Not much can be said at the end of 2022, but one thing can be said for certain: the only thing that works in England is football. The women's national team won the European Championships in the summer, the young men's team shines at the World Cup in Qatar and warms the country in dark and cold times. And the Premier League is booming and booming, albeit thanks to generous support from sheikhs and oligarchs from rogue states old and new. But otherwise?

The Brits, it's also safe to say, have had a terrible year. An "annus horribilis", as the Queen said 30 years ago. On September 8, she passed away at the age of 96, the low point for the wounded kingdom.

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