Earlier this week England played their first World Cup qualifying game against San Marino, in one of the greatest mismatches in world football. England, one of the strongest international sides in the world, against a side ranked 210th - rock bottom of the FIFA World Rankings.
San Marino are the whipping boys of Europe. They have never won a competitive game, have only won one game ever (a 1-0 friendly over Lichtenstein back in 2004), and have only scored more than once on two occasions (in a 3-2 loss against Malta in 2012, and in a 2-2 draw, again, with Liechtenstein back in 2003). This has led to predictable, elitist and frankly insulting press coverage suggesting it is "a total waste of time” for England to play sides like this.
It is true that San Marino are about as likely to concede ten goals as they are to avoid defeat, (San Marino have conceded at least ten goals six times compared to seven games avoiding the loss), but here are five reasons why games against San Marino are not a total waste of time:
1. San Marino are a FIFA and UEFA member
While San Marino are one of the weakest international sides in the world, San Marino are a FIFA and UEFA recognised state and deserve a fair shot at qualifying for a tournament. The system UEFA use does not knock out ‘weaker’ sides early (as happens in Africa, Asia and North America) and instead gives sides like Andorra, San Marino and Gibraltar the same opportunity to qualify as World Cup winners such as England, France and Spain.
At this stage, 3 points against San Marino count the same as 3 points against France. Introducing preliminary knock out rounds for sides like San Marino would be introducing a ‘two tier’ system of qualification (and would open the door to a ‘three tier’ or ‘four tier’ system as we find other teams England usually beat - see the following point). That’s not how UEFA should treat their members.
2. England have done just as well against ‘stronger’ opposition
It was - as expected - incredibly comfortable for England against San Marino. The 5-0 win was routine and the side never got out of second gear. But this is the case more often than not for England during qualifying campaigns.
During the EURO 2020 qualifying campaign alone, England beat Kosovo 4-0 and 5-3, the Czech Republic 5-0, Montenegro 5-1 and 7-0 and Bulgaria 4-0 and 6-0. They failed to score four goals just once (in a 2-1 shock loss against the Czech Republic) and ended with a goal difference of +31 from just 8 games. England are usually very comfortable whoever they play in qualifying.
Even at the last World Cup - the pinnacle of international football - England hammered Panama 6-1. If San Marino are “a waste of time” then you may as well consider the same of half of Europe, and even some sides who end up qualifying for the World Cup.
3. Tactics
One of the best things about the Premier League is the range of tactical styles on show. West Brom’s low block, Man City’s dominance of possession, Liverpool’s intense pressing, Wolves’ counter attacks and Leeds’ 'Bielsa-Ball'. Every game is different. In international football, you need to preserve that variety. It is true that San Marino sit back in almost every game, try and choke out the opposition and (if they are really fortunate) nick a goal from a set piece. But they do this because it’s how they have to play if they are to get a result.
If every game was against top quality opposition, Gareth Southgate would have less freedom to try new formations and new personnel. Ollie Watkins came off the bench against San Marino and scored on his international début. He will remember that day forever. If every game was against top class opposition, chances are Kane would have started with Calvert-Lewin coming off the bench. Watkins would not have got on the pitch - never mind scored - and would not be in Southgate’s thoughts for the upcoming games. For players breaking into (or back into) the England squad, San Marino is the exact opposite of a waste of time.
4. The Faroe Islands
San Marino detractors don’t have to look far to find another team to see how a side can shed their ‘whipping boys’ image. The Faroe Islands are another small European nation who until recently had a record not dissimilar to San Marino. Though they beat Austria 1-0 in their opening competitive international in 1990, their only competitive wins until 2016 came against San Marino, Malta, Luxembourg, Lithuania and Estonia.
What changed their fortunes as a double over Greece in EURO 2016 qualifying, this shot the Faroe Islands up the FIFA World Rankings (from 187th to 74th in the world) ensuring a much easier qualifying draw for the 2018 World Cup.
For 2018 the Faroes were drawn against Portugal, Switzerland, Hungary, Latvia and Andorra. From those ten games they picked up nine points. Their best ever return from a qualifying tournament - and the same number of points as Finland. It is clear the Faroe Islands have more confidence as an international side as, in the most recent Nations League tournament, they won their group and with it promotion to a tougher set of teams (San Marino took 2 points from their Nations League group - which may not seem like much on paper, but those two draws were two of only seven games in their history where they avoided defeat).
A side is never more than a couple of surprise results away from transforming their fortunes with a solid generation of players and, with the Nations League pitting sides of roughly equal standing against each other, there is a greater chance to develop players and gain confidence for the EURO and World Cup qualifiers.
5. The point of international football
International football pits the 11 best players from one nation, against the 11 best players from another. San Marino is a small country with a low population. It only has 15 clubs, and its footballing history only goes back to 1985 (when its top flight first held a league season). But the 11 San Marino players who put on that shirt are proud to be from San Marino and are proud to represent their country.
To sum, it is highly elitist and frankly insulting to tell them their whole country is “a waste of time.”
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