England expects, but do those expectations need grounding before lift‑off

The waiting is almost over. By the time the sun dips across Mexico this afternoon, the World Cup will have begun in earnest, the noise and the colour returning in a way that only the World Cup can bring. For England, the campaign starts next Wednesday inside the air‑conditioned cocoon of AT&T Stadium in Dallas, but the sense of anticipation has already begun to swell. It always does.