Harry Maguire frames it differently and it is some difference. His England teammates, when questioned in Qatar, have mostly said they can win the World Cup. It is the objective. They have not shied away from saying so. For Maguire, though, it goes beyond that. It is not only a target. As he prepares for Saturday night’s quarter-final against France, it is an obligation.
“That’s the one thing I’d say is a lot different from the 2018 squad,” Maguire says. “I played when we got to the semi-final and a lot of the lads were happy. You knew that whatever happened in that semi-final [when they lost to Croatia], you’d go home and be classed as a hero; you’d get a good reception, everyone would be patting you on the back. Now there’s a belief that we’ve got to win this tournament.
