Harry Kane scored four goals as England thrashed San Marino to qualify for QatarEngland manager Gareth Southgate can move preparations for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar through the gears after qualification was confirmed with a 10-0 thrashing of San Marino. Southgate will have a mixture of friendlies against strong opposition and the competitive edge of the Uefa Nations League to finalise his plans for England’s first World Cup game a year from now. He will have extra time too given the later staging of the tournament and, even though England have once again cruised through qualification, Southgate knows so much can happen to shape his thoughts. Are England in good shape for Qatar?Southgate and his players have suffered no discernible after-effects from the devastating disappointment of their penalty shootout defeat by Italy in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley in July, going seven games unbeaten since. Optimism should be tempered by a recognition of unremarkable performances in drawing away to Poland and at home to Hungary, but the feeling remains that this England team can continue on an upward curve. What remains unknown is whether England can get the job done against true world-class opposition who can control possession, and whether they – and by association Southgate – are overcome by conservatism when the pressure valves tighten, as when they took early leads against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-final and against Italy in July. England will also need to keep up the good results if they are… Click below to read the full story from BBC Sport
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