This must be a pretty good time to be an England fan. Qualification for yet another major tournament should be wrapped up by this time next week - and the Three Lions will doubtless arrive in Germany for Euro 2024 as one of the favourites.
Some supporters will be nervous, though. England have become dangerously competitive again under Gareth Southgate, who has, for the most part, done a fine job restoring faith in the national team - and yet their campaigns continue to end in bitter disappointment, one could argue because the heightened sense of expectancy makes (the usually penalty-related) knockout-stage exit even tougher to take.
England's players genuinely believed that they could win the 2022 World Cup, though, and that was wholly understandable. A semi-final run in Russia had been followed by a runners-up finish at Euro 2020. Victory in Qatar seemed the obvious, logical conclusion for a well-balanced squad blessed with several exciting young talents.