England won't win Euros with blind faith in Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips
Considering their fabled attention to defensive duty and detail, it was not a moment Italian football will be proud of.
A punt upfield escaped a couple of blue-shirted bodies and Harry Kane went clear. Thirteen minutes of regulation time were left on the Wembley clock and the visitors, a goal in arrears, had shown a fair degree of attacking threat for most of the night.
They were not out of the game, not by any means. But, within a few Kane strides, they soon were. Having dispatched an equalising penalty with customary aplomb in the first half, his second of the match - and his 61st international goal - was a reminder that Kane, at the age of 30, is still improving.
Since his move to Munich, he actually looks just a touch fitter, leaner yet more robust. He has never been the quickest but it was his strength on the run that saw off defender Alessandro Bastoni. His clipped finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma was as predictable as it was consummate and expert.
In this sort of international form, Kane will set a goalscoring mark for England that will probably never come under threat. His figures are remarkable. In European Championship qualifying for England, Kane has been directly involved in at least one goal in 18 of his 19 appearances, including the last 15 in a row. In Euro qualifying alone, he now has 22 goals and eight assists.
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The last time he did not score or assist in a Euro qualifier was against Estonia in October 2015. As his stellar career progresses, he is actually becoming a bit of a phenomenon. Not a youthful phenomenon in the Jude Bellingham mode but a phenomenon all the same.
And with those two in harness - separated by a decade but on the same footballing page - the attacking possibilities for this England team have yet to be fully mined. Don’t forget, Bukayo Saka was not here and Jack Grealish only made a brief appearance. When they got into some sort of stride, England gave the Italians all sorts of problems.
Gareth Southgate's blind faith won't be rewarded (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)What did you make of England's performance against Italy? Let us know in the comments below!
The one issue that could yet prevent England from taking that final step to ultimate tournament success might still be Gareth Southgate’s continuing faith in Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips.
Neither were particularly poor here - although Phillips should have been given a second yellow before he was substituted late in the second half - but they both looked short of the confidence that would come if they were playing week in, week out for their clubs.
At times, Southgate’s loyalty smacks of stubbornness. Maguire and Phillips are honest, hard-working types and have been significant contributors to another impressive qualifying campaign. They should be applauded for that.
But if England want to take that extra final stride at a tournament, they almost certainly need to step up another level. And if Southgate continues to rely on a couple of players who struggle to get a regular Premier League game week, that step-up might well be beyond them.
But as the squad embarked on a richly-deserved lap of honour, that debate could wait for a while. Because England are off to the Euro 2024 finals... and they could not wish for a better goalscorer and a better captain to lead them there.
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