FIFA World Cup 2018: America makes England great again

England’s Harry Maguire, center, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side opening goal during the quarterfinal match between Sweden and England at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Samara Arena, in Samara, Russia, Saturday, July 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Confidence won’t be in short supply for a man who has carried Christina Aguilera on stage with millions watching. But it still would have taken some audacity for Allan Russell to brand himself as the ‘Superior Striker’. The Glaswegian played for ten clubs in a 14-year career, never making it out of the lower echelons of Scottish and English football. The nomadic career was complemented by stints moonlighting as a model, one leading to the 2003 MTV Music Swards gig with the aforementioned pop sensation.

But the uppity dream was realised in America, when Russell signed up for second-tier Carolina RailHawks in 2010, and later moved to Orange County Blues FC. In America, Russell noticed the prevalence of position-specific coaches in sports such as NFL and NBA. He also took note of the tutorial videos from self-proclaimed gurus-cum-salesmen littered across the internet, and brought the formula across the pond.

“In my career I felt there was never enough detail on how strikers should be trained and coached,” Russell, a UEFA A licence coach, told reporters last month. “When I was in America I looked at the NFL and the detail that goes into getting an extra 1% out of these guys is incredible. I could never understand why, as a striker, they are not given specific training which allows them to work on their movement, awareness, timing of the runs and execution of the finish.”

Russell returned as the ‘No 1 Striker Coach in the World’ and launched ‘Superior Striker’ — a program comprising highly stylised-yet-comprehensive videos on how to lose markers, clean finishing and perfect first touches. The venture took off, and soon Russell was coaching Premier League stars for £1000 a session.

England coach Gareth Southgate came calling too. And a year later, Russell stands two wins away from bringing it to the neighbours’ home, much to the chagrin of his countrymen.

Separate and specific practice in football has traditionally been reserved for goalkeepers. But as a specialist striking coach with England, Russell “does finishing sessions with us, tells us about opposition defenders, goalkeepers, and tells us maybe where we can exploit a weakness,” according to captain Harry Kane.

“We are all top players, so he is not running through technique or telling us how to strike a ball. It’s just little stuff to maybe give us an edge,” Kane said after the group fixture against Panama. “He does our attacking set plays, which are going pretty well so far.”

“Pretty well” is putting it kindly.

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Before Russia, England’s last goal from a corner at a major tournament came at the 2010 World Cup, when Matthew Upson scored from a Steven Gerrard delivery in the 4-1 defeat to Germany; they’ve already scored five in their run-up to the semifinals. Add the three penalties and eight of their 11 goals have come from set pieces, matching the tally set by Portugal in 1966. It is by no accident that the last three teams to score four or more goals from corners were Germany (2014), Italy (2006) and France (1998).

The turnaround from dead ball situations is down to the think-tank of Southgate, Russell and even assistant manager Steve Holland, who spent six years as a coach with Chelsea, club that regularly ranks in the top five for set-piece goals in the Premier League.

“We’d identified them as key in tournaments, and an element we felt we could improve upon,” said Southgate. “No matter how much you control the play at both ends, set plays are really important.”

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