To anyone who has watched England’s allergy to the upper-left quarter of the pitch manifest, it will be of little surprise that consensus had formed around the idea that Anthony Gordon must start Tuesday night’s meeting with Slovenia.
The only forward of his type in Gareth Southgate’s squad — a flier without the ball, direct with it and, crucially, attuned to playing on that thus-far neglected flank — if anything, the only shock is that so far he has not featured even off the bench.
Around the time of March’s friendlies, in which he impressed, Gordon threatened to become the new Mason Mount, the player Southgate made a point of talking up whether asked about him or not. Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford were both warned that the Newcastle winger was snapping at their heels. As we know now, it was no bluff.
If forthcoming, the 23-year-old’s introduction ought to give England’s lop-sided attack better horizontal balance, as well as, at last, a vertical threat, one that might unlock Harry Kane.
Yet, if it feels like one of England’s problem positions has an obvious solution and another, at left-back, none at all, then it is in midfield where Southgate has a series of flawed options to assess, many paths still open for the rejig that is surely required, but little certainty over which, if any, might lead the way it must.
Indisputably, the Trent Alexander-Arnold gamble has not paid off, and Southgate appears to have accepted as much, making the Liverpool defender his first change in each game of the tournament so far. Conor Gallagher was sent on in both instances and might, logic follows, be favourite to be a like-for-like replacement in Cologne. That, though, does not feel drastic enough to turn a midfield unable to get near Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg into one that might live with Toni Kroos or Rodri. England, so far, have been too open up the middle out of possession, and not cute or clever enough with it. They need an answer to both problems; Gallagher provides only part of one.
Perhaps, then, now is the time for England’s most complete midfielder to be used as such. Dropping Jude Bellingham deeper, alongside Declan Rice, would negate some of his goal threat but deliver, across the team, a net uplift. With Kylian Mbappe about to arrive at Real Madrid, he is likely to be forced back at club level next season anyway.
Keeping Phil Foden in the side as No10 in that scenario would be the crowd-pleaser. Southgate, though, would probably be more likely to revert to Qatar’s 4-3-3. Gallagher or Kobbie Mainoo could play in that system, but the calls for Adam Wharton are becoming more rational as the specifics of England’s problem emerge.
At first, they were reflexive, but performances against Serbia and Denmark suggest a tidy, progressive passer is what England desperately need. The Crystal Palace man is raw but unflappable, plays the game in a simple, effective manner. Senior team-mates talk about him with a glint in the eye not reserved for others so young.
None of these are perfect solutions. It is why Southgate persisted so long with Jordan Henderson, why he tried Alexander-Arnold, why his first instinct in Frankfurt last week was to yearn for Kalvin Phillips. One of them, though, will have to do, because more of the same surely will not.
