England winger Bukayo Saka believes the Three Lions are perfectly balanced to challenge for World Cup glory, insisting the squad is “thriving” ahead of the tournament in North America.
Saka heads into the World Cup buoyed by helping Arsenal end their 22-year wait for the Premier League title, alongside fellow England internationals Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke.
Success has been spread throughout the England squad. Goalkeeper James Trafford, defender Marc Guehi, midfielder Nico O'Reilly and veteran centre-back John Stones celebrated domestic cup triumphs with Manchester City, while captain Harry Kane secured a Bundesliga and German Cup double with Bayern Munich.
Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford won La Liga with Barcelona, and the Aston Villa trio of Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa enjoyed Europa League success.
The 24-year-old Saka said the blend of experienced internationals and emerging stars has created a strong environment within the squad.
“I see strengths everywhere and I also see a lot of hunger and passion to win, which is a great balance and is what you need,” Saka told FIFA.
“This team has so much talent, but at the same time so much competition. It's healthy, it's good, it's a great environment and I think we're all thriving. There's loads of talent, loads of competition, and at the same time, we have a real sense of togetherness as well.”
Having reached the finals of UEFA Euro 2020 and UEFA Euro 2024, as well as the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Saka said they are determined to go one step further.
England are chasing their first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup triumph led by captain Bobby Moore and hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst.
“As an England player, they set the standards for us as a team and obviously we want to follow in their footsteps and achieve what they have,” he said.
“That’s the dream. That’s what we’re working towards, and it would be very, very special if we could achieve that.”
England’s hopes have been boosted by the arrival of coach Thomas Tuchel, who oversaw a flawless qualifying campaign as the team won all eight matches without conceding a goal.
“I think he’s a great coach and since he’s come in he’s been pretty clear about what he wants and the demands for the team,” Saka said.
“He’s a winner and obviously this team wants to win as well. We’ve taken really well to him.”
Saka also insisted England’s players are not weighed down by the pressure and expectation surrounding the national side.
“We know there’s an expectation, but what’s important is we have expectations of ourselves,” he said.
“Once you have that, there’s not really much else that can put that much pressure on you. So we just try and block out all the noise and we know what we want to achieve.”
Despite painful near misses in recent tournaments, Saka believes England’s experiences have only strengthened the squad’s resolve.
“For all of them, we went into the tournament with the confidence that we could win and we came close,” he said.
“We just use that as motivation now. We will keep pushing, we’ll keep putting ourselves in that position.”