In-depth look at ten crucial games that shaped England. From the moment England's superiority on the world stage began to crumble (a 4-3 defeat in Spain in 1929) through many a false dawn (Italy 0-4 England, 1948, the dismantling of the Dutch at Euro 96) and humiliating lesson in the finer arts of the game (Hungary 1953, West Germany 1972) the history of England's national football team has never been less than than colourful. With a forensic eye, and fascinating critical insight, Jonathan Wilson peels back the layers of ten crucial England encounters to reveal the high highs and the low lows of following England. Wilson has written with great authority on football tactics and the game in eastern Europe. Here he trains his eye on key moments that have shaped the course of the English national team, never losing sight of what actually matters in football: the events on the pitch.

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'MASTERFUL' TimeOut'GREAT' Financial Times'ABSORBING' FourFourTwo'THOUGHT-PROVOKING' Independent on Sunday'ENTERTAINING' When Saturday ComesHaving invented the game, everything that has followed for England and its national football team has been something of an anti-climax. There was, of course, the golden summer of 1966, and the great period of English dominance on the world stage, which fell roughly between 1886 and 1900, when England won 35 of their 40 international fixtures. But before long foreign teams, with their insistence on progressive 'tactics', began to pose a few questions. And much of what followed for England constituted a series of false dawns... In THE ANATOMY OF ENGLAND, Jonathan Wilson seeks to place the bright spots in context. Taking ten key England fixtures, Wilson explores how what actually happened on the pitch shaped the future of the English game. Bursting with insight and critical detail, yet imbued with a wry affection, this is a history of England like none before.