Fixtures with Germany and Brazil bring about a heightened sense of significance whenever they occur. At this stage of the cycle, seven months from a World Cup, the intensity ramps up, especially as the superpowers of world football stride into view back-to-back.
A sense of that pervaded St George’s Park this week, where the countdown to Russia grew louder. Those new to the squad - Tammy Abraham, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Joe Gomez - trailed excitement and urgency, while Ashley Young, returning after a four-year absence from this environment, betrayed an obvious determination to make the most of fate’s late offer.
Young, at 32 the oldest member of the group, was as much a barometer of mood as the trio of debutants, each of whom was rolled out before the media on Monday afternoon. England are at the start of something under Gareth Southgate. Qualification done, the England coach appears fixed on a more adventurous dynamic that frees players to express themselves within the disciplines of a more fluid, vigorous, attacking shape.
“This period between qualification and the finals has to have an element of experimentation. If we don't try things in these games, when are we going to try things? Germany took a really young team to the Confederations Cup. I thought it was brilliant what they did. That's how they work. They're brave enough to take decisions that might get them results, but might not.”
MARCH OF YOUTH
Though a pity to lose the heavyweight contributions of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Raheem Sterling, not to mention the emerging Harry Winks and the reconstituted Fabian Delph, if this accelerates the promotion of youth then we should all be glad of it. Their inclusion in the first place recognised that the days of prosaic, insipid, bloodless football are done. The very idea of international football is under threat from a generation of millennials who just do not have the connectivity to the England team shared by their forebears. A big part of Southgate’s remit is to build a bridge to the young generation for whom club football is all. To do this England must excite. To be fair to Southgate he gets this and is upbeat about facing Germany and Brazil without his absent cohort. “We've had to change plans because we had an idea of players we'd have liked to play. But a great opportunity for players coming in,” he said. “I've really enjoyed the week. New players coming in and two great games to look forward to. I've learned a lot from the week. We'll take more from these games than any of the qualification games.
“This period between qualification and the finals has to have an element of experimentation. If we don't try things in these games, when are we going to try things? Germany took a really young team to the Confederations Cup. I thought it was brilliant what they did. That's how they work. They're brave enough to take decisions that might get them results, but might not.”