The Three Lions suffered a sudden dip in form during their UEFA Nations League games in June.
David Beckham has suggested the Qatar World Cup’s different timing could benefit England.
England started their UEFA Nations League with a disappointing run of results, remaining winless in their four initial games. A humiliating 4-0 defeat against Hungary at Wembley even cast doubt on Gareth Southgate’s future with the Three Lions.
However, Beckham feels the English players have a good chance of shining in the World Cup as they enter the competition in the middle of the Premier League season.
“Personally I feel, for our team, it’s a huge opportunity,” Beckham told Gary Neville on The Overlap podcast.
“Like you said, we never did use it [fatigue] as an excuse [in previous tournaments], but truth be told, we came to the end of a gruelling season in the Premier League – the toughest league in the world, and you are tired, you do want a rest.
“You don’t have that time to recover from a tough season. But these players are coming into this tournament at a time where they’re at their peak, they’re in the middle of their season, there’s no reason and no excuse for them not to be at the top of their game.
“For our players, this is a huge opportunity. We have a young team, an exciting team. We have a manager that has been with these players for a long time.
“I really love watching this England team play, they’re exciting, they play with passion, they play like they want to be there. It’s something that, as an England fan, that’s what you want to see.
“All of a sudden, our fans have come together behind this team again. For a moment, I’d say the fans – I wouldn’t say they fell out of love with the national team. But there was a disconnect.
“[Now] there’s a connection. And I think Gareth’s done an incredible job with this team.”
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