There are reasons top National teams as such as England, Brazil and Argentina are yet to win the World Cup after wearing the crown for what now looks like they never did. And when you a little bit of recognition for Portugal, a team that has never won the World cup, you can't help but sigh and feel disappointed instead of pity.
When you take a closer look at the stats and happening, these teams has all it takes to lift the World Cup at least once in three or four trials for they not only possess the stars of the planet, they should be able to provide the funds or whatever is needed to bring in officials that would make the World Cup dream a reality.
The likes of Argentina, a team that possesses five times world best player and a god of football in Lionel Messi, then you consider the talents of Angel Di Maria, Kun Aguero, to name but just a few, you begin to wonder if they see travelling for the World Cup tournament as a vacation.
Brazil, also known as the Samba boys are the most successful team in the World Cup competition, a tournament they have won five times but last won it in 2002 and failed four times later, with unacceptable booting that followed.
England on their own part has produced or continues to produce generations of awesome and wonderful players but last won the world Cup in 1966, 52 years to the last tournament played and 13 tournaments has flown past without another triumph.
Theirs poses the most concern as a team that produced a generation of awesome players like Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney, to name but just a few of that time, how was it possible a generation of such wonderful players were never able to lift the World cup trophy or at least, get so close as the finals is a question that is hanging on the air with answers eluding everyone I have presented the question to.
Their current set of players are very essential for their respective clubs but play woefully with the National team. In case you are dearth in knowledge of which players I am actually referring to, the likes Harry Kane and Dele Alli, Eric Dier are very vital for Tottenham. Rashford and Lingard are very vital for Manchester United and so on. These players play for some of the best club team in the world but were knocked out by a Croatian team filled with unpopular players from unpopular leagues and teams.
My Observations
Having considered the recent successes of the World Cup Champions, I sketched out very important features I feel are likely missing in the current top National teams and could be the reason or 's why they aren't living up to the hype.
Italy won the world cup next in 2006, after Brazil's Korea Japan triumph in 2002. That win was against France and if we would be sincere with ourselves, France losing Zinedine Zidane to a red card played a huge part in their triumph but we will have to give it to them, no matter what. If you can be able to hold back Zinedine Zidane from having his way for over 110 minutes of football play on a pitch, you deserve the win even if you eventually end up on the losing side.
Italy were lucky to have the services of Luca Toni, Andreas Totti, Laquinta, Aquillani, Gattuso, Fabio Canavarro, De Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, Filippo Inzaghi and some other top Italian greats of football. These players went up against the Zizou of France and his partners in delicate footballing in Thiery Henry, Viera, Makelele and other French greats. These teams represented all there is to name a "Winning Team". They were rock solid at the back, as evidence to three goals conceived by France and two by Italy throughout the tournament. Both teams knocked out heavyweights, especially the France team, they had to deal with Spain, Brazil and Portugal before meeting Italy in the finals.
Today's teams, not much attention is paid to the defence as most of the attentions are showered on classy attackers who produces flicks and exhibits all sorts of amazing skills to the awe of everyone watching without mining their defence. This can be said of England, a team without defenders worthy of playing with the spirit the World cup calls for, the kinda spirit the Croatian team displayed in the last World Cup tournament that took them to the finals.
The next triumph of Spain saw a team filled with club team Barcelona players, a team that was ruling club football as at that time, players who understood what is required of them and can tell the positions of some players without looking. This aspect calls for togetherness from the players of a National team, you can't have A at Nigeria, B at Japan and C at England and expect them to understand each other perfectly well when they come together or fit into the atmosphere of the new environment quickly.
This applies to both England and Argentina. Players that ply their talents at different clubs with different tactics and come together to play football with just a short period of staying together. How's that even possible? That is where the need for friendlies come in
The above issue of togetherness is one of the reason friendlies are organized for National teams in between the season of club football and after the season. A quality coach would utilize any friendly opportunity and fetch out quality players needed to push the team forward, find the flaws in the team, the players needed for each position and those worth calling up.
The next two triumphs of Germany and France has the aforementioned observations hovering over it. Germany mixed class and spirit and beat Argentina in the final in 2014. France had that class, solidity and resilience and were able to weather the storm from Croatia and won the 2018 world cup.
The next world cup in 2022, can we see any of Argentina, England or Brazil lift the trophy and end their long wait?
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