HOT! England Soccer Team - What Fans Should Know

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WHAT FANS SHOULD KNOW
Team: English National Team
The English are known worldwide for their impact on the beautiful game. Although their claims to
be the inventors of the widely popular sport are debatable, it is impossible to ignore the fact that
they are true pioneers of world football.
The English Premier League is one of the strongest leagues in the world where stars from all
continents flock to take part in the high quality, exciting and fast-paced football that is fuelled by
extremely passionate, loud, and equally enticing fans. Their national team, much like the top English
leagues, has a unique identity and is a dominant presence in modern football and in football history.
Nicknamed the Three Lions for the three blue lions that are displayed on their crest, the English
National Team is by far one of the most important components of English national identity. Their
history is just as rich as the history of their land, dating back to their first ever official international
game against Scotland in 1872, which ended scoreless.
Their rivalries with neighboring countries Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland are still in
full effect after they started playing representative matches against each other in the 1870s. The
national team and the English leagues have survived wars, economic disasters, national tragedies,
political shifts and have evolved with the rapid development of society but the passionate love for
the game remains the same.
Since their first World Cup in 1950, the English side has had countless legends pass through their
ranks and boast strong squads from the U17 level all the way to the first team. Their history has its
flaws and at times their form suffers but the English are one of the most consistent international
sides in the world.
The English play a very characteristic style of football that contrasts sharply with the styles of Italy,
Brazil or Spain. The long ball, a strategy in which the keeper or a defender boots the ball as hard as
he can up the field over the heads of the midfield players to a striker who sits just onside and can
either turn to shoot the ball or hold it until help arrives, is prominent in the English game. Often
times, the long ball is referred to as the English long ball due to its use in their tactical game.
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Before the offside rules back in the day, this strategy was extremely effective but in the modern
game, England is one of the few sides that religiously stick to this strategy. They do use speed on
their wings and will work the ball out of the back or through the middle of the pitch but often times
a 4-4-2 lineup with two strong forwards who can post up well against the opposition's center backs
is favored over a small and speedy striker who will use dribbling and quick passes to break past the
opposition.
With the evolution of football, the English have done well to continue to produce results without
drifting too far from their tactical framework of the long ball and the wings in the attack and a
disciplined flat back four to keep attackers away from their goal.
Some of the strongest players on the world stage have worn and continue to wear the crest with the
Three Lions proudly on their chests. David Beckham, one of the most widely recognized sportsman
today, was capped 115 times for the English national team before his retirement and scored
seventeen goals in his thirteen year international career.
Today, stars like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Young and several other English Premier
League regulars represent their country and will feature on the European stage at the EURO 2012
competition. Their first fixture of the competition will be played out against their English Channel
rivals France.



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