as a traditional striker, in a wider role and as a creative No. 10.
• Excellent technique, ball-carrying ability, movement and work-rate have established him as one of the hottest attacking prospects in English football, and while he may start as a substitute in Qatar, don’t assume that will diminish his effectiveness.
Aaron Ramsey | Position: Midfielder | Age: 31
• Long considered the Robin to Bale’s Batman, Ramsey hasn’t always been in the shadow of his more celebrated teammate.
• He was widely considered Wales’ best player when they reached the semifinals at EURO 2016, starred again at EURO 2020.
• Gary Speed made Ramsey captain when he was still just 20, Chris Coleman lauded him as “world-class” and Ryan Giggs said he had the talent “to play anywhere in Europe”.
Neco Williams | Position: Wingback | Age: 21
• Williams joined Liverpool at the age of six. He would still be at Anfield, too, if Jurgen Klopp didn’t agree with the universal assessment that the youngster is simply too good to be spending his time on the bench, deputising for the immovable Trent Alexander-Arnold.
• The German reluctantly sanctioned a £17 million move to Nottingham Forest.
• Whether it’s as a fullback or a wingback, on the right or the left, Williams brings athleticism, ball-carrying ability and genuine attacking threat in wide areas.
• Those attributes, and the youngster’s burning desire to make an impression on the global stage, ensure he will well worth watching when Wales make their World Cup return.
