Gareth Southgate believes his England team will be able to brighten the nation’s spirits during Sunday night’s World Cup quarterfinal encounter against Senegal, despite the December darkness and rising cost of living problem.
England’s performances in Qatar have oscillated between the spectacular and the drab, but they have avoided defeat, something that Brazil, France, Spain, and Argentina have not been able to do.
And Southgate is quietly optimistic that his team can spread more goodwill across the nation, just as they did when England reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the final of Euro 2020.
“Part of the motivation for performing the job is to make others happy,” he remarked following England’s Saturday training session. “Of course, we have our pride and aspirations for professional success. But we have taken the nation on two fantastic adventures, and you can sense that another one is possible, and we want it to occur.
“We recognize everyone’s domestic circumstances,” he stated. And we want to bring smiles to people’s faces as this weekend draws to a close.
The tone was confident without being arrogant. The Senegalese camp has suggested that England is arrogant, but Southgate emphasized that his team has “great respect” for the African champions.
The small number of England supporters in the Souq Waqif, one of the locations where fans have congregated during the previous two weeks, exhibited a similar reserve. No one anticipated a World Cup victory shortly. No one sang about it returning home. Certainly not yet.
Steve Melay, a businessman from Northampton who flew out for three nights to attend the game, predicted that the match versus Senegal would be a close one. Extra time and penalties are possible, but I believe we will prevail.
His friend Dean Moore from Wallington was more certain that England will win, provided Southgate followed the same upbeat approach as he did in England’s 6-2 victory over Iran in their opening match. “He must be courageous,” he remarked. “Our most talented players are our forwards, so let’s utilize them. Let’s not be afraid of defeat. Let’s go all in. And I believe we should win easily. But if we are timid or lack confidence, Senegal will put pressure on us, and the game might become chaotic.
Plenty of tickets are still available on flights from London and Manchester to Doha, so there is no indication of an influx of England fans. However, some supporters may be waiting to see if the team advances to a potential quarterfinal match against France on Saturday.
However, Martin and Ros Savage from Harrow stated that the exorbitant expense of travel was an issue for many England supporters. They paid over £1,000 for flights to Doha in addition to £14,000 (£3,100) in Qatari rials for a nine-night stay. Ros explained, “As members of the England travel club, we have conditional tickets for the round of 16 and quarterfinals.” We were always going to advance, even if England was eliminated in the group stage.
“This is an expensive vacation,” Martin concurred. “Young people cannot afford it. Many of them have instead traveled to Spain or Portugal for their World Cup vacation.”
Many of the England fans in Qatar look to be ex-pats residing in the Gulf region who are taking advantage of a rare opportunity to watch the national team. Sarah Bradell, who had traveled from Bahrain, was among them. She stated, “The atmosphere has been wonderful, and as a woman, I feel extremely comfortable here.” We could go to the restroom and leave our wallets on the table without fear of theft.
According to Fifa and Qatari organizers, 2.45 million people watched the 48 group games, with an average of 96 percent of seats occupied. Given how many seats appeared to be empty at certain matches, this will raise some suspicions.
Colin Smith, Fifa’s chief operating officer, remarked, “The World Cup was great.” Teams, media, and fans are enjoying more games, festivals, football, and enjoyment.
Some of that is debatable. On the field, however, it has been a blast. And England intends to remain in the oven for at least one another week.
