Tony Matthews knows English football.  His most recent work, England in the World Cup, is yet another excellent text that will help readers enjoy the World Cup just a little bit more (if that is even possible). You know that the World Cup is like Christmas for a month, the world’s best players and teams being watched by billions.

England is a country of high expectations, being the birthplace of the modern game.  Those expectations aren’t always realized as the English have claimed the ultimate prize only once, which is surprising considering the incredible talent the country has produced over the years.

This book breaks down every World Cup from 1950 to 2014, which shows the country’s involvement in a circular way, starting and finishing with Brazil.

There are a lot of titles out there for the World Cup, but this is the only one devoted to England and their national teams over the past 64 years.  Every World Cup is reviewed with precise match recaps and a ton of factual information. You hear about everything from the Americans’ miraculous win over England in 1950 to preparations for Brazil 2014.

Bryan Robson even contributes a foreword to the text, which is an incredible feat in itself.

Overall it is an excellent read, an absolute must-read for those that follow the English game at the international level.  How will England do in Brazil? That is an excellent question, knowing that history does repeat itself.  The problem is determining which England team we will see. Will it be one similar to 1966 or 2010? Or will be 1950 or 1990?