World Cup Countdown: England 22/1 to be sharpest shooters
Published:The hourglass is fast emptying as the World Cup draws ever nearer and with only 22 days to go until the first ball is kicked in anger, Ladbrokes release their latest countdown special.
For the first time in a long time England arrive at a World Cup boasting a side blessed with reams of attacking talent and, perhaps just as crucially, without the usual 100-ton weight of pressure heaped upon their young shoulders.
No longer is the responsibility for notching those all-important goals lumped solely on the shoulders of Wayne Rooney, who will be joined by the likes of prolific Liverpool front man Daniel Sturridge for starters.
Then there is the supporting cast of whizz-kids Raheem Sterling, Danny Welbeck, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana and Ross Barkley, all capable of peppering the opposition goal.
Meanwhile, elder statesmen Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have never been shy of stepping to the fore at international level with a cool 50 goals between them and both are still masters of penalties and free-kicks.
Therefore, Ladbrokes’ latest offering of 22/1 on the Three Lions accruing the most shots on target across the tournament’s group stages may just a stab in the dark worth taking.
Rooney has often been criticised for his low-goal scoring return at major tournaments, but he’s shown he means real business by taking two (yes two) fitness coaches on holiday to Portugal to prepare this time.
England’s leading scorer in qualifying yet again also arrives in Brazil having registered his third highest tally of Premier League goals (17) in 10 seasons with Manchester United.
Furthermore, only his off-the-chart Reds teammate Luis Suarez registered more top-flight goals than the 21 Studger netted himself ahead of football’s greatest festival.
It’s a tall order for Roy Hodgson and his young Lions, but there could be worse bets to throw a few pennies at.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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