Euro 2020 qualification ended for the Three Lions with another blizzard of goals, England securing one of the top seed berths at next summer’s tournament with wins against Montenegro on Thursday and in Kosovo on Sunday.
Another 11 goals were added to the tally, making 37 in total in just eight matches and Gareth Southgate’s side retained a ruthless streak until the very end, netting three times in Pristina in the final stages of a dead rubber fixture.
Having scored seven against Montenegro without their most influential player of the qualification group, Raheem Sterling, there are no qualms about England’s ability to score goals and worry opposition defences with their pace and directness.
That should translate to whoever they are facing at Euro 2020 and even the most-fancied nations going into the tournament will have to make provisions to deal with the likes of Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and, of course, Harry Kane.
Southgate’s task now is both straightforward and complex, to make England tighter in defence and capable of dominating the midfield when they come up against teams such as France, Italy, Portugal or any of the other sides who will fancy their chances of lifting the trophy at Wembley.
His squad is more advanced, in his own words, than at the equivalent stage before Russia 2018 (when England lumbered through qualifying) but great strides were made in the build-up to the tournament in friendlies against high-quality opposition.
Making a similar leap again will put the Three Lions in the mix to taste glory on home soil but, at the very least, their attacking strength promises an exciting ride along the way.