England’s 3-0 friendly victory against Ivory Coast at Wembley was as routine as it comes, but there was still plenty for manager Gareth Southgate to ponder as the countdown to the World Cup in Qatar continues.
Southgate will discover England’s group opponents at Friday’s draw, then will further fine-tune his plans when they return to action against Hungary, Germany and Italy in the Nations League in June.
England delivered pretty much all Southgate would have wanted in two Wembley wins against Switzerland on Saturday and here against a disappointing Ivory Coast, but it all gets harder from now on and he has issues to consider.
Is Bellingham now a starter?
Jude Bellingham has looked perfectly at home from the moment he first walked on to the full international stage and has simply got better and better in his 12 caps and 510 minutes of action.
England fans have taken to hurling paper aeroplanes on to the Wembley turf to relieve tedium or signal a game is over as a contest, but nothing soared higher than Bellingham’s outstanding performance.
From the time he exchanged passes with Ollie Watkins only to see his effort deflected against the post by Ivory Coast keeper Badra Ali Sangare, Bellingham simply oozed class and was a cut above every player on the pitch.
