If it wasn’t so familiar, you would swear it was a Jedi mind trick. As a capacity crowd trooped to Wembley to watch England swat aside limited Lithuanian opponents, you could feel the familiar stirrings of optimism. The gloom and ennui of Brazil have gone, to be replaced by a burst of old-fashioned over-the-top giddiness at the emergence of Harry Kane and cautious excitement at a young, pacey England side set up to harry opponents and attack at speed.
We have, of course, been here many times before. A smooth ride in qualification tends to crash all too abruptly into the buffers in tournament football. And there is only so much to be gleaned from a 4-0 victory against a side ranked 94th in the world and blowing hard in Wembley’s wide open spaces.
But Wayne Rooney seems to epitomise the fact that, whatever gloom is emanating from the Football Association boardroom about the paucity of options among young English talent and however fresh memories of major tournament humiliation, under Wembley’s glowing arch hope always springs eternal. No one embodies that more than Rooney, who has habitually underperformed in major tournaments yet could have equalled Sir Bobby Charlton’s England scoring record of 49 within the first 10 minutes of Friday night’s victory. As it is, the captain remains on 47 – one behind Gary Lineker – and will get another chance to creep closer on Tuesday in Turin, where he could be partnered up front by the Tottenham tyro Kane.
“It’s a big test for us against Italy,” said Rooney. “We played them in the World Cup and got a disappointing result. And I think this can show how far we’ve come as a team.”
Thinking back to that narrow defeat in the steamy heat of Manaus, there was intense debate about whether Rooney would even start the opening game against Italy. As it was, he was shunted out wide to make way for Daniel Sturridge, with Raheem Sterling operating behind him.
But this appears a Rooney reborn at international level, relaxed and empowered by the responsibilities of the captaincy. That could all change once France 2016 heaves into view and the familiar demons return, but for now he is revelling in being the fulcrum of a new England. “I think after Brazil and the World Cup, we knew we had a young squad and we knew it would take time. I feel we’re gradually getting better, the more we’re doing and saying and the more we’re working at stuff,” he said. “You’re seeing the results on the pitch. We’ve still got a long way to go, we’re not saying we’re at the level we want to be at. There’s still a lot of improvement to make before hopefully getting to France in 2016.”
Rooney is enjoying his new elder statesman role for club and country, kitchen sparring accidents notwithstanding. “I’m one of the older guys in the dressing room and I think it’s a natural progression as a footballer,” he said. “It’s a responsibility I’m enjoying as the team captain. Hopefully with the experience I have I can pass on a bit of knowledge to the younger players and try and help them.”
Roy Hodgson too, lucky in the eyes of some to retain his job as England coach after humiliation in Brazil, is enthused by a 100% record in qualifying and the feeling that a coherent philosophy is emerging. “Both Sterling and Welbeck were fantastic in the roles we want them to play. That pace, that ability to beat people and make things happen is a very important thing. Luckily we’ve also got quality centre forwards in Rooney, Sturridge and now Harry Kane. We’ve got to be pleased with that,” said Hodgson. “There’s no point trying to hide their light under a bushel. But it’s a year and a bit away and players when they play for England are always under scrutiny.”
As the fulcrum around which those young attackers can revolve, Rooney said he was enjoying his role spearheading the attack. “If you’re looking at the team we’ve got, when we lose the ball we go and win it back so quickly. What we’ve been working on is pressing as a team from the back,” he said. “There are times when we have to drop in and then hit teams on the break. I think if you ask any defenders, they don’t like playing against pace, so I think teams will be a bit wary of the pace we’ve got and the ability and fitness we’ve got in the team.”
Danny Welbeck, man of the match against Lithuania, said competition for places was driving the side’s development. Fabian Delph and Nathaniel Clyne both looked comfortable and provided further evidence of strength in depth.
“We have got great options – it is not just the attacking players it is all over the pitch,” said the Arsenal striker. “With the way we are playing at the moment everyone is giving 100% and if you get a chance you want to take it.”
Any progress since the pain of that Rio de Janeiro summer will be tested in a Turin friendly on Tuesday for which Hodgson will have to shuffle his pack, given the absence of at least seven players who would be in contention for a first-choice starting berth. As such, he said, it would difficult to use it as a true barometer of the team’s progress since June.
Welbeck, who tweaked his knee at Wembley, and Sterling, who will return to Liverpool for an injection in his toe, are among those missing. It could give Hodgson an opportunity to drop the three-man midfield that has served him well so far in this qualifying campaign in favour of a more conventional 4-4-2 with Rooney and Kane up front.
Hodgson, ever wary of doling out an easy headline and burned by his chastening experience in Brazil, is determined not to get carried away but is already firmly focused on France. “We’ve got to keep our eye firmly on the ball and that for me is whether we can win matches in 2016 with this group of players,” he said.
