Defender Ali Wilson says if England do not progress beyond the group stages of the World Cup in India then they will see their tournament as a failure. England finished fifth at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and are only ranked sixth in the world. But the Beeston player, 26, told BBC Nottingham: "To do worse than we did last time would be a backward step." England, who must finish in the top two of the six-team group to qualify, face Australia in the Pool opener on Sunday. As well as Australia, England will also face hosts India, Pakistan, Spain and South Africa in Pool B. Wilson, who played in the last World Cup four years ago, said the squad is confident they can reach the last four of the 12-team competition. We've got some flair players and if we can keep the general team structure solid...it'll give our creative players the platform to win us the gamesAli Wilson
"I'd be very disappointed if we didn't make the semi-finals," he added. "Once we're there, anything can happen. "That's the thing about the World Cup, everyone has a strong team and each is capable of beating the other. "It's going to be tough. You can't afford to lose any games. It's important to hit the ground running. One loss can take you out of the equation for the semi-finals."England arrive in Delhi on the back of winning the European Cup in August. However, their World Cup preparations have suffered because of the weather. The heavy snow at the turn of the year meant they had to train indoors before a series of friendly games in Spain. And there are also concerns about security arrangements in the build up to the tournament.
For further: news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/hockey/8528636.stm
No comments:
Post a Comment