England will hope some sweltering days in Florida will pay off when their World Cup campaign officially gets underway against Croatia, with one man in the squad better equipped than anyone to deal with the demands ahead. The Group L opener takes place in the Dallas Stadium tonight, and while fans in Texas will be feeling the heat leading up to kick-off with temperatures expected to reach 33C, the 80,000-seat air-conditioned stadium will offer some respite. It will be a much more comfortable and safer setting for the Three Lions, but work has already been done to ensure they are ready for whatever the elements throw at them.
A third of games during the World Cup will be played in temperatures higher than 26C, with researchers warning that 14 of the 16 venues throughout the tournament will reach dangerous conditions. England's training base in Kansas City is among those. After tonight's game in Dallas, England play Ghana in Massachusetts and Panama in New York before the knockout stages commence, where a trip to Mexico and the glorious Azteca Stadium could await in the last 32.
Joe Cole Warns of South American Advantage
Joe Cole, who played for the Three Lions in two World Cups before ending his club career at Tampa Bay Rowdies, where England briefly set up camp last week, said: 'It's a big difference between Canada, New York and Florida and Mexico, but the humidity is unrelenting. I think people are underestimating how much of an advantage the South American teams will have at this tournament. I'm convinced of it; it's so difficult. Teams like Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, any team that are used to playing in a hot and humid climate will have a huge advantage if they can have the quality as well.'
Ivan Toney: England's Heat Specialist
England do have one player adept at playing in such conditions they can turn to. Ivan Toney's inclusion in the squad ahead of the likes of Danny Welbeck and Dominic Calvert-Lewin raised some eyebrows, with the former Brentford star now plying his trade in Saudi Arabia with Al Ahli. He has scored 82 goals in 93 appearances, but the calibre of opposition must be factored in, with Thomas Tuchel only calling up the striker on one previous occasion, coming on as an 88th-minute substitute against Senegal last June. But Toney comes into the World Cup having lived and breathed the sweltering conditions that so many others will find so demanding, to the point where things like their decision-making will be impacted.
Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs, which specialises in injury and player welfare, told Metro: 'Playing in the heat and humidity like that can increase heart rate, increase body temperature and decrease cardiovascular efficiency; all of those pieces together lead to heat illness risk and have an enormous impact on decision-making speed and your physical output. They are core components to high performance, the sort of output they need to win. Ivan Toney will have had that exposure over the last couple of years and can bring that in with him. It is certainly an asset. They have someone in the squad who understands it and has learned how to adapt to those conditions and provide advice. Just how much he can help the rest of the squad through it is massive.'
Florida Training: A Smart Move
England spent 10 days in Florida before heading to Kansas City, playing warm-up games against New Zealand, Costa Rica, and local side Miami FC, with Toney bagging a hat-trick in the latter. The conditions they met there were some of the toughest they will experience all summer, with the thermometer hitting 33C in one of those games. Time in Florida saw England thrown in the deep end as far as learning to live with the heat and humidity was concerned and will have left them in good shape. Smith added: 'Exposure is pretty significant and the more time they had to adapt to that heat, their cooling strategies and their hydration strategies that are needed to cope, the better. Going into a game and trying to deal with that straight off the bat can be really difficult. Going over there and training in Florida was a really smart move and should have a positive impact.'
Peer-to-Peer Advice
England have some of the best in class in sports science and sports technology to help them navigate the conditions, but having someone like Toney in the dressing room to speak from experience directly to his teammates can hammer home the message. Smith continued: 'England will have fitness staff who will be able to talk about the science of it. But a player who has actually been dealing with it and can explain exactly what they have done and how they did it, it's very invaluable. He will be able to do that inside the dressing room with his teammates. He can help people understand it, maybe better than most.'
