Class of 1990 may have the edge but Southgate's men could go one better

The parallels are thrillingly clear. The summer of 1990 was also played out in blazing sunshine, England were on the charge and Englishmen were getting giddy with excitement and lager.

While the intoxication of the 2018 march to the World Cup semi-finals is being enhanced with a generous helping of domestic warm weather, we got our rays in the Greek Islands, the location of an epic three-week lads’ break designed to coincide with Italia 90.

The best-selling T shirt in the island on which we were situated when the dream came crashing down proclaimed ‘I have spent more than four days in Ios’.

July 4, 1990 was our fifth day there and the pace was taking its toll.

Days in the legendary Far Out Cafe and nights in this sensational little isle that Club 18-30 had mercifully never discovered had left us in a state of jaded euphoria.

It was the best place to watch football bar the host stadia themselves. Ios attracted fun-seekers from around the globe and virtually every fixture, however obscure, would see citizens of the participating nations out in force to enjoy their moment in the sun.

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And having watched England scrape through the group and then see off Belgium in the round of 16 through David Platt’s gymnastic volley and Cameroon in a heart-stopper we were now convinced the trophy was on its way to England.

But West Germany, one of three quarter-final nations that year that no longer exists along with Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, had other ideas and on a night in which every last drop of emotion was spilt on the floor of a rammed-out bar the old enemy held their nerve in the shootout to spark utterly crazy scenes.

It was Independence Day and Ios’s town square, a heaving mass of bars and drinkers, was full of Americans celebrating like it was Christmas and English people reduced to tears by what they had just witnessed.

Now, 28 years on, England once again expects rather than hopes. There is a difference between that West German side, containing the likes of Matthaus, Klinsmann, Voller and the wonderful pigeon-toed winger Pierre Littbarski, and the one-man band that is Croatia.

But there is also a difference between the England 11 that started the last semi and the one Gareth Southgate will send out.

So let’s compare the two, position by position, a task made easier by the similarities in the formations deployed by Bobby Robson and Gareth Southgate:

GK Peter Shilton v Jordan Pickford
Pickford will have to go some to match Shilton’s career but Shilts was 40 in 1990 and well past his best. Pickford has made some tremendous key saves and is a headache for opposition penalty-takers whereas Shilton did not get near the German pens. Pickford

RWB Paul Parker v Kieran Trippier
Both came into the respective tournaments as underrated operators, but Trippier offers more threat from his delivery into the box and for that reason he gets the nod. Trippier

LWB Stuart Pearce v Ashley Young
The easiest contest of them all. Psycho was a far more formidable defender and also marauded forward with menace. He didn’t have Young’s finesse on the ball but was a far better player. Pearce

RCB Des Walker v Kyle Walker
Fancy that, eh? Walker v Walker. They are the hardest pair to compare because Kyle is an ersatz centre back who is far happier defending the right corner while making meaningful forays into opposition territory, whereas Des was simply there to stop rivals from scoring, a job at which he was so effective they used to sing, with some justification, “You’ll never beat Des Walker.” I’ve got to go for the 1990 version. Des Walker

CB Mark Wright v John Stones
This is tough. Wright was a hard old sod who got the ball away without standing on ceremony and could pop up with the odd goal from set pieces. Stones is more elegant on the ball but also more vulnerable to a moment of mayhem. He may well turn out to be the superior player but for now I just side with the rugged Wessexman. Wright

LCB Terry Butcher v Harry Maguire
I do like how Maguire has performed in Russia, but Butcher was a warrior who would have added some much-needed steel to Southgate’s back line and he gets the vote with little deliberation needed. Butcher

CM David Platt v Jordan Henderson
It was weird how Robson used three attack-minded midfielders, whereas the current side adopts the modern holder, which makes comparison slightly tricky. However, even though we are dealing with a rover as opposed to an anchor, there is no doubt Platt had far more to his game and is an easy choice. Platt

MF Chris Waddle v Jesse Lingard
Lingard has won many people over with the quality of his football over the past year or so and he is one of a number of the current squad who have made friends with their conduct during the finals. There has been a commendable lack of aloofness and Lingard has come across as a decent bloke. But Waddle was a beautiful player who was in his prime in 1990 and it has to be him. Waddle

MF Paul Gascoigne v Dele Alli
Alli is completing a disappointing year in which he has regressed at Spurs and been a limited influence for England. The goal against Sweden probably keeps him his place but he could not complain if Southgate looked elsewhere. Gazza was the star of 1990 and gets the shout in the mythical 11 every time. Gascoigne

F Peter Beardsley v Raheem Sterling
There is no aspect of the way the world regards Raheem Sterling that does not leave me totally bewildered. Ludicrously vilified for having a gun tattooed on his leg before the finals, and equally ludicrously defended for some really poor performances in Russia. Various pseudo-shrewdies are trying to make themselves appear wise by claiming Sterling’s workrate and movement are a huge factor in England’s success, but they are inexplicably ignoring his woeful ineffectiveness in the key areas of creating and converting clear chances to score goals. Beardo was miles better. Beardsley

CF Gary Lineker v Harry Kane
This is tough one. Lineker was a lethal poacher throughout his career and a smart player who knew where to be to have the best chance of scoring. But Kane, apart from an instant turn of foot over five metres, had everything Lineker possessed and a bit more in terms of strength and an ability to be effective when dropping deeper. Both wonderful, world-class strikers. Kane

Summary
It’s 8-3 to the class of 1990. But because they were playing harder opponents than the overrated bunch that stand between Southgate’s boys and the decider there is no reason why the outcome of the game should not be happier than it was on that mad, unforgettable night in Ios.

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Published on 10 July 2018inWorld Cup tips