After winning the World Cup in 1966, England have been unable to claim any major international trophies for half a century. In the last 20 years or something, the Three Lions were seen among the favourites before practically every major tournament, but each time failed to live up to expectations and returned home too early. But now, as it seems, those expectations are finally not as high as before, which may even be a good sign for the team.

Shattered dreams

In the 2000s, England were bringing star-studded squads to one tournament after another, but could not provide expected results. David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Wayne Rooney and other members of the so-called “golden generation” have won enough titles with their clubs, yet their international careers were much less successful. Both at the World Cup and EURO, England have failed to reach the semi-final since 1996. Take the current decade for example: the Three Lions were defeated in the Last 16 at the 2010 World Cup, then reached the quarter-final at EURO 2012, did not progress from the group at the 2014 World Cup, and were eliminated in the Last 16 at EURO 2016. Actually, the last time England won a play-off game was at the 2006 World Cup, where they beat Mexico in the Round of 16 before losing the quarter-final on penalties to Portugal. Obviously those results led to a massive disappointment of the players and their fans - in England, everyone was convinced that the team deserved something better, especially considering the growth of the Premier League in the new century.

Humble Southgate

But how the times have changed. The old stars have finished their careers - at least in the national team - and the present-day generation does not feature so many big names as before. Yes, all the footballers from the current squad represent the Premier League and many of them play important roles in their clubs, but for now, their caliber does not seem to match that of their predecessors. Well, there are exceptions - Harry Kane is probably the best example - but not many.

The head coach Gareth Southgate perfectly realises it. As a player, he won 57 caps for England between 1995 and 2004, and took part in a number of disappointing tournaments. Southgate knows that exaggerated expectations often turn into frustration, and tries to avoid that scenario by repeatedly claiming that his team is not among top favourites to win the World Cup.

No more hype

And maybe England will only benefit from that realistic approach as the players are not going to feel any extra pressure. After all, they do have quality and have regularly shown it in qualification matches, as they have not lost any since 2009. Obviously the level at the final stages is much higher, but psychology may also play a crucial role. And being arguably the most hype-free England team in many years can ultimately translate into living up to expectations - or maybe even exceeding them.

The group with Belgium, Panama and Tunisia is definitely not a “group of death”, but arrogance has sometimes let England down in the past, so now Southgate insists that each opponent should be treated seriously. And if the Three Lions advance to the Last 16, they will face a rival from Group H - and Poland, Senegal, Colombia and Japan are by no means heavyweights. Realistically speaking, progressing to the quarter-final will be quite a decent result for Southgate’s team, and if they reach even further, the nation will have a reason to celebrate.