10 Reasons For England Fans To Be Optimistic After World Cup 2018

Many fans are keen to focus on the future, but it's worth taking a moment to celebrate the present. England just finished fourth at a World Cup. Out all of the teams in the world, they made it through qualification, out of their group, and through two tough knockout ties to make it to a semi-final.

That's no mean feat, and the size of England's accomplishment shouldn't be understated. The Three Lions hadn't been in a semi-final since 1990 and deserve huge respect for getting that far. Detractors will say they had an easy route to the final, and there's an argument to be made for that idea, but they still had to win football matches against great teams on their way to their fourth place finish.

If an inexperienced, untested squad with low expectations can get fourth, there's no telling what these players and this manager can achieve with a bit more time together. It's worth noting, however, that the last England side to finish fourth at a World Cup failed to qualify for the following edition, so it's important that the players savour their victory but get straight back to work when the next big games get underway.