The primary purpose of this drab friendly, free of genuine consequence, was to provide England’s players with an opportunity to experiment a different style of opponent and experiment both with shapes and personnel. So of course, owing to injuries and rotation, Ben White ended up playing in an unfamiliar position that happens to be the one where, ordinarily, Gareth Southgate has a surfeit of options.
There appears no chance of the Arsenal defender appearing in that role when things get going in Qatar come November but it was notable that England started with a back four against Cote d’Ivoire instead of continuing with the three that looked unconvincing in the first half against Switzerland on Saturday.
It was additionally notable because the player most suited to operating in that system was not even part of this squad despite being in excellent club form. Eric Dier has been a key component of Tottenham Hotspur’s improvement over the past month as the central figure of a three-man defence and this time last year he was still a part of the national team plans when his club form was in the toilet.
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But then he narrowly missed out on the European Championship squad, with Southgate speaking glowingly about his past contributions and stressing that the door would remain open in the future. He is yet to be invited back in and with no other uncompetitive fixtures pencilled in between now and the World Cup squad being announced the possibility of a return seems slim.
This was among the least taxing evenings of the Southgate era with the appointed back four having little defending to do. Still, to hear Harry Maguire being booed before and during the game was rather bizarre. For all his faults in a Manchester United shirt, it is hard to find fault in the 29-year-old’s England performances.
Thanks to an Ollie Watkins tap-in and a second goal from Raheem Sterling, split by Serge Aurier getting himself sent off with a baffling piece of dissent, the second period was academic and White, who had precious little to do, was replaced by Tyrick Mitchell for the Crystal Palace youngster’s second cap at the interval.
In Jude Bellingham there was an obvious bright note and should the Borussia Dortmund midfielder continue on this trajectory over the next seven months his inclusion in the XI come the World Cup may prove irresistible. He provided several bursts of energy in an otherwise low-power mode affair and when the team was reshuffled later in the second period all semblance of flow disappeared. Emile Smith Rowe, on as a substitute, went close to adding a third deep in added time but the Arsenal player slightly mishit his effort from about seven yards and it was turned out for a corner that Tyrone Mings headed in.
Apart from that, good luck extracting many firm conclusions. Before the Nations League draw pitted England in a group featuring Italy, Hungary and Germany, with four games set to be played in June, the FA made it clear that their aim was to face elite opposition in this window, more than aware that preparatory time was of the essence. And while Switzerland showed some decent spells on Saturday, Cote d’Ivoire provided anything but a tricky test.
