World Cup: England's grounded generation aim to be golden in Qatar

These days, it is the grounded generation and for that, we should all be grateful.

Inferior in terms of individual talent to a Three Lions alumni which includes the names of Rooney, Gerrard, Scholes, Lampard, Ferdinand, Terry and Cole, Gareth Southgate's England is one which has proved greater than the sum of their parts and has each other's backs at least.

In tournament football, that can go a long way. Think Denmark (1992), Greece (2004), Portugal (2016) and Italy (2006 and 2020).

Teams with the best players don't often win. See Brazil (1982, 2014) Holland (1974, 1978) and France (2020). There’s plenty of others too.

Southgate leads a side who have reached a final and semi-final in their last two tournaments. Such feats deserve respect and are seen in that way across the globe if not always at home where things still harken back to the 'years of hurt' since 1966 rather than viewing actual progress of late.

Several of Southgate's players have experienced winning a penalty shoot-out in the last World Cup. All told, England have won five of their seven knock-out fixtures under him. Ghosts have been laid, if not all.

England are good tourists happy in each other's company amid camp life and have shown a tournament mentality under Southgate.

There is no shortage of experience either with the total number of caps (820) averaging out at 32 per player across the 26-man squad.

What is probably no bad thing is that England head to Qatar with expectations, certainly across the country, at a fairly low level. Contrast to the wretched over-triumphalism of Germany 06.

England's reality check this time came by way of a ghastly loss to the Hungarians in June, with it conveniently forgotten by some that a number of players were out on their feet with no real break after the Euro finals over the previous summer.

As bad as those events were at Molineux, they might have helped a strong group get even tighter.

Instead of the 'Sweet Caroline' chants of the summer of 2021 when England reached a final in their own country, there were chants of 'You don't know what you are doing' to Southgate. It was very harsh.

His players had, lest we forget, received jeers from some fans in some warm-up games before the Euro finals when they opted to take the knee. They closed ranks to impressive effect on and off the pitch.

They will be no more together team than England’s in Qatar.

Developing a siege mentality is no bad thing. Bobby Robson's class of Italia ‘90 famously stuck it up to their media detractors by reaching the semis after early opprobrium.

Southgate and his players have clearly learned to be thick-skinned. His pleasant demeanour also belies the fact that he is a tough cookie.

The draw is unlikely to help them out as it did in the past two tournaments. Top Group B and holders France are likely to be waiting in the quarters. A serious prospect even without N'Golo Kante or Paul Pogba.

Finish runners-up as there's a fair possibility of Holland in the last 16, Argentina in the last eight and Germany or Brazil in the semis.

Southgate, by common consent, has got most things right in terms of his 26-man squad.

There was some conjecture after the omission of Fikayo Tomori - who helped AC Milan claim their first Serie A title in 11 years last term - but the squad has largely picked itself.

It is not a squad blessed with a 'quarter-back' to spray out forward-thinking passes from the middle of the pitch. But it does possess a wealth of set-piece specialists, even without James Ward-Prowse.

The promotion of James Maddison - who has scored eight free-kicks since making his Premier League debut in 2018 - should assuage matters. There's also Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Harry Kane to name but five others.

The Qatari heat could well ensure that sides struggle to implement their natural game, heightening the importance of set-plays. Both in taking of taking and defending them.

It may be a tournament which is not the goal-fest many imagine.

While England lack artistry and vision in the centre, they have the power and energy of Declan Rice and a real force in Jude Bellingham who has the potential to be one of the tournament stars. They also have a natural born goalscorer in Harry Kane, surely at his peak at 29.

At the back, you suspect it will require three Yorkshiremen in John Stones, Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker to reprise their tournament form of old in what is likely to be their last waltz together - if England are to have another strong showing.