Whatever starting line-up Gareth Southgate was going to field when England locked horns with Andorra in their latest 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Saturday evening, a victory and a collection of goals was never in doubt.
And so it proved. England, despite not going with their usual look, took another giant stride towards next year's World Cup finals in Qatar with minimal fuss, running out comfortable 5-0 winners.
Although he didn't get in on the act in terms of getting his name on the scoresheet, Manchester City sensation Phil Foden certainly, on his first Three Lions start since the goalless draw with Scotland at the European Championship in June, took his chance with both hands. He produced an excellent performance in the centre of midfield, as Southgate ditched the idea of fielding two defensive-minded midfielders, instead allowing Jesse Lingard and Foden to pull the strings and create chances at their pleasure.
Foden, who played the full duration of the contest, ended the night with one assist to his name, although it was as good as two, after his inch-perfect chipped pass found Jadon Sancho inside the penalty area, allowing the Manchester United man to turn and put it on a plate for Ben Chilwell to score his first England goal and open the floodgates.
Foden's presence in the centre of midfield was apparent all night long. Yes, you have to take into account that England were up against Andorra - a side that are currently ranked 156th in the FIFA World Rankings - but, as the cliche goes, you can only beat what's in front of you. Now, just for a few seconds, forget that England were up against Andorra. Foden's performance oozed class in the centre of midfield. His passing was magnificent. His technical ability with the ball at his feet was a sight to behold.
Considering that England often lack a creative spark from the centre of the pitch, as proven at Euro 2020, Foden, ahead of, for example, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips could be winning formula if Southgate is prepared to try it out and potentially go into next year's World Cup with that midfield combination.
As for matters a little closer to home, Foden's performance in the centre of the pitch on Saturday night is bound to spark calls from some City supporters for manager Pep Guardiola to move Foden into the centre of midfield and operate as a playmaker in the No.10 position. In truth, why would Guardiola do that?
Foden, who has scored two goals for City so far this season, went into this current international break fresh off the back of, arguably, his most eye-catching performance in a City shirt against Liverpool last weekend. The 21-year-old was a revelation at Anfield. His performance, which featured a goal and a key hand in Kevin De Bruyne's strike, was one that will probably be talked about for years to come. Not only that, Liverpool's James Milner is probably still having nightmares about the way the Stockport-born star sent him one way and then another.
With all due respect to Andorra, the challenge of facing Liverpool is a on another level. It is hard to draw almost any comparisons between the two. With that in mind, Guardiola, as I am sure he will, must stick to his guns and his own plan for Foden, regardless of what he does when swapping the blue of City for the white of England. Of course Guardiola can take huge amounts of encouragement and comfort from Foden's ability to play in either role, but he must not be bullied into changing his role based off of one good England performance.
Without sounding too contradictory, I am in favour of seeing Foden play in the centre for England. He has the potential to become the heartbeat of that team for years to come, Operating in the centre in an advanced midfield role and performing to a high level could solve a major headache for Southgate.
For City, however, operating out wide has seen him produce much better performances than he has in the middle. Besides, Guardiola can call upon the likes of Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne to pull the strings and create opportunities from the middle of the park. England are not so blessed in the central attacking-midfield department.
Foden's versatility and ability to perform to such a high standard in either role could have its uses to Guardiola and City, but his home at club-level must remain on the left.
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