It’s been a week since The Greatest Show on Earth began, but the World Cup has already delivered some great moments.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi’s hat-trick was nothing short of spectacular, and also started a sensational shootout with Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. With a slew of big-name strikers and already out of bounds, this could be the most fiercely contested Golden Boot in World Cup history.
England’s six-goal thrilling game against Croatia was a clear victory for Thomas Tuchel, as the Three Lions were among the biggest names in France, Argentina and Germany, and got off to an impressive start.
This is the largest World Cup in history with 48 teams participating. It’s the most extravagant and outrageous thing, and I feel like it’s definitely on the rise in the US because you can feel the interest growing.
The distance and travel between the co-hosting venues of the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as the climate, weather and conditions will pose major challenges not only for the players but also for the fans. But this has the potential to make for a great tournament. And now that each team has played at least once and the tournament is over a week old, here are my thoughts on the highs and lows so far.
What has been the most memorable thing so far?
Closer to home and unashamedly biased, Jude Bellingham and the way he inspired England to victory over Croatia.
It was a statement performance. We are already talking about one of England’s greatest ever players. He is only 22 years old but has already won 49 caps and has a good chance of becoming the most capped player of all time.
But, as manager Thomas Tuchel has said, Bellingham are in the “sweet spot” of form at this World Cup. His great performance against Croatia was dominant, dominant and incredibly exciting.
I’ve been covering England for over 25 years, and I’ve been watching England for as long as I can remember, and he’s one of the top three players I’ve ever seen live. He can definitely become the strongest.
Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney are probably the best. Ashley Cole is right behind me. But Bellingham is already with the company. Yes, David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard were great. But we’re talking about a special talent, a special player, a player who can lead this England team to glory.
I was skeptical about England’s chances. And that should be a concern because they were miles apart defensively in the first half.
But in terms of midfield and attack, England are better than anyone. And Bellingham has players who can beat the world.
Harry Kane scores twice as England start their World Cup campaign in style (Image: Getty Images)
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biggest disappointment
Some of the leading players were not able to achieve results in their first World Cup matches.
New 48 team format. I love the World Cup, I love watching the different teams, great stories and glorious adventures.
But adding 16 teams was never easy. I don’t like the fact that we lose any kind of crisis. No longer do the top two qualify, and you suddenly find yourself in a tricky mathematical equation as to whether third place is good enough. That’s not good entertainment.
And more than that, I saw the quality of the game drop significantly. It was inevitable. You can see for yourself.
You can easily throw it into Spain’s draw with Cape Verde. Or Portugal is occupied by the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were upset, but it’s possible.
The match against Spain was truly shocking. This is the counterargument, the antidote to quality decline. But when you look at Canada beating Qatar six times and Germany beating Curaçao 7-1, that’s not good for the tournament.
It lowers the level, lowers the quality and is not a great sight. It also adds another week to the schedule of already exhausted players.
biggest surprise
Brazil struggled in the opening match against Morocco (Image: Getty Images)
That in itself may be surprising, but I think Brazil surprised me. They drew with Morocco. But in reality, they were being outsmarted by Morocco, but Carlo Ancelotti realized that and came back from behind to draw 1-1.
It’s just that Brazil wasn’t on the list of favorites to win. I didn’t like them at all. They’re a big part of the World Cup…but I didn’t get to see them this time.
Now it is. It’s that simple. Yes, they have a problem up front as Igor Thiago is a surprise No9 and he will polarize opinion. But he is a striker who has scored goals in the Premier League.
And the overall line-up includes Marquinhos, Gabriel, Alisson Becker, Bruno Guimarães, Rafinha and Vinicius Junior, who is arguably one of the best players in the world.
Brazil has a real chance under Ancelotti, who is coached by one of the greatest football coaches of all time. When I really didn’t think they would be the favorites.
Watch out for England…Brazil may be waiting for you in the quarter-finals.
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