As Harry Kane stepped up to make it 3-0 to England with the final kick of the first half at a wet, chilly and deflated Daugava Stadium it was strange to think that there was a time when the very act of reaching a major tournament was an event in its own right.
It is not supposed to be this much of a doddle. Qualifying was once a nerve-shredding experience. It could make or break reputations and even provided some of the most iconic moments in the history of English football: the euphoria of David Beckham’s free-kick against Greece in 2001, the bloody‑minded defiance of Paul Ince in Rome in 1997 or, at the other end of the spectrum, the farce of Steve McClaren’s umbrella at Wembley in 2007, the agony of Graham Taylor in Rotterdam in 1993 and the shock of Jan Tomaszewski’s heroics in goal for Poland against Sir Alf Ramsey’s England in 1973.
Yet there was no jeopardy in Riga on Tuesday night. That England would thump Latvia and secure their place at the World Cup finals tournament next summer with two games to spare was never in doubt. It was all very predictable. It took England until the 26th minute to pick the lock, Anthony Gordon scoring the goal his lively performance on the left flank deserved, but not once have they been in trouble in Group K. The opposition has been feeble. The results – 2-0, 3-0, 1-0, 2-0, 5-0, 5-0 – say it all.
And so is it any surprise that victory against Latvia, the 137th best team in the world, was greeted with little more than a shrug of the shoulders? Nobody could blame the travelling fans for leaving long before the end. Not even Thomas Tuchel, that renowned thrower of truth bombs, was going to question the level of support this time.
It would have been an unwise move. Tuchel heard the away end aiming a string of critical chants in his direction during the first half. Those comments from the head coach about the soporific atmosphere during England’s friendly win against Wales at Wembley last Thursday have been noted by the hardcore support. There were even a few boos for Tuchel when his name was read out before kick-off here.
Yet while Tommy Tuchel’s army did not sound best pleased with their manager, they will have appreciated his team’s football again. England were efficient, controlled and clinical. They look structured and balanced. Elliot Anderson was excellent again at the base of midfield. Kane keeps scoring and keeps standards high. John Stones, who looks guaranteed to start in central defence as long as he stays fit, got through another 71 minutes. He also made the first goal, capitalising on one of the few moments Latvia dared push up by lifting a long ball over the top for Gordon to cut in from the left and whip a shot into the far corner.
This was a good night for Gordon. He drove at Raivis Jurkovskis, who was probably relieved to be taken off at half-time. There was a lot of focus on Marcus Rashford during the buildup but Gordon has the shirt at the moment. His directness and willingness to run behind defences are crucial assets given Kane’s ability to drop deep.
“This is his biggest strength – to go direct,” Tuchel said. “He collects high-intensity runs and this is so good. We are playing a high press. He is important against the ball. Another good performance.” The competition in attack is fierce. Eberechi Eze came off the bench to make it 5-0. Morgan Rogers, the kind of counter-pressing No 10 Tuchel likes, has made three consecutive starts, and Noni Madueke’s knee injury has allowed Bukayo Saka to return on the right. Now, though, the real work begins. England were not even stretched when they went to Serbia last month. Andorra and Albania were also dispatched with relative ease.
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The one concern for Tuchel is that his England will not have had a serious competitive test before the World Cup. They have dead rubbers against Serbia and Albania next month. There will be warm-up friendlies in March – Japan and Uruguay have been lined up – but nothing so far will have told Tuchel if England are equipped to beat Spain or France in a knockout game.
This is where the real work begins. There are questions to resolve. Does the great humbling of Jude Bellingham continue, or does the Real Madrid midfielder return next month? Is there space for Cole Palmer or Phil Foden in attack? Can Adam Wharton find his way back?
The picture will become clearer as the tournament approaches. It still feels unlikely that England can win the World Cup without Bellingham but it is up to the 22-year-old to prove that he can respect the hierarchy and follow instructions. The competition is on, as Tuchel likes to say.
