The Thomas Tuchel era has lift-off and, suddenly, England supporters are daring to dream again.
Tuesday’s 5-0 win over Serbia was a statement performance, finally delivering the “excitement” Tuchel promised when he took over.
Serbia were poor, their misery compounded when captain Nikola Milenkovic was sent off late on, but England dismantled them with ruthless efficiency in a hostile Belgrade atmosphere.
England are now within touching distance of reaching next year’s World Cup. They are seven points clear at the top of their qualification group with just three games to go.
“I think it was teamwork in its purest form,” said Tuchel. “We just proved what I saw every day in this camp, and that makes me very happy.
“We gave the players clarity in their roles in the structure we are playing, and from this we put in the responsibility to put it to life - and they did excellent. The credit goes to them, they did amazing. That’s the bar.”
If England can maintain this standard, it is only natural that supporters will dream of going all the way next year.
This was a display that showcased Tuchel’s vision, particularly in attack. England were fast and fluid, with Harry Kane dropping deep to create space for Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke.
Elliot Anderson brought control to the base of midfield, while Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers offered energy and creativity ahead of him.
The No6 role has long been a problem position for England, but Anderson has looked a genuine solution during this international break. Rogers impressed as a No10, his deft flick to set up Madueke’s goal capping a confident performance.
“This is the time when the competition starts, the formation and the way we play and the style is going to be set in stone,” said Kane.
“Of course, there might be a few games where we have to change a little bit depending on opposition, but we want to play our way - we want to be on the front foot and win the ball back quick and when we lose the ball, recover well.
“You could say today was the perfect template and we’re going to have difficult games from now until the World Cup, but we’ll use this as a starting point and the standard’s been really high.”
This felt like the start of a new era because of the players involved.
Without big names due to injury - such as Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham - others stepped up to state their case.
Gordon and Madueke offered real threat out wide, with the latter demonstrating how he can be genuine competition for Saka.
Rogers will find it hard to dislodge Bellingham or Palmer from the No10 role, but he has certainly given Tuchel food for thought.
Reece James’ assured display at right-back, which followed on from his assist against Andorra, suggested the long-running debate over that position may be nearing resolution.
The defence, for the fifth World Cup qualifier in a row, kept a clean sheet and did not put a foot wrong.
Serbia failed to muster a single shot on target, and Ezri Konsa looks ready to compete with John Stones to start alongside Marc Guehi, who is England’s best centre-back right now.
All in all, this was a night when Tuchel got everything right, from his four changes to the starting XI to his substitutions. Marcus Rashford scored the fifth by slotting a late penalty, which was won by fellow substitute Ollie Watkins.
It was the perfect end to the perfect night. At the start of this camp, Tuchel told his squad that the competition begins now.
On the evidence of Tuesday, the fiercest competition will be among those simply fighting to get into his squad.
