The England manager usually knows his starting XI for their World Cup opener after the last fixture before the tournament - yet that's not the case this year.
Gareth Southgate doesn't even know his squad for this year's World Cup in Qatar, let alone which 11 players are going to face Iran on November 21. That's part of what made Monday night's Nations League game against Germany so intriguing, it offered Southgate no closure, there's still room to manouvere.
It did, however, make his decision slightly easier. England's 3-3 draw with Germany highlighted plenty of weaknesses in Southgate's team, and gave one or two players the chance to stake a claim for a starring role. Here are the winners and losers from Wembley.
Winners
Luke Shaw
It's been a tough season for Shaw, as he's played just three times for Manchester United. He's been replaced by Tyrell Malacia in Erik ten Hag's strongest XI and his inclusion in the England squad for this month's internationals was surprising considering his club form.
Yet Shaw vindicated his selection by producing a quality performance at Wembley. He sent Raheem Sterling through on goal in the first half with a superb pass and took his goal well, evoking memories of his famous strike against Italy in the Euro 2020 final.
On Monday night's evidence, Shaw is heading to Qatar and will probably be starting the opener.
Jude Bellingham
What did you make of England's display against Germany on Monday night? Let us know in the comments below!
Kalvin Phillips' untimely shoulder injury could leave the Three Lions with a void in central midfield. Many fans and pundits believe Bellingham is the answer to that problem, and that he's set to play a key role in England's World Cup campaign. Those voices will only have grown louder after Monday night.
The teenager looked assured at the heart of Southgate's midfield, just as he has done in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. He's already one of the best English central midfielders on the scene and will be unlucky to find himself on the bench on November 21. His dynamism is much needed in this England side.
Losers
Harry Maguire
It would only be a slight exaggeration to describe Monday night's game as one of the biggest of Maguire's career. Given he's not playing much for Man Utd at the moment, he needed to produce a good performance against Germany to boost his World Cup hopes.
The night started badly for Maguire, as he was booed by a section of England fans. Those boos turned to cheers and chants of his name thanks to a solid first-half display, but the United skipper's night went horribly wrong shortly after half-time.
Maguire gave the ball straight to Jamal Musiala and then conceded a penalty by making a clumsy challenge on the youngster. It was an awful moment for the centre-back, making it even harder for Southgate to justify not just starting him at the World Cup, but even taking him.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
It seems unthinkable that a player of Alexander-Arnold's quality - someone who's won everything at club level and been named as the best right-back in the world by FIFA - would be left out of England's 26-man World Cup squad. Yet that might just happen.
Alexander-Arnold was dropped for Monday night's game - not even making the 23-man squad - and was forced to watch Reece James put in a solid enough display in his position. Sadly for the Liverpool defender, Southgate just doesn't seem to fancy him and with Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier all in the mix too, he might not get a place in the squad... unless Southgate takes FOUR (yep) right-backs.
John Stones
Southgate deployed Stones in a slightly different role in Monday night, playing him on the right of his back three. That role is usually reserved for his rapid Manchester City teammate Walker, so Stones was expected to step out of defence with the ball and aid the building of attacks.
Sadly for the City defender, one of his hamstrings didn't allow that to happen. Stones pulled up midway through the first half and is now in a race to be fit for the World Cup, with the squad due to be announced in around six weeks' time.
Gareth Southgate
Unfortunately for Southgate, Monday night's performance didn't silence his critics. England were boring in the opening quarter of the game and still lack creativity in the final third, even if was an improvement on last week's display against Italy.
Right now, England's hopes of winning the World Cup are slim. This month's internationals were a chance for them to build some momentum heading into the tournament, yet it remains unclear what Southgate's best team is.
Don't get your hopes up, England fans, even with the late fight back.
