Hidden from public view at St George’s Park, the infamous countdown clock, set in 2013 with the aim of England winning this World Cup, has wound down to zero.
If England were ahead of schedule in Russia four years ago, in Qatar 2022 they are bang on time.
A generation of planning by the Football Association and six years’ work by Gareth Southgate comes down to this, as England prepare for the serious business of knockout football.
This will not be the country’s last chance but there will surely not be a better chance for Southgate and many of his squad.
The manager goes into Sunday’s last-16 tie against Senegal with a group of players in their primes, from captain Harry Kane and Harry Maguire, both 29, to Jordan Pickford and John Stones, 28, and Raheem Sterling and Luke Shaw, 27.
Most of England’s young players, such as Phil Foden, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, have experience of not just a major tournament but reaching the final of last summer’s European Championship.
Where previous squads were burdened by the weight of historic failure, the current group have positive experiences of big tournaments, their hunger increased by the near misses in Russia and at Wembley 18 months ago.
After brushing aside Wales to confirm top spot in Group B, Southgate said his players have “more belief” and a “different mentality” to 2018, and their progress in Qatar illustrates how far they have come.
England had a possession problem when it came to the crunch at the last two major tournaments but Southgate has gradually evolved his midfield, with the introductions of Rice, Kalvin Phillips and now the prodigal Jude Bellingham.
Just a few months ago, the manager admitted they were still too reliant on Kane and Sterling for firepower but of England’s nine goals in the group — making them joint top scorers with Spain, as it stands — the pair have one between them.
“We’ve learned a lot,” Southgate said on naming his squad. “We’ve broken a lot of barriers. There’s a lot of belief in the group that they can handle these situations. We’ve got a lot of players who know what’s required.”
Southgate has stripped away the factions and rivalries to leave England with a united group, coursing with self-belief. At their base camp, the players have been watching every World Cup fixture they can on a giant screen, appraising their rivals. “Probably Brazil,” said Jack Grealish yesterday, when asked which side had impressed him most. “Us and them have a lot of attacking firepower.”
England and Brazil in the same breath may still sound incongruous but, while there is no comparing with the five-time winners historically, in terms of talent the Three Lions can match any team in Qatar.
Even more striking was a comment from Germany manager Hansi Flick after their shock exit last night, praising England’s one-who-got-away Jamal Musiala while questioning the coaching of young players in his homeland.
“We have to focus on the training,” Flick said. “Jamal has been trained in England, not in Germany.”
On the eve of the opener against Iran, Southgate said England wanted to “be like Germany” and match the “pedigree” and consistency of the four-time world champions. Germany, though, have ambitions to be more like England.
One new obstacle is the sheer weight of expectation. At the last World Cup, the aim was simply to win a knockout game, and remind the nation it was possible after the dismal failure to get out of the group in Brazil 2014 and the humiliating last-16 defeat by Iceland at the Euros two years later.
Now, Southgate and his players have raised the bar to the point where the country expects them not only to deliver, but deliver in style. Even a quarter-final exit against holders France, which awaits if both sides win this weekend, would probably feel like a disappointment.
If there are questions about England, they are largely around a defence which twice lapsed in the 6-2 win over Iran and is yet to be tested by world-class talent at the finals.
Southgate could switch to a back three at some point and, remarkably, there are still those who believe the manager is an albatross around his players’ necks. Southgate may be conservative but he is proving again that he is a tournament specialist.
His big decisions have largely been vindicated in Qatar and he has confounded his critics with astute in-game tweaks and substitutions.
Ahead of Senegal, Southgate’s problems are all positive, namely which of his in-form forwards to start, as well as who to play at right-back and in midfield.
The Lions of Teranga will pose a far greater test than what has come in the group and, like Southgate’s Three Lions, they excel on the big stage.
But unlike England, Senegal have experience of getting over the line after winning the Africa Cup of Nations, and Aliou Cisse’s side cannot be underestimated, especially considering the pattern of shocks at this World Cup.
England might previously have feared such opponents, particularly given their record at penalties, but not any more. The clock has stopped ticking, and their time is now.
