By Martin Samuel It’s the group from hell, right? We’ve got no chance. Even that gentleman from the Football Association reckoned so. Drew a finger across his throat when the draw was made. We’ll be home before the business end of Wimbledon begins. Anyone for tennis? So let us start with that gloomy grab-bag of presumption. England do not have to steer a path through what the locals would call the inferno in Brazil this month. Even of late, they have had it worse, and qualified. In 2002 in Japan, for instance, Sven Goran Eriksson’s squad were up against Sweden, who they had not defeated since 1968, Argentina and Nigeria. Even in the last campaign, the 2012 European Championship, England faced France, Sweden again and the hosts, Ukraine.
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England have had worse qualifying groups in previous tournaments
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Italy will be as unused to the Manaus climate as Roy Hodgson's men
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England have Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in the right order
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The Italians have won just half of their 14 World Cup opening matches
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Jose Mourinho picked England to get to the last eight
Difficult start: @placeholder's England had a tougher group in 2002 than the current team have