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.
