With the international break in full swing, fans will be pining for anything to keep them entertained whilst domestic football takes a back seat.
There was plenty to talk about from England’s loss to Germany in Dortmund on Wednesday night and whilst they lost there was plenty of encouragement for manager Gareth Southgate, who implemented a new system on the night.
The new style, utilising a three at the back, stemmed from that used so successfully by Antonio Conte at Chelsea this season.
After a mixed start to the season, including a draw with Swansea and losses to both Arsenal and Liverpool, the former Juventus manager ditched the old 4-2-3-1 which had been used for years at Stamford Bridge and moved to a 3-4-3 with Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses deployed as wing-backs.
Since that formation change, the Italian has watched his side rocket to a ten point lead at the top of the Premier League, and now the Three Lions manager has followed suit as he had Chelsea’s Gary Cahill captaining England and leading his team-mates in the new system to great effect.
Speaking ahead of the international break, Southgate – who took the reins from Sam Allardyce following his 67 day tenure – spoke of beginning a new era with the national team and putting the failures in recent years behind them.
Lukas Podolski’s goal to win the game for Joachim Low’s side in Dortmund was harsh on the Three Lions who, until the closing stages after a number of changes, looked well in control against the world champions, and created a number of chances.
The system cannot help the likes of Jamie Vardy, Adam Lallana or Dele Alli finish those chances, there it comes down to the talent of the individual, however, it gave the England men far more opportunities to create something than we are used to seeing.
The Blues may not have a high number of players in the squad, as it stands, and have often been criticised for holding back the development of young English players, with their loan system accused of stifling the progression of many of the brightest talents in the England youth ranks, however, with coach Steve Holland a key member of the new-look coaching staff, Conte’s men have had a profound effect.
It seems likely that the former Middlesbrough and England U21 manager will stick to his new system for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier with Lithuania and, should it produce a similar performance on the night, for many clashes beyond.
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Based on the showing in Germany, there is no reason why, after having had time to settle, the system and style which perfectly suits the likes of Kyle Walker, Danny Rose and those attacking further forward, can take England back up a level, and it could well all be down to Conte and Chelsea.