It was always likely to be a night when questions beyond qualification would feel more pertinent, and Thomas Tuchel’s team selection – just about his strongest XI – again threw down the gauntlet to those starters to keep the jersey.
Our chief football reporter, CRAIG HOPE, was in Riga to answer five of the big questions coming out of the 5-0 victory…
Does Anthony Gordon warrant his continued inclusion?
There was a suspicion Tuchel might give Marcus Rashford a chance in place of Gordon after he used his pre-match media briefing to challenge the Barcelona forward to improve his goals return.
The same could be said to Gordon, of course, after one goal from 15 caps prior to this game. For him to keep that coveted and competitive starting berth on the left he has to improve his numbers, too.
He would have improved those numbers still further with a couple of assists had Harry Kane not missed from his pull-back and had any team-mate read one inviting ball through the goalmouth. Gordon had every right to raise his arms in search of answers after the latter.
But the one question he answered himself was whether he deserves to be the starting left-winger – and that was with a resounding yes! He was a threat throughout.
Anthony Gordon delivered a superb display against Latvia and took his goal well
Why was there ever debate over Kane’s starting place?
I would argue that discussion, especially coming out of Euro 2024, was entirely valid. We should not forget that Kane has, consistently now, looked laboured during summer internationals. But for all of that, he looks better than ever this autumn!
It’s not just England, either. Watch Kane for Bayern Munich and he seems to have found an extra yard of pace and ounce of muscle.
Add renewed speed and strength to technical skills that will never be questioned and this version of Kane is rivalled by only Erling Haaland as the world’s best striker. His two goals here took his tally to 21 from 13 games for club and country this season.
Does Tuchel know his preferred centre-back pairing?
We thought it was emerging as John Stones and Marc Guehi and that remains most likely. But the decision to rest Guehi here opened a door for Ezri Konsa. While there will be meaner opponents than Latvia, Konsa still made the tackle of the night when recovering 10 yards to slide and nick from the toe of a striker poised to blast on goal.
As for Stones, his quick-thinking to free Gordon for the opener with a delicate drop over the top underlined why Tuchel values so highly his distribution from deep. It could be, come next summer, that the pair from that trio in the best shape at club level will start the World Cup.
Harry Kane appears to have found an extra yard of pace and ounce of muscle
Ezri Konsa (right) will feel he has every chance of becoming a first-choice option
After four straight starts, is Elliot Anderson nailed on for the XI?
It is not often an uncapped player comes straight into the team without making a single substitute appearance and then stays there.
But Anderson is going nowhere. When Tuchel made changes after half-time, it was Declan Rice who made way and Anderson was pushed up into a No.8 role.
It is that versatility that makes him as good as guaranteed to be at the World Cup – but let’s go further, he and Rice are the starting midfielders by some distance. If Jude Bellingham is to return, it will have to be at No.10.
So, where does all of this leave Bellingham?
Morgan Rogers did not impress like he has done in recent matches, and it felt at times like he was playing Bellingham back into the starting XI.
There was mitigation in the first half in that he was trying to find space that did not really exist, but when he did work a yard he made hard work of his final execution.
But let us park debate over a starting jersey, Tuchel must first decide whether to include Bellingham in next month’s squad.
Jude Bellingham was not included in the latest squad and England have impressed
It seems unthinkable that he will not, but the past week has also given him every reason to stick with the ‘continuity’ he has preached of late.
If Bellingham does return, he will have to prove he is willing and ready to buy into Tuchel’s idea of Team England.
Rarely has a squad announcement for what will be a pair of dead rubbers been so eagerly awaited.
