| The English Football Team-Burying Past Ghosts In 2008-09 |
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The English football team represents England in all major football tournaments across the world. It is a major power-house in the world of football. Despite being unable to show any significant championship title against its name in the last couple of years, the English team remains as one of the top 10 teams in the sport of football.
England's FIFA World Cup History No matter how forgettable their present form, the English team has had an illustrious history. They are one of the seven teams in the world who have won a FIFA World Cup (with a unique distinction that, along with France, they are the only team whose World Cup came at home). This historic moment took place in the 1966, when they hosted the finals. They became world champions by defeating Germany by a score of 4-2 in extra time. However, nothing significant has happened since then. The best they have performed was only a quarter-final spot in 2006, 2002, 1986, and 1970. England's Other International Appearance The performance of the team has also not been great in the UEFA European Football Championship. They couldn't qualify for the 2008 UEFA Cup. The British media blamed the players' preference of their professional clubs over the country as the reason for this ignominious run in international events. What is in the future? In the 2008-09 season, the English team has probably buried the ghosts of the last UEFA European Championship. Placed in a relatively easy UEFA Group 6, they have been unbeaten in their last 4 outings. On top of that, they have maintained a healthy goal difference of +11. In other friendly international fixtures, they have won on 4 occasions, drew one and lost a solitary match against France. English Football Team-The Present Squad The latest 22-man English squad, which played a match against Germany on November 19, 2008(they won 2-1), contains the following players: Strikers * Gabriel Agbonlahor * Darren Bent * Jermain Defoe * Peter Crouch Midfielders * Jimmy Bullard * Scott Parker * Ashley Young * Michael Carrick * Stewart Downing * Gareth Barry * Shaun Wright-Phillips Defenders * John Terry * Matthew Upson * Wayne Bridges * Micah Richards * Glen Johnson * Michael Mancienne * Curtis Davies * Joleon Lescott Goalkeepers * Paul Robinson * Scott Carson * David James England Football Team- Its Manager In January 2008, erstwhile Manager of the English team Steve McClaren vacated the top spot for the Italian Fabio Capello. Fabio had earlier coached well known football clubs such as Milan, Roma, Real Madrid and Juventus. So far, his being at the helm of things seems to have done wonders to the performance of the English team. Fans would hope this continues at least till the next FIFA World Cup. Related Articles
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