World Cup run-in starts now – and Southgate has shifted to a back three

The switch against Albania feels significant, as the flexible formation fits England’s players, especially the full-backs

Players may still be suffering their post-Euro hangovers, the last of the broken glass may only just have been swept up from Wembley Way, but the World Cup is already only a year and a week away. For England the lessons of the Euros are still being assessed and assimilated and yet, already, FA officials are travelling out to Qatar to scope out training bases. The final run-in has already begun.

Suddenly a 5-0 win over a desperately disappointing Albania – how on earth had that side, even allowing for defensive injuries, beaten Hungary home and away? – is not just a jolly night out, a chance for Harry Kane to regain his form and pull level with Jimmy Greaves in the all-time scoring charts, and three more points collected towards a ticket to the finals, it becomes a vital indicator of what lies ahead.

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