England will need time to recover from a penalty shootout loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final but the countdown to the 2022 World Cup has begun. There will be 499 days between the end of Euro 2020 and the opening game of the next World Cup in Qatar, and the turnaround is tight.
For England, the long, painful wait for international success continues after Italy's victory at Wembley. It's been 55 years and the last - and only - major trophy was lifted by England captain Bobby Moore when he staged the World Cup in 1966, what another 18 months if Euro 2020 proves to be the catalyst for Qatar In glory?
If England need proof that the endless wait may have a happy ending, they only need to see the reaction of Lionel Messi to win an international trophy with Argentina, who ended their 28-year Copa America drought on Saturday. ended with a 1–0 win in the final. Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. Good times and glory can be enjoyed, even by teams that seem to be trapped in a perpetual cycle of near misses. Yes, England too.
But soon after Sunday's loss to Italy, emotions will be raw in the England camp. There will be a tendency, inside and out, to reach extremes and either preach the promise of the country's young talent or to cross the line and conquer as Italy, Germany, France and Spain have since the perennial failure of England. Have done repeatedly. Anything of note gained.
England manager Gareth Southgate has already said he needs time to digest the disappointment of the Euro 2020 final and recalibrate mentally and physically after taking his team so close to winning the tournament. He says his tendency is to remain in charge until Qatar, but still leaves doubts hanging in the air to suggest that he has yet to fully convince himself that this is the right thing to do.
But despite going so close to winning Euro 2020, England and Southgate will have to plug the loopholes uncovered in the tournament. The team and manager eventually reached the final to kill a desperate nation in a hysteria of confidence, but let's not forget that it was the same team and manager who were booed at the end of the 0–0 draw against Scotland in the group stage. was. Three weeks ago. No international team gets to bounce and hustle like England and while this lacks focus and scrutiny on the positives and negatives, emotions are also often allowed to color judgment and analysis. One of Southgate's strengths is his ability to tread a steady path between cheerleading and condemnation, but his cautious, deliberate approach has also proven to be a weakness and something that can hold the team back.
If England are to go ahead in Qatar, Southgate should drop that caution and rely more on attacking players who were underused during Euro 2020. Marcus Rashford (84 minutes) and Jadon Sancho (97) were both given less time. 100 minutes on the pitch during England's seven matches, while Phil Foden (159) and Jack Grealish (172) were also used sporadically. Asked why he waited so long to introduce Rashford and Sancho from the substitute bench against Italy - the pair had less than two minutes on the pitch before taking a penalty and missing in the shootout - Southgate talked about the need to "have the right balance" and insisted: "You can lose the game by getting the balance wrong." Southgate is right, but the answer to that question summarized his personality and tactical approach. Some coaches - Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, Italy's Roberto Mancini - will gamble with bold changes designed to win, while others, such as AS Roma boss Jose Mourinho and Southgate, will consider it too risky and Will play it safe. .
It's probably impossible to expect Southgate to go against his natural instincts and become a more courageous coach, but England have an abundance of attacking talent and it's a waste of their ability to play with the handbrake consistently. And between now and Qatar 2022, those attacking the wealthy are likely to increase. By the time the World Cup arrives, Harry Kane will be 29 while Raheem Sterling and Grealish will be 27. Rashford (25), Sancho (22) and Foden (22) will still be in their peak years, while Saka will have 21 with a tournament campaign already under his belt. Manchester United's Mason Greenwood, who missed the tournament due to injury, will also turn 21 and will almost certainly be a regular for the club and country by the time he arrives in Qatar.
Southgate has an array of attacking talent that could do well for England, but he will have to find a way to get more out of it. During Euro 2020, while England were unbeaten in seven matches in real game time, they only really loosened up and impressed in their 4-0 quarterfinal win against Ukraine. The other games were tense, low-scoring affairs that could have gone either way, so it would be a mistake to suggest that England were a free-flowing joy to watch.
However, Qatar has the foundations for this to happen if Southgate is willing to change their approach and play to the strength of their team. In midfield, Jude Bellingham is likely to be a starter until Qatar arrives and the Borussia Dortmund youngster will add drive and penetration to the team. Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold will also be back in the equation after missing Euro 2020 with an injury and Tottenham Hotspur's Dele Alli could rediscover his best form and become an England regular again. Jordan Henderson, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier, who will be 32 when the World Cup begins, may be the only players to be dropped before the World Cup, so Southgate's team certainly needs 18 months of experience and development will benefit from. .
There are building blocks for England to build a World Cup winning team in Qatar, but now it all depends on the man who has been charged with putting it together. Southgate has taken England to a new level since taking over in 2016 and progress is clearly there, yet unless he changes his approach, the team is in danger of holding back. He needs to be more courageous and courageous, otherwise the cycle of failure will continue.