Listen to the full interview via the podcast
They may well end up crashing out on penalties again, prompting more national soul-searching. But for now, there is some optimism following Roy Hodgson's decision to select a 23-man squad for the World Cup which contains a fair sprinkling of youth.
The major surprise was the decision to take 18-year-old Southampton left-back Luke Shaw ahead of experienced Chelsea veteran Ashley Cole.
Tonight we were joined by ESPN writer John Brewin who assessed that decision, musing whether bringing Cole as a benchwarmer would have had any benefit.
"There's a lot of talk about young players getting in but they get in because the spaces are available apart from at left-back," said Brewin, who feels the pressure is now on starting left-back Leighton Baines.
Brewin believes this tournament will be a "massive test" for captain Steven Gerrard as he recovers from the mental scars of his slip against Chelsea.
But there is a chance that all five Liverpool players in the squad have a chance of starting with Gerrard and Daniel Sturrdige nailed on to be part of the main XI.
"Henderson has suddenly become a player who a lot of people are saying will start for England. Sterling similarly, who has almost been Liverpool's key player and [Glen] Johnson who is very few competitors for his place. The Liverpool players have a good chance of forming the backbone of that team," said Brewin.
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