IF ENGLAND learned one thing this month, it was that you can’t control what you can’t control. Gareth Southgate went from leaving Kyle Walker out so he could look at two younger right-backs to not having any right-backs at all. And there was no chance to see whether Bukayo Saka could continue translating his sparkling club form at Arsenal to the international stage. He caught Covid, left St George’s Park before the Switzerland win, and left Southgate admitting he was in a “maze of confusion” about the remaining Covid protocols.

At least Southgate has come to expect the uncontrollable obstacles in his role. When I asked him whether these March internationals have been frustrating in that regard, he sat back and concluded that in fact “this month has been a little bit more like a normal month with England.” Well if he can put on a brave face about having to call-up a previously uncapped right-back (Kyle Walker-Peters), and uncapped left-back (Tyrick Mitchell) and his sixth-choice goalkeeper (Fraser Forster), then good for him.

With John Stones injured in the warm-up, England started with Ben White, Conor Coady and debutant Marc Guehi in their eventual win over the Swiss. It was a slow start from England, followed by a very shaky half of football from the defence. All three are decent players, but it was a performance to further the cause of Stones’s partnership with the off-form Harry Maguire.