FORMER MANCHESTER UNITED midfielder Nicky Butt believes England have no right to think they will win this summer’s World Cup.
In the past, England teams have travelled to major tournaments burdened by high expectations levels often as a result of hype from the media.
This time around, however, Roy Hodgson’s youthful squad arrive in Brazil relatively free of such pressure.
The Three Lions face Italy in Manaus on Saturday night before group fixtures with Uruguay and Costa Rica, and Butt, capped 39 times for England, is excited to see how first-timers Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana and Ross Barkley fare.
“It’s quite refreshing really (the low expectations) because as an Englishman it gets on my wick that everyone says we’ve got the pressure to do this… We haven’t won anything since 1966!” Butt said.
“What gives us the right to go to any tournament and win something? It’s false hope really.
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“There are always a lot better teams than us yet the press at home and pundits are thinking ‘this could be our one’. It’s false hope.
This year, it’s fresh and Roy has sent younger players who are hungry, quick, pacey and fit. That’s refreshing and it’s given everyone at home a lift.
“You look at the Liverpool lads — Sturridge, Sterling. They’re quick, they’re sharp, they’re aggressive and powerful. You add to that Danny Welbeck, Rooney. Them four have pace and can get in behind players.
“We’ve got Lallana and Barkley too and if them two play with Gerrard, we’ve got young players with a lot to prove. They’re playing games thinking ‘I don’t want to get dropped’.
“With England squads over the years, we have not had that. Players have had their positions and sometimes even knew what numbers they were getting.
“That’s not right. You should be going to a tournament thinking ‘I need to be playing’.”
Wayne Rooney will be hoping to make an impact in Brazil this month. PA Wire / Press Association Images
PA Wire / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
Wayne Rooney has been criticised for failing to make an impact at previous tournaments with some pundits questioning whether he deserves his place in the starting XI.
Butt argues that the Manchester United striker is still a “world class” footballer, however.
“Every team has got the player that people want to talk about and in England it’s Wayne,” he added. “For me, if Wayne is on fire then he’s as good as anybody in the world.
“Yeah, he hasn’t done it in the World Cup but he has played different roles and there’s talk now that he could be on the left because he puts a shift in and he can do it.
“Put Wayne Rooney down the middle up front and on form for me, he is as good as anybody. People can say about world class but what is world class? Messi and Ronaldo, they’re not world class… they’re on a different planet.
“Klose at Germany? Rooney’s as good as him. Mueller? He’s as good as him. All the top players in Europe you’d be looking at Rooney is as good as them.
“If Rooney gets his fitness, which I believe he has after talking to Nev (Gary Neville), for me he’s world class.”
Nicky Butt was speaking in Dublin as part of a new competition on the Guinness Plus mobile app, which is offering the chance to win a trip to the final of the Guinness International Champions Cup. The Guinness Plus App is available to download for iPhone and Android Smartphones from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store now.
'We haven’t won anything since 1966. It's false hope and gets on my wick' - Butt
FORMER MANCHESTER UNITED midfielder Nicky Butt believes England have no right to think they will win this summer’s World Cup.
In the past, England teams have travelled to major tournaments burdened by high expectations levels often as a result of hype from the media.
This time around, however, Roy Hodgson’s youthful squad arrive in Brazil relatively free of such pressure.
The Three Lions face Italy in Manaus on Saturday night before group fixtures with Uruguay and Costa Rica, and Butt, capped 39 times for England, is excited to see how first-timers Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana and Ross Barkley fare.
“It’s quite refreshing really (the low expectations) because as an Englishman it gets on my wick that everyone says we’ve got the pressure to do this… We haven’t won anything since 1966!” Butt said.
“What gives us the right to go to any tournament and win something? It’s false hope really.
“There are always a lot better teams than us yet the press at home and pundits are thinking ‘this could be our one’. It’s false hope.
“You look at the Liverpool lads — Sturridge, Sterling. They’re quick, they’re sharp, they’re aggressive and powerful. You add to that Danny Welbeck, Rooney. Them four have pace and can get in behind players.
“We’ve got Lallana and Barkley too and if them two play with Gerrard, we’ve got young players with a lot to prove. They’re playing games thinking ‘I don’t want to get dropped’.
“With England squads over the years, we have not had that. Players have had their positions and sometimes even knew what numbers they were getting.
“That’s not right. You should be going to a tournament thinking ‘I need to be playing’.”
Wayne Rooney has been criticised for failing to make an impact at previous tournaments with some pundits questioning whether he deserves his place in the starting XI.
Butt argues that the Manchester United striker is still a “world class” footballer, however.
“Every team has got the player that people want to talk about and in England it’s Wayne,” he added. “For me, if Wayne is on fire then he’s as good as anybody in the world.
“Yeah, he hasn’t done it in the World Cup but he has played different roles and there’s talk now that he could be on the left because he puts a shift in and he can do it.
“Put Wayne Rooney down the middle up front and on form for me, he is as good as anybody. People can say about world class but what is world class? Messi and Ronaldo, they’re not world class… they’re on a different planet.
“Klose at Germany? Rooney’s as good as him. Mueller? He’s as good as him. All the top players in Europe you’d be looking at Rooney is as good as them.
“If Rooney gets his fitness, which I believe he has after talking to Nev (Gary Neville), for me he’s world class.”
Nicky Butt was speaking in Dublin as part of a new competition on the Guinness Plus mobile app, which is offering the chance to win a trip to the final of the Guinness International Champions Cup. The Guinness Plus App is available to download for iPhone and Android Smartphones from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store now.
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