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World domination proved beyond England this summer but that does not mean they cannot conquer Europe in 2028. I watched every second of England’s World Cup journey over the past month and, really, I should be reflecting on how we did in the final, rather than analysing our third-place finish.
I can understand why the players returned home with regrets but one day it will fall into place for them. The road to the European Championship begins against Spain, the standard-setters, at Wembley on September 26.
Here are my keys for taking the last step.
The energy of youth
There will be a different look to the squad in two years and I am excited about the talent coming through. Rio Ngumoha, the young Liverpool winger, and Arsenal’s Max Dowman are the standouts among the next crop. What potential they possess.
I really like Ngumoha, who is fast and fearless, and I still cannot get my head around what Dowman was doing for Arsenal during the run-in, playing in games that were going to decide the title and then going into school.
They were involved in England’s World Cup training camp but, in 2028, I would expect them to be pushing for the squad. I argued in my column last weekend that it is nonsense to say we are not producing enough technical players: these boys are proof that we are.
Who helps Harry?
Harry Kane will be 34 at the start of Euro 2028 and I expect that he will have become the first player to have scored a century of England goals by then. His record of 85 goals in 121 appearances is astonishing and it may never be beaten.
I do not foresee his level dropping between now and then, but I do wonder who is going to provide back-up. We are not producing No 9s as we used to and it is not easy to come up with a name of someone to take over.
Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dominic Solanke will all be in their early thirties at the next tournament. Can Liam Delap step up and make progress after his debut season at Chelsea? It is an area Thomas Tuchel will be scrutinising.
Jude will lead the way
The first column I wrote for Telegraph Sport was centred on Jude Bellingham. I could not believe some were questioning whether he should go to the World Cup, but I also knew he would make those suggestions look ridiculous.
He is a world-class player and this tournament has elevated him to the highest level. He is a machine, at times single-handedly pulling the team through – as evidenced against Mexico and Norway. He has the whole package: attitude, courage, work ethic, quality, and the key thing: big moments.
A home tournament is made for him to cement his reputation.
Learning lessons
The biggest aspect for Tuchel when he analyses this summer will be understanding why at times the team did not show what he sees on the training field in key moments of games: Argentina will be the prime example. The World Cup final proved we should have beaten them and had their place.
It was not about tactics or certain instructions initially. The team acted the same way until the first substitutions but then England took a step back and, against a team that had nothing to lose, there were consequences. Changing that mindset will be crucial. Spain is a brilliant first game back.
Spirit means so much
Failure hurts, but it comes with long-term benefits. We all wish the road on any journey was smooth but sport often teaches of the need to handle bumps and adversity. You need them if you are going to achieve something significant.
The majority of this squad will be in their prime for Euro 2028 and fired up by the determination, after knocking on the door at five tournaments, to finally burst through it. The spirit is there: Gareth Southgate set this in motion and Tuchel has maintained it. We just need that trophy.
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