World Cup Schedule

[Its DJOver]

I engaged you in a discussion over your continued drumbeat that because a nation won the Youth Cup then that nation will be very good in the near future. The results of that metric are mixed. A crapshoot, if you will.

Didn't say this. It was part of my reason for optimism, you were the first one to use the words "guarantee success".  The three teams you brought up having youth success all made the world cup. Two of them made the knockout stages, and one was close to making the knockout stages.  Not exactly the crapshoot you suggest.

As for the rest of your post, you are just finding reasons to avoid answering my question.

[brewcity77]

Another factor is history. It's easy to say what England did in the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s isn't relevant, but there are systemic reasons countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Germany have decade after decade success. Many of the same reasons are why England come up short.

Maybe this generation will be different, but after just one deep run that came through relatively pedestrian (for a WC semifinal) opposition isn't enough to convince me just yet.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

One more thing about England that I haven't seen mentioned (promise I'm not trying to beat a dead horse).

They were missing arguably their three most creative midfielders/wingers in Ox, Lallana, and Barkley.

Now, Lallana probably won't make it to 2022, but Ox and Barkley are already proven and are just 24.

[JWags85]

One more thing about England that I haven't seen mentioned (promise I'm not trying to beat a dead horse).

They were missing arguably their three most creative midfielders/wingers in Ox, Lallana, and Barkley.

Now, Lallana probably won't make it to 2022, but Ox and Barkley are already proven and are just 24.

Barkley is proven?  If England is relying on him as a core piece of their future, then cynicism is merited.  He shows all the signs of peaking in his early 20s.  He started like a house on fire at Everton, but even beyond injuries, he's tapered off.  He was good not great in 16-17.  And 17-18, he was petulant at best, and ineffective.  He's been a persona non grata at Chelsea.  Maybe he makes a better impression on Sarri, but I don't see him breaking into a crowded and talented midfield as is.

Fairly, he is only 24, but to label him some bright star that England can build their future on is rash.  As a Red, I hope Ox can rehab fairly quickly from that gnarly injury.

[Golden Avalanche]

Didn't say this. It was part of my reason for optimism, you were the first one to use the words "guarantee success".  The three teams you brought up having youth success all made the world cup. Two of them made the knockout stages, and one was close to making the knockout stages.  Not exactly the crapshoot you suggest.

As for the rest of your post, you are just finding reasons to avoid answering my question.

What you dismiss WAS my answer to your question. You want definitive variables to determine future success of a faraway tournament. That is naive and someone who has experience watching multiple international tournaments over the course of a generation will tell you exactly that.

I'll reiterate the point that so many events (mostly negative) are going to happen in every single player's career that your units of their future success will be rendered irrelevant and a distant memory by the time Qatar 2022 starts in November of that year.

Every watcher approaches the sport from a different angle. You've illuminated your perspective enough to leave no doubt what you consider important.