Arsenal legend Tony Adam has claimed that England’s chances of winning the World Cup could be hampered by the presence of Tottenham Hotspur players in the squad. The Gunners favourite has suggested that the Spurs’ players don’t possess a winning mentality from the club level and this could have an effect on the Three Lions squad this summer.
Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Danny Rose, and Kevin Trippier are the Spurs players representing England at the tournament but Adams doubt their credentials on the bigger stage, he said: “You must be able to handle winning emotionally and mentally and if they don’t know how to win it, they aren’t going to win it. I’m really worried about these Tottenham players. I don’t think they know how to win. They’re very good players, but at certain points in seasons and tournaments, you have to step up. There’s a psyche [that] players must have.”
Meanwhile, England are the third-youngster team at this summer’s World Cup with an average age of just below 26 and Adams believes this could prove another stumbling block with the lack of a commanding presence at the back, he added: “Teams who win World Cups usually have a real anchor, such as Sergio Ramos or Fabio Cannavaro. England haven’t got that rock.”
Adams once played with a golden generation of England players, who simply failed to deliver on the biggest stage and the same could be implied to him based on his statements. However, Gareth Southgate’s team would surely ponder over past results and the current World Cup will surely showcase how much they have learned from recent tournaments exits.
England only picked up a point in their shock group stage exit at the 2014 World Cup and they have since endured another disappointment after succumbing to an even more surprising 2-1 defeat to Iceland at the 2016 European Championship. Hence, the upcoming tournament could be regarded as more of a free-hit with not much to lose for the upcoming string of players.