England Sail Through To 2026 World Cup

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2:40Alan Shearer:Hello and welcome to the Resties Football with Micah Richards, Alan Shearer and me, Gary Lineker. England have qualified for the 2026 World Cup and they've done it in style. Six games played, six victories, 18 goals scored, none conceded, free-flowing football. It's just an absolute cert now that England will win the World Cup.

3:04Gary Lineker:Why aren't we all ecstatic? Well, the thing is you can only beat

3:08Alan Shearer:who's in front of you, can't you? Yeah, I agree, absolutely. And don't forget, not that long ago, 18 months ago, a little less, or 15 months ago, we were following England in the Euros and they were playing against teams, so-called inferior opposition. And they struggled against them and they didn't play high. But I applaud Thomas Tuchel, the fact that they're now playing very high. They're kind of, I suppose, dominating the play in terms of possession, obviously, but also they're playing in their last third of the pitch. But what can we really, really read into these games?

3:46Gary Lineker:England have been impressive. As you say, it's not their fault, the opposition. They can only beat who's put in front of them. And they've been really impressive. I think the manager has done everything he could have. He sent a message out to his players in terms of the big hitters. This is who we are. If you don't want to be part, if you haven't got the right attitude, I'm really happy with my squad. and I don't have to bring you back in if you're not going to be at the top of your game. Yeah, so from that point of view, everything's been amazing. Everything's been brilliant. And I know I understand over the years, England have lost to Iceland.

4:25Gary Lineker:England have lost to so many lesser nations. But I think that's why we're seeing so many records being broken in terms of goals scored for individuals, for teams, et cetera, et cetera. I mean and I understood Thomas Tuchel's point the other night about England fans when there was I mean brilliant on a Thursday evening 80 ,000 on a friendly when they all go to Wembley etc but I sort of get it and understand it because I mean I don't know about you but are you really excited about what we've seen from England over the last year or two they've been great and did exactly what we wanted them to do and they had to do but you can't tell me you've got excited and got off your seat with all of that.

5:09Alan Shearer:Well, the thing is, Alan, realistically, you're not going to get excited until they start doing well in a major competition in a World Cup. This is England. England games. Because they're winning so easily, so therefore there's no jeopardy. I think that's the thing. If there's no jeopardy in a football match and you think, well, you just need to turn, you don't need to turn up, you've still got to perform and they have performed. But I'd say again, they're not playing against France and Portugal and Spain and Argentina and Brazil. They're not. at the moment but so how why would you get excited or nervous because you need to have a degree of nervousness about a football match if to have that kind of excitement that you're talking about surely

5:51Gary Lineker:it's like playing the FA Cup third round every time England play isn't it yeah agreed but they need to change the format don't they they need to change it the same like the Champions League make it a league format because you can't do that Mike how can you play that many games well I mean you could have maybe be less, less games, but they need to do something. Maybe just in terms of the... Even like the Nations League, where relegation and promotion, and you're playing better opposition all the time, I don't know. Yeah, but for me, I think they were positives for England. Yeah, loads. And Al's talked about a few of them, but I think watching the game, it's more the way the press, as you said, the high, but it's how they're winning the ball back so quickly.

6:37So once it goes past the first line and then the second line, not even in the mid-block, it's sort of in between high and mid-block. It's just everyone's out. And even a perfect example of that was Bowen. Because you know what it's like. You come on as a sub, you win in the game, and you think the energy could drop. And I think players forget their principles, but they didn't. Bowen wins a ball, looks like he's going to play to Rashford, gives the ball to Eze, Eze scores. And I just think that energy in the team is back. And how many games have we watched where it's been an absolute dross game and it's been 1 or 2-0 and we go away from it thinking, okay, it was only X of team and we're thinking, oh, they were supposed to do that anyway.

7:31But they were actually winning the games convincingly and the players now who are playing well for their club are transferring that to international exactly the same. So, yeah, it's not great. It's not that exciting.

7:43Gary Lineker:It's through no fault of anyone, the players or the managers or anything else. They've shown a great attitude and they did exactly what they had to do and they've scored the goals and they've won the games and they've all been impressive. The managers made the point that he had to make. But can anyone really tell me that they got excited or they really enjoyed watching those games?

8:05Alan Shearer:No, I don't think that's necessarily the point, really. What is the point then? The point is to make sure that you do turn up in those games and do what England have done. They can't do any more than that. If they turned up in these games and not performed, you go, of course we're not going to get excited about matches against Latvia and friendlies against Wales.

