The latest UEFA Nations League matchday saw England and Belgium facing off in a rematch of the 2018 World Cup third-place playoff. However, this time the result went the other way with England picking up a 2-1 victory. Romelu Lukaku's 16th-minute penalty opened the scoring for Belgium before Marcus Rashford equalized with a spot-kick of his own in the 39th minute. Mason Mount would later score the winning goal for the Three Lions.
This was a confident, assured performance by England. They clearly displayed the mentality of a team which truly belong at the top table of international football. For a team this young, their maturity and poise was evident; not once did they even seem slightly rattled, even after falling one goal behind. What made the victory even more impressive was that their best player, Tottenham star Harry Kane, was restricted to a substitute role due to injury concerns.
The rise and evolution of this England team has been as swift as it has been remarkable.
Two years ago, Gareth Southgate's team had not been expected to make a deep World Cup run but ended up reaching England's first World Cup semifinal since 1990. England took an extremely young and inexperienced team to the tournament; at the beginning of the tournament, only one of their 23 squad members had at that point accumulated 40 caps or more. However, ever since defying the odds in Russia, England have only gone from strength to strength.
In the time since their World Cup run, right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has clearly established himself as the world's best at his position and the clear second-best player on this team behind Kane. The once widely-criticized Raheem Sterling, who despite being absent from the Belgium match, has silenced his doubters by showing remarkable improvement since 2018. Of course, Kane has continued to perform at his usual excellent level.
You then have to look at the supporting cast, some of whom were not even part of the World Cup squad. England's stars are capably backed up by players such as Rashford, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jadon Sancho, Jordan Henderson, Kieran Trippier, and Mason Greenwood. It is also possible that Rashford, Sancho, and Greenwood might eventually rise to the level at which they would be considered truly elite players.
What makes this even more exciting for England is the young age of this team in general; it is likely that they are nowhere near their peak. If they are already arguably a top-three international team in the world now, just imagine how great they could possibly become. No one can deny the obvious any longer - this has to be England's most talented team since their 1966 World Cup-winning roster featuring legends such as Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, Alan Ball, and Gordon Banks.
England have all the elements for a possible 2022 World Cup victory in place. Two superstar-level players in Kane and Alexander-Arnold. A well-balanced and young supporting cast. Southgate, a coach who is definitely able to get the best out of this roster. And arguably most importantly of all, something England teams of the past have historically lacked: boatloads of mental strength and fortitude.
However, the biggest obstacle they face might very well be found off the field rather than on it: the notoriously merciless British media. At even the slightest sign of a possible dip in form, they are likely to be eviscerated by the press; often unjustly, too. Even for the toughest and most resilient teams, the media onslaught can end up wearing them down and hindering their performance.
Nevertheless, at the moment, I would place England as the second-most likely team to win the next World Cup, only behind reigning champions and arch-rivals France. They will be even better then when compared to now because more of their players would have reached or be approaching their peak in 2022.
What's more, there is one other factor to consider: will France wilt under the pressure of defending a World Cup title as many teams before them have done? If they do, the door would be wide open for England to claim their second world title and first in 56 years.
Is it coming home? It very well might be.
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