It is admirable how Gareth Southgate’s England have responded to last December’s World Cup quarter-final exit to France.
Forced to mentally absorb yet another crushing major tournament blow, it would have been entirely understandable if the Three Lions had started their subsequent Euro qualifying campaign slowly, especially as their opening fixture took them to Italy.
Yet in the event, England have won four from four, all-but-guaranteeing their participation in Germany next summer, with a handful of fixtures still to play.
Even a defeat against Ukraine this weekend will see them remain hot favourites in the football odds to top Group C and though no slip-ups are expected - such is their form - it never hurts to have a margin for error.
It is a winning streak that has seen them score 3.7 goals per 90 and concede only the once and that latter stat goes from impressive to remarkable when it’s acknowledged that England have faced just one shot on target post-Qatar.
Neither North Macedonia nor Malta managed to trouble Jordan Pickford into a save. Ukraine drew a blank too, putting together a meagre three wayward attempts.
Even in the highly-pressurised environs of Naples, and a man down for the later stages, England limited a side ranked eighth in the world to a single effort between their sticks.
Such well-drilled parsimony brings us to one of England’s biggest strengths, or more accurately a significant asset that has returned of late. Because for a good period under Southgate, clean sheets became the norm, most notably keeping 10 from 11 between November 2020 and July 2021.
If the habit has been rediscovered that’s a huge plus with the continent’s elite lying in wait.
It is however a positive that comes with a caveat, that being Harry Maguire’s freefall out of the reckoning at Old Trafford.
“I can’t pick stars who don’t play,” Southgate stated in 2018, then referring to a young Phil Foden whose lack of minutes for Manchester City concerned at the time and though Maguire is a near-certainly to start vs Ukraine, how much longer can this awkward situation persist?
On the one hand, the much-maligned defender has very rarely let his international boss down, proving himself to be a reliable totem and organiser at the back, not to mention one-fifth of a back-line that has just overseen several clean sheets in a row.
On the other, Maguire has made only six league starts in the last calendar year and the longer his ostracising continues under Erik Ten Hag the colder he comes into England fixtures, woefully lacking match-sharpness and thus leaving him prone to mistakes.
It’s a similar tale with Kalvin Phillips, voted England’s Player of the Year a couple of seasons back who has since found himself on the outside looking in at the Etihad.
In an area where Southgate is not especially well-stocked, the 27-year-old’s energetic box-to-boxing will be missed when his lack of club football inevitably impacts on his international availability because without him, Jordan Henderson must be deployed, now 33 and playing in an inferior, nascent league in Saudi Arabia.
Failing that, Jude Bellingham can be partially tethered as a number 8 but when dealing with a generational talent does it make sense to tether him at all?
Outright Winner - England
The astonishing trajectile of Bellingham is of course a considerable strength for England, a blessing if truth be told, and the same goes for Phil Foden who has all the attributes to single-handedly orchestrate a tournament success.
Staying with the young players, Southgate will have been over-joyed to see the Under 21s lift the trophy at their own version of the Euros this summer gone and it will be fascinating to see if he integrates James Trafford, Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon into the full set-up should the last two qualifying games afford room for experimentation.
It's a big ask for the latter two of this highly promising quartet to force their way in given the wealth of exciting options Southgate has in attack and here again is a big plus to be encouraged by.
Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick against North Macedonia in June was confirmation - when no confirmation was actually needed - that Arsenal’s young superstar is going to be at the forefront of England’s excellence for years to come while in Harry Kane they possess one of the world’s most lethal hitmen.
The nation’s record goal-scorer and long-time scourge of the live betting markets has fired 24 in his last 25 starts. That’s pretty ridiculous.
Elsewhere, when Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Eberechi Eze are viewed as impact subs you know that England are doing just fine for creativity and goals.
In due course, we can anticipate a new-look Southgate XI to emerge, and maybe that evolution might be accelerated as club managers force his hand. For now though he will surely stick to his tried and trusted lieutenants to see England secure passage to Germany.
On inspection that’s fine, maybe even it’s the best of both worlds. For the future is bright and the present has flaws at an absolute premium.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
