(Reuters) - World Cup semi-finalists in 2018, European Championship runners-up last year, England were surfing a wave of optimism, but the wheels have come off spectacularly and they now look anything but potential winners in Qatar. Manager Gareth Southgate had a relatively settled side during the Euros, when England posed threats from all over the pitch and were solid at the back. His chopped and changed midfield failed miserably to get hold of the game - despite Declan Rice's faintly bizarre claim that England had controlled it. Jude Bellingham, still only 19 despite all his experience for Borussia Dortmund, probably did as much as anyone to enhance his World Cup prospects while Kane remains a world-class threat if he can stay fit and Reece James remains ever-reliable. The good news for him is that England have landed a relatively soft World Cup group and with the fixtures in the order he would have wanted.

Source: Egypt Today September 24, 2022 18:20 UTC