Acclimatisation has been the England buzzword and neatly covers Saturday’s opening fixture against New Zealand. The steamy environment in Florida is intended to get England gently up to speed, as are New Zealand following a heavy defeat to Haiti on Wednesday.
For this mock exam Thomas Tuchel is without Arsenal’s English champions Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke delaying their arrival until the weekend. So expect some shuffling and a raft of substitutions in Tampa.
This period is ultimately about refinement, identifying who gets the nod in the few contested positions remaining, left wing, centre back and the No 10 spot. If the squad numbers are revealing, Marcus Rashford, 11, trumps Anthony Gordon, 18, on the left, an ironic twist to Barcelona’s recent market moves.
By the same token, the award of the No 5 shirt to John Stones would appear to be bad news for Ezri Konsa were it not for the No 2 jersey passing to the Aston Villa defender. Does this mean No 24 Reece James starts on the bench? Maybe the numbers game is a Tuchell red herring to blur the lines for any spies operating in the vicinity of West Palm Beach.
Konsa’s Villa teammate Morgan Rogers would be equally relieved were this the case since he will wear No 14. The prized No 10 is on the back of Jude Bellingham. Only one of Rogers and Bellingham will start against Croatia in Texas.
