LONDON, 24 June — England were back on home soil yesterday with mixed emotions but confident that the seeds have been sown for a successful run at the European title in two years time.

Arriving back in London following the 2-1 defeat to Brazil in the World Cup quarterfinals in Japan on Friday, the weekend was time to reflect on what might have been — and start coming up with a strategy to do better next time.

But coach Sven-Goran Eriksson will also reflect on how heroic failure has become a habit for England just a little too often ever since they lifted the trophy for the only time in 1966. Four years after that came a quarterfinal loss to Germany after a two-goal lead went begging.

In 1974 and 1978 the team failed even to qualify and an injury-ravaged side also under performed in 1982.

Then it was back to a diet of hard luck stories and “if only” scenarios which brought a quarterfinal loss at the “hand” — literally — of Diego Maradona’s Argentina, a penalty shootout loss to Germany in the 1990 semifinal and another to Argentina at France 98.

And 1994 brought an English no-show.

The hard luck story continued this year to a degree in that inspirational skipper David Beckham was not fully fit after suffering a foot fracture seven weeks before the big kickoff, while Kieron Dyer was also not quite ready and Steven Gerrard was forced to miss the event altogether.

But as Eriksson concedes, you make your own luck.

“I thought we could go all the way. Unfortunately in the second half against Brazil we just weren’t good enough. It’s that simple. “If you take Zinedine Zidane away from France you see the difference. It was the same with us and David Beckham.

“You don’t have a second David Beckham, you don’t have a second Steven Gerrard and you don’t have a second Kieron Dyer with his sort of ability.

“Beckham wasn’t quite fit — but you can’t do anything about it,” Eriksson reflected.

On the positive side England did get out of the toughest first-phase group and then sweep a strong-looking Denmark aside.

But a killer finish at a killer time, seconds before the break, from Rivaldo and then Ronaldinho’s mesmerizing free-kick which caught keeper David Seaman unawares allowed Brazil to close the gate.

“It’s hard to respond after the first goal. Then you go out again and five minutes later, boom, there’s another one,” said Eriksson.

“It came down to two goals that came at very delicate moments in the match. They were killer moments.”

“We were physically tired and mentally tired. They tried — but not in the best way. But I don’t think you can expect that from a young team like that.

“But they will learn — I’m sure of that,” was Eriksson’s confident prediction.

Eriksson’s assistant Tord Grip says the side is still some way off its peak, which would appear to augur well for Euro 2004 in Portugal as the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Danny Mills and Ashley Cole will have two more years experience in their boots by that stage. “There is not complete satisfaction with the way we played in Japan and we were a little disappointed with the way we played in the final 45 minutes against Brazil,” says Grip.

“But I can say that a lot of players have really come of age in this tournament — the likes of Cole, Mills, Ferdinand and (Nicky) Butt to name but four.

“The good thing is that this side has still to reach its peak. You need to be in the period aged from 28 to 32 for that to happen so we have some years to go yet.”

Striker Emile Heskey insisted that better times are around the corner and that this World Cup is a step along the road.

“We’ve come really far in this tournament. We have shown that we can put ourselves up against the best teams and really trouble them. You have to take a look at the teams we’ve played against and come through against.

“Everyone gave their all but it just wasn’t enough.” History shows that when England face the really top sides it never is.