That's fair enough. I don't disagree with any of that. I also think we've definitely had an easier run than we might otherwise have expected to do. That's not to disrespect Colombia, Sweden or Croatia, who all earned their places too, but to be able to get all the way (potentially) to the final without having to play any of Brazil, Germany, France, Spain, Argentina, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal etc was remarkable, and perhaps not to be repeated again
Right, again with this bollocks (and what is this insistence on referring to Italy and Netherlands, who are both objectively a bit shit, and both failed to qualify directly because of Sweden):
World Cup 2018 - Route to final
England - Colombia (16), Sweden (24), Croatia (20)
Croatia - Denmark (12), Russia (65), England (12)
World Cup 2014 - Route to semi-final
Netherlands - Mexico (20), Costa Rica (28)
Argentina - Switzerland (6), Belgium (11)
Brazil - Chile (14), Colombia (8)
World Cup 2010 - Route to semi-final
Uruguay - South Korea (47), Ghana (32)
World Cup 2006 - Route to semi-final
Italy - Australia (42), Ukraine (45)
World Cup 2002 - Route to final
Germany - Paraguay (18), USA (13), South Korea (40)
Brazil - Belgium (23), England (12), Turkey (22)
World Cup 2002 - Route to semi-final
Turkey - Japan (32), Senegal (42)
World Cup 1998 - Route to final
Brazil - Chile (9), Denmark (27), Netherlands (25)
World Cup 1994 - Route to final
Italy - Nigeria (11), Spain (Spain), Bulgaria (29)
World Cup 1994 - Route to semi-final
Sweden - Saudi Arabia (34), Romania (7)
England's draw was favourable than the other half, and both England and Croatia certainly benefited from tournament favourites Spain and Germany not showing up and ending up in their way, but when both sides were shit, one side of the draw can open up.
You can't seriously tell me that England's and Croatia's route to the final/semi-final stands out among the above. Sure, some of them are more difficult, but others are definitely easier.
It's a complete myth that this World Cup has presented an unprecedentedly easy draw. Ultimately, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, Spain and Portugal don't get byes through rounds because of who they are, and if other teams have knocked them out, then those teams have proven themselves better, at least for that brief moment (Netherlands especially have been shit for like 4 years btw).