Former England midfielder and Arsenal legend Ray Parlour insists that Roy Hodgson’s side are still far away from having a competitive squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The Three Lions qualified for Brazil after their 2-0 win in the final Group H fixture against Poland at Wembley. The 40-year-old former midfielder hailed England’s performance against the Central European side.
Parlour believes England will be unable to compete against the top teams across the globe and are 25-1 to win the World Cup next summer. The English side have only won the World Cup once in their history and are not the favourites to win in Brazil in 2014.
“Last night was an excellent performance, it was great to get through to Brazil, but I still think England are well short. You look at the other nations, the likes of Spain, Holland, France – if they do get through – and then you look at Brazil and Argentina and there is so much quality,” Parlour told Talksprot.
“It is going to be tough for them. I think they are about 25-1 [to win the World Cup] and that reflects roughly their chances. I think that is about the right price. They have still got a lot to do to catch up with the bigger nations like Spain.”
Meanwhile, England skipper Steven Gerrard is delighted after the Three Lions cemented a place in the upcoming World Cup. Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney opened the scoring for the hosts before Liverpool star’s late strike sealed a comfortable victory over Poland at Wembley.
“It’s a great feeling, I’m on a great high at the moment. It’s difficult to put into words the feeling you get when you see the ball hit the back of the net,” Liverpool skipper said.
“All the pressure you’ve been under over the past couple of years, the pressure to qualify, it’s done. It was a feeling of great satisfaction. But it’s important to stay grounded and humble.”
“We’ve got to Rio and congratulations to everyone for all their hard work, but we’ve got to keep improving and moving forward because it’s going to be a big challenge for this team in Brazil,” England midfielder added.
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