Wembley takeaways: Collins experiment the bright spot but roof caved in on Ireland
SORRY: Ireland’s Nathan Collins dejected after the game. Pic ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
The Republic were given a frighteningly vivid vision of how long the journey will be to reach the level they dream of, following a chastening experience at Wembley.
For 45 minutes Heimir Hallgrimsson’s tactics of squeezing England into one third of the pitch and denying their wingers space through a low block looked genius.
But then the reality check arrived.
The danger of such a tactic is that as soon as the opposition scores, everything goes out the window.
Once England went 1-0 up from the spot, and Liam Scales was sent off, the Republic’s shape and discipline disappeared and England took full advantage by hitting five. It could have been more.
The next stop on Hallgrimsson's road to the promised land is now a play-off to avoid relegation to League C. The ladder suddenly looks very long indeed.
Nathan Collins: Given we cannot include Taylor Harwood-Bellis in this category, despite being Roy Keane’s future son-in-law, any discussion about a Republic man who impressed can only focus on the first half, when they held England to 0-0.
What happened after that was a mess, and captain Nathan Collins won’t thank anyone for a man of the match nomination in a game in which his team conceded five goals.
But early on he showcased what he can contribute in a hybrid role, playing in front of the defence.
His job was to squeeze the space England had available to play in – and he did an impressive job.
The Brentford man has noticeably improved this season, adding layers to his game under the coaching of Thomas Frank. This one may have ended horribly, but he’ll be a leader for the Boys in Green for a long time.
Notable improvers were not easy to spot once the Republic went 1-0 down – and down to 10 men – in the 53rd minute as England swept to a convincing victory and their superiority was undeniable.
But there were things to hold onto from earlier in the game, including the growing influence of Festy Ebosele at right-back. The Watford man, on loan from Udinese, defended well against Antony Gordon for that period and had the power and energy to get forward, too.
It took a long time for England to unlock the Republic defence but the way they took charge after going ahead showcased why they should never have been in League B in the first place. Thomas Tuchel now has a deep squad to choose from and you suspect England, with so much talent coming through, will be one of the favourites at the next World Cup.
Harry Kane's stunning pass to Jude Bellingham, which saw Jude Bellingham win a penalty and Liam Scales sent off, summed up the quality they possess. The question of course is whether they can recreate the second half in a big tournament - rather than the turgid and unadventurous performance of the first 45 minutes which left the home crowd frustrated, and Republic fans dreaming of a major upset.
The atmosphere by the end, of course, was very different as England reminded everyone that on a good day, they can be very good.
Tuchel must be licking his lips at the prospect of a short-term project to win England the trophy they have waited so long for. Now he has a better assessment of what he has to work with, and you suspect he'll be very happy with it.
England now have more options on the wing with the emergence of Gordon and Noni Madueke, and possibly the answer to their left-back problem in the shape of Lewis Hall.
Lee Carsley gave eight former Under 21 players a debut during his short spell in charge, and that tactic certainly worked for Spain last year.
England’s next manager has a conundrum after Lee Carsley ended his spell in temporary charge by handing over a youthful squad that scored 16 goals in this Nations League group.
Will Tuchel go back to the old school, the crux of the squad that played in the Euros last year? Or will he keep some of the former Under 21s that Carsley promoted?
Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall at full-back did well at Wembley as did Antony Gordon, Conor Gallagher and Taylor Harwood-Bellis who all scored their first ever England goals.
The likes of Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs and Curtis Jones have made contributions too, creating a deeper pool for Tuchel to consider.
There’s still a decision to make about how he uses Harry Kane, too. The critics who lambasted the Bayern Munich striker’s performances at the Euros last summer have started to creep back from behind the curtains again recently, at international level anyway. Against the Republic he looked slow, ponderous and not himself in the first half, spending so much of the first half lying extremely deep to no effect.
But then, all of a sudden, a brilliant ball from deep to find Jude Bellingham changed the game. It generated a penalty for England, which Kane converted expertly. And from that point on he, and England, were outstanding.
Tuchel got the best out of Kane for Bayern last season, and you suspect he’ll be first pick. But the formation could be key to get the best from him.
He knows that both full-back positions remain an issue, too, and England's defence will need to improve. But considering England finished the group on a high, promoted to League A, and continued to score goals for fun, he has a strong base to work from.
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