Few international teams will ever get as close to a major title as England in 2021, and some of the wounds are still fresh.
Gareth Southgate's team reached the final of Euro 2020 with just one goal conceded along the way. Luke Shaw's goal gave them an early advantage, only for Leonardo Bonucci to draw the Azzurri level and Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand Roberto Mancini's side victory in the penalty shoot-out.
In the 12 months since, the exertions of that tournament have appeared to take their toll on many of the 11 starters, as well as those who came off the bench at Wembley. Here, Mirror Football looks at what came next for a group who have often struggled to hit the same heights for their club sides.
Jordan Pickford
The version of Pickford we saw in an England shirt pointed to someone who grows in confidence with that extra responsibility. It's not that he's less committed at Everton, but something can feel different with those three lions on his chest.
Pickford almost handed England a lifeline with his penalty saves from Andrea Belotti and Jorginho, but England's takers couldn't help him out. 12 months on, though, he might count himself lucky to even be a Premier League player.
Everton conceded 66 goals last season, 18 more than in the previous campaign. While Pickford was far from the only reason, it was a tough period for him and his teammates as they entered the run-in in serious relegation trouble, though to his credit the keeper played a big part as they battled to safety.
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Kieran Trippier
Trippier went into the Euros as a champion, having won La Liga with Atletico Madrid. However, he would end up leaving the Spanish side just months later.
The right-back's return to England saw him reunited with Eddie Howe at Newcastle United, having worked under the manager at Burnley. There have been high notes - not least his two goals in February - but injury kept him on the sidelines for much of the spring.
Trippier remains a part of Southgate's plans, featuring in the recent Nations League games against Germany and Italy. However, after a bit of a stop-start campaign, he'll want more consistency next term.
Kyle Walker
One of the more solid and dependable members of the squad, Walker has largely displayed more of the same since. Not always, though, with a needless red card in the Champions League getting him on the bad side of club manager Pep Guardiola.
Injuries limited his involvement last season, but the defender still played 20 league games as City successfully defended their title. He largely featured at right-back for his club, rather than the more central role in the Euros final.
Things get interesting when we consider the longer-term, though. At 32 years old, Walker will be keen to show Guardiola he can still be a regular at the highest level as City push for three league titles in a row.
John Stones
After excelling in the 2020-21 season, the following campaign was tougher for Stones. This was a consequence not just of fitness but also of his manager's preferences, with Aymeric Laporte winning back his first-team spot at Manchester City.
He spoke of the Germany game at the Euros offering a turning point for England and giving them belief that they could win the whole thing. "In the past, I’ve had a feeling as a team it’s a difficult fixture, or it was a difficult fixture and I feel the mentality has changed almost in that we know that we are capable of winning this game. So there’s a big shift in mentality." he said.
After dropping down the pecking order at club level, the former Everton man will be desperate to turn things back around. After all, there's another major tournament just around the corner, and Southgate often likes to call upon those playing regularly for their teams.
Harry Maguire
The third member of that central defensive three, Maguire started the tournament on the sidelines. It spoke to his importance, though, that England were willing to include him in the squad and wait for him to return to full fitness.
If nothing else, the last domestic season showed how Maguire can benefit from a three-man defence. He was often left exposed in a Manchester United shirt, and became the scapegoat among some fans during a tough season.
A change of manager at Old Trafford could also see the former Leicester City star lose the captaincy. One wonders if such a thing would harm his England displays, or if the lessening of the pressure could actually help.
Luke Shaw
Shaw, like Stones, was coming off a great season on a personal level. The left wing-back capped it off with a goal in the final which looked for a while like it could end up being the winner.
While his club season didn't have the dramatic lows of teammate Maguire, it was far from his best. Injuries meant he made just 20 league appearances, and few distinguished themselves in United colours.
The 2022-23 campaign may well be a big one for Shaw. Tyrell Malacia's arrival at Old Trafford means real competition for his place, and he can't afford to rest on his laurels.
Kalvin Phillips
One of the revelations of England's squad, Phillips was a Euros regular despite playing second tier football a year earlier. His Leeds form justified the call-up, but injuries would strike in the months after the Wembley final.
Phillips barely featured in half of Leeds United's games last term, and his absence was felt keenly. After receiving surgery on a hamstring problem, he was forced to watch as his teammates suffered a tailspin which ultimately spelled the end for manager Marcelo Bielsa.
The midfielder has followed Bielsa in moving on, joining Manchester City in a deal worth between £45-50m. If he can show his Euros form, he should have little trouble establishing himself, though it won't be straightforward.
Declan Rice
Rice is a rare example of a player who unquestionably kicked on after the tournament. And a changed role at club level may have been a factor.
