With 51 shots in 180 minutes, 12 on target and just four goals, England shook off the rust in Florida – but for a team with so much attacking heft, they lack cutting edge.
Harry Kane remains the exception to the rule of a squad light on goals. They need a Plan B that doesn’t rely on rolling the dice on battering ram Ivan Toney or a change of pace with Ollie Watkins.
Enter Jude Bellingham? That seemed to be the suggestion coming out of England’s Florida series, a gentle introduction to a month when the verdict will be delivered on the “go-big-or-go-home” appointment of Thomas Tuchel.
England’s reasoning with Tuchel is sound enough. Unlike his predecessor Gareth Southgate, who was big on vibes but had tactical shortcomings when it mattered, Tuchel has already delivered in the big moments. He’s the finisher in a tournament that demands one.
If you screwed your eyes tight enough against a fairly feeble Costa Rican challenge, you could see signs – and none was more intriguing than Bellingham getting a run at No 9, first alongside Kane before eight bright minutes in tandem with his mate Morgan Rogers.