8:29Gary Lineker:But that's all we've seen for the last two years. But that's nobody's fault, is it? That's the authority's fault, no? I mean, that's just the way it is. I'm not having a go at any player. I think their attitudes have been brilliant. And I've been in these games. I've been in where you've had to go to, I don't know, Luxembourg or Switzerland or, I don't know, Andorra.

8:50Alan Shearer:You had to mention the game where you got a hat-trick.

8:52Gary Lineker:Hat-trick, yeah. That was at Wembley, though. He was thinking about the games where he'd scored. I mean, come on. Have you really, really enjoyed what you've seen over the last week or so with England? I know they beat Wales at home and they've won tonight, but come on. You can't tell me you've got excited over that. Really? Anyone? I know it doesn't take a lot to get you excited, Mike, but come on.

9:17Alan Shearer:No, I don't think anyone would have got excited about that. But what more can you expect from a performance like that? you know it's they're not playing against France or Germany so you're not going to have that kind of jeopardy of performance but that's what we're having all

9:35Gary Lineker:the time now that's why Thomas Tuchel tried to make a point the other night it's like I mean the England fans were amazing there was 80 ,000 at Wembley for a friendly on a Thursday night and the England fans travel wherever England go it's been brilliant but you can't tell me we're all excited over what we've seen over the last two years qualifying can we?

9:54Alan Shearer:Oh, bar humbug, aren't you? You're a big, real humbug tonight. Are you disagreeing with me? No, we agree. We agree with you. I was agreeing with you, but I'm not sure how it could possibly be exciting.

10:06Gary Lineker:Harry sent us all a text tonight to say about the Netherlands.

10:11Alan Shearer:Harry Kane? No, you're Harry.

10:14Gary Lineker:Saying about Memphis Depay, more assists and more scores. I mean, as much as I respect him.

10:21Alan Shearer:Dutch national football history.

10:23Gary Lineker:Yeah. Van Basten Van Nistelrooy Cruyff who else has I missed out

10:29Alan Shearer:come on well it's a different it is a different game international football now particularly qualifying and we've talked about this many times because there's so many more countries and smaller countries allowed in and during the breakup of the Soviet Union and the Balkan states and you know so what's the solution I don't know what the solution is in terms of of qualifying I don't know but I mean having said that there are teams that have missed out major tournaments in recent times. It's Italy most notably.

10:57Gary Lineker:And by the way, the World Cup's been extended to 48 teams as well. So we've got an extra, what? Yeah. 18, what was it? 18 or 16 teams extra than in the World Cup. So I'm not sure that's a good thing either.

11:09Alan Shearer:I think we'll all get excited when the World Cup starts though.

11:12Gary Lineker:Not in the qualifying rounds. We might in the latter stages.

11:14Alan Shearer:We will. Come on, the World Cup is going to be brilliant. No matter if it's the group stages or if it's knockout. you'll absolutely love it where are you going America Canada Mexico well there are countries that you know that you would expect to do reasonably well in qualifying haven't Sweden for example with obviously they've got the likes of Isak Allen and numerous other good players bottom of their group against Switzerland Kosovo

11:43Gary Lineker:been sacked hasn't he has he been sacked did I read tonight John Dal Thomason

11:46Alan Shearer:that's right so you know that's the thing because it's we're talking to hear about it not being that exciting and no of course it isn't because winning comfortably against relatively mediocre opposition is not thrilling but you've still got to do it

12:05Gary Lineker:I get that, I'm not seeing anything that.

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13:46Alan Shearer:Welcome back to The Rest is Football with Alan Shearer, Michael Richards and me, Gary Lineker. Alan's in a particularly good mood tonight after England's spectacular, spectacular victory. But overall, looking at who's done themselves a bit of good, which players, I mean, let's talk about firstly that Thomas Tuchel's, you know, left one or two big names out. I think obviously Phil Foden is kind of creeping his way back to form this season. Jude Bellingham, but Jude's been out for a long time with a shoulder surgery. And then he came back and he's played bits and bobs for Real Madrid. Subsequently, people getting a little bit excited or not in the way you were getting excited, Alan, about England's performance.

14:31Alan Shearer:But the media making a big deal of it. I think Thomas Tuch has actually been probably quite sensible. It's a good chance to rest players when you're so comfortably off in terms of qualification.

14:44Gary Lineker:You think he rested Jude Bellingham and all that, do you? You don't think he was making a point?