For England, as with West Ham in 2020-21, he largely sat back and let the attacking players do their thing. However, after the tournament, he was given more licence to drive forward for his club and helped them reach the Europa League semi-finals as a result.
Mark Noble's retirement has seen Rice officially take over as West Ham's club captain. A nine-figure asking price shows how indispensable the club's higher ups feel he is, and this coming year will be about how high he can lift the Hammers.
Mason Mount
Southgate has regularly shown plenty of faith in Mount, and now so have two Chelsea managers. It was no surprise to see Frank Lampard value a man who also thrived under him at Derby County, but he has proved just as valuable under Thomas Tuchel.
The 23-year-old enjoyed his best ever league season for goals, finishing as Chelsea's top Premier League scorer with 11. However, the campaign ended on a sour note with a decisive penalty miss to hand Liverpool the FA Cup trophy.
“The penalty will not change anything on my opinion about Mason," Tuchel said after the setback. If you see his record and the importance of the game that he plays consistently for us he is a key figure in this squad and club. He is a super nice guy and we don’t start doubting now because he misses a penalty.”
Raheem Sterling
Sterling showed his value to England in the group stages, scoring both winning goals to send Southgate's men through to the knockouts. He also made a crucial intervention to win a penalty in the semi-final victory over Denmark to cap off what felt like a breakthrough tournament.
The following season started slowly, though. Sterling's first 14 Manchester City games brought just one goal, though he did eventually recover to rack up 17 over the season.
We'll never know how big a role uncertainty over his future played, but that is now almost over. Sterling will be a Chelsea player next season - once the final touches are confirmed - and will look to get off to a faster start with the Blues.
Harry Kane
Speaking of those who took a while to get going, Kane took until the knockouts to score his first Euros goal. While he picked up after that, the first few games for Tottenham under Nuno Espirito Santo were also a slog.
It's easy to forget, but Kane took until mid-October to score his first league goal last term. Given that sluggish start, his final tally of 17 wasn't too shabby, but it was still surprising not to see his name at the top of the Spurs goalscoring charts in the league.
He has kept scoring for England, too, with 18 goals in his last 22 internationals. He's now on 50 senior goals for the Three Lions, and could even claim the all-time record - currently held by Wayne Rooney - before travelling to Qatar for the World Cup.
Bukayo Saka
Saka's saved penalty in the shoot-out could well have damaged him going into the new season. The same goes for the unwarranted abuse he and a number of teammates received after the game, but instead he has kicked on to enjoy a fantastic club season.
The youngster was already a big part of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal squad, but last season he was perhaps their most important player full stop. 11 goals and seven assists helped the Gunners come within a win of Champions League football, making up for the rapid decline and exit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Saka now has a prestigious new teammate in the form of £45m man Gabriel Jesus. If the two of them can dovetail well in the coming months, things could get even better.
Jordan Henderson
Henderson was another who entered the tournament after injury issues. However, he has remained a key figure on and off the pitch.
In the 2020-21 season, the Liverpool captain was often forced to slot in at centre-back amid an injury crisis. He returned to midfield last term, though, and helped the Reds win both cups before coming close to further trophies.
Henderson's age means he might not have too many tournaments ahead of him. Still, while others have tailed off in the last year, he's done anything but.
Jack Grealish
The third substitute to enter after Saka and Henderson, Grealish completed a record £100m move to Manchester City shortly after the tournament. Things were always going to be different away from boyhood club Aston Villa, but it has been a real challenge.
There have been high points, of course, including the goal against West Ham which helped put City's title bid back on track. There have also been some maybe moments, not least in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid where he came within inches of putting the tie out of sight.
Others might have had bigger declines than Grealish, but the price tag makes his more noticeable. As with so many others, he has a big few months ahead of him.
Jadon Sancho
Sancho, like Grealish, has struggled after a big-money move. The winger was meant to be the answer to one of Man Utd's biggest problems, but that has not been the case.
The former Borussia Dortmund star was one of the three to fail from the penalty spot, but that doesn't seem to have much to do with his club woes. United were a mess for chunks of the campaign under more than one manager, and it would have been tough for any new arrival to hit the ground running.
Still, five goals last season after double-figures in his last three at Dortmund doesn't scream 'instant impact'. He'll need to put that behind him quickly as Erik ten Hag takes over as United's new boss.
Marcus Rashford
Take out the transfer fee part and there are plenty of parallels between Rashford and Sancho. Both hamstrung by their club's tough year, both will want to improve this time around.
The academy graduate may point to his injury situation as a mitigating factor. Had United been doing better, he might not have been rushed back so quickly from surgery and might have been able to ease his way back into form.
Instead, after an instant impact upon his return to the team, he quickly tailed off. The last of his five goals came in January, and he ended the campaign on a 15-game run without finding the net.
