Games
We show you how to end 52 years of hurt with our guide to lifting the trophy with England in the new FIFA 18 World Cup add-on.
Thank heavens for football games. If it weren't for them, we'd have been waiting over 50 years to see England lift the World Cup, and still drying our eyes over that horrendous loss to Iceland at the 2016 European Championships.
This year, following FIFA 18's recent World Cup update, anyone can command the Three Lions to football's biggest prize. There are plenty of ways to do it, too, including offline, online and Ultimate Team tournaments.
We've taken England all the way from the group stage to the final, so here are our top tips for emerging victorious on the grandest stage of all.
What formation should you play?
4-2-2-2
This formation is a great way of taking advantage of England's strength in defensive and attacking midfield areas. It allows for Dier and Henderson to be utilised in CDM roles while also incorporating Alli and Sterling in their favoured positions, and Harry Kane can be partnered alongside the pacey Rashford or Vardy up front.
4-3-3 Attack
Naturally, the 4-3-3 Attack doesn't make use of defensive midfield roles, although Dier and Henderson both fit well in central midfield. Instead, you get the added benefit of wingers, allowing for Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford to utilise their pace. Meanwhile, Dele Alli is the perfect lone CAM.
5-2-1-2
If you want to go with a more Southgate-esque approach, the 5-2-1-2 is your best bet. This formation features three central defenders along with two wing-backs, so you can take advantage of Kyle Walker and Danny Rose's speed down the wings. It's a great counter-attacking formation, and offers additional strength at the back.
Who's in the team?
Defence
Pickford or Butland? According to EA Sports, the latter is preferable (at least initially), boasting an overall rating of 81. Kyle Walker is undoubtedly the best choice at right-back, while Danny Rose cements the left-back spot. The unselected Chris Smalling makes for a surprisingly great partnership with John Stones in central defence, although Gary Cahill and Phil Jones are also solid choices.
Midfield
The only two natural CDMs in the squad are Henderson and Dier, and both are excellent options in that position. They're also adaptable, allowing them to adopt central midfield roles as an alternative to the likes of 81-rated standby pick Adam Lallana. In attacking midfield, the team boasts tremendous talent in Dele Alli and the highly-rated Raheem Sterling, while Jesse Lingard works well as an impact sub.
Attack
It's worth taking advantage of the squad's excellent pace on the wings, adopted by players such as Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford. The latter can also be utilised in attack alongside the dominant Harry Kane, while Jamie Vardy is another particularly effective striker, packing a massive 91 pace stat. West Ham's 79-rated Michail Antonio emerges as somewhat of a hidden gem in Ultimate Team, too.
Which tactics should you use?
Due to their pace in attacking positions, England are well-equipped to utilise a counter-attacking approach. This is particularly effective when incorporating defensive midfielders, who can be set to 'stay back while attacking' to provide extra defensive cover. The long ball is also a good tactic due to Harry Kane's abilities as a target man.
It's also important to take advantage of the key players at your disposal. Kyle Walker, for example, is best set to 'always overlap', making full use of his excellent pace and stamina. Dele Alli can prove effective when given the 'free roam' ability in attacking midfield, while Sterling and Rashford should be allowed to 'cut inside' on the wings.
In the default squad, the best free-kick taker in the England lineup is actually James Ward-Prowse (83 FK accuracy), but of the starting XI, either Rashford (78) or Dier (77) are your best bet. Assign corners to either Jordan Henderson or Kieran Trippier, and penalties are best left to – you guessed it – Spurs superstar Harry Kane.
England's path to the final
The group stage begins with games against Tunisia, Panama and Belgium. Ideally, you want to try and guarantee progress to the knockout rounds before facing the likes of Lukaku, Hazard and Kompany in the third game, but stay alert to the threat of Tunisia's Wahbi Khazri and Panama's Gabriel Torres along the way. Two wins should be enough here.
The round of 16 sees England facing either the winners or runners-up of Group H - any of Poland, Senegal, Colombia and Japan. Should you progress further, the quarter-finals are impacted based on where you finished in the group, setting up possible matchups with Brazil, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and others.
Potential semi-final opponents include Argentina, Spain, France and Portugal, and obviously, the same goes for the final itself. Our bracket saw us overcome Serbia and Spain before facing Brazil in the final, where we triumphed in a 2-1 victory to secure the trophy in an impressive fashion. Now for Southgate's side to make it a reality...
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