Costa Rica hoping to exploit England

Costa Rica coach Jorge Pinto is aiming to take advantage of England’s inconsistencies at FIFA World Cups when the pair meet in Brazil.

Pinto’s men opener their Group D campaign against Uruguay at the Estadio Governador Placido in Fortaleza on Saturday.

But the Costa Rica boss has already taken a swipe at England, who they will meet in their final group-stage match on June 24.

England have failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals in their past four World Cup appearances, with two last-eight berths sandwiched in between reaching the round of 16 in 1998 and 2010.

And Pinto is hoping to exploit England as Costa Rica attempt to make it out of the group stage for just the second time in their history, having advanced to the knockout rounds at the 1990 World Cup.

“Something I have identified for the last 12-14 years studying England is that England have become very inconsistent when it comes to World Cups,” said Pinto. “We hope to pick up on this, and exploit.

“We are not coming here as tourists, for the fun. It is an obligation for Costa Rica to take points from Uruguay and Italy, even before we have played England.

“It is not the same old story of before, that Costa Rica will come to the World Cup just to participate. This time we are coming to do well.

Pinto added: “It is an honour to come up against England. Not only are they one of the top teams in the world, they are also the mother of football worldwide.

“But we are certainly not scared. One of the things we are working with most among the players is getting over that mind set. In any case, it is clear that the jerseys the teams wear are not as heavy as they were.”