When the opposition don’t even have a touch in your box, never mind a shot on goal, then you’re not learning too much about your team.
Which is why I always knew Gareth Southgate would go with a strong England line up in Malta…why take them otherwise? If Manchester City hadn’t won the Champions League, I reckon he’d have picked his strongest available line up.
Which is why Trent Alexander-Arnold’s impressive performance may not be as significant as some people are making out. He played well, no doubt, and we’ve seen in recent months his passing can be really influential from the midfield position.
Yet the one thing we categorically know about my old England teammate Southgate, is that he has a system and a method and he will stick with it no matter what.
So he’ll play two aggressive holding midfielders and one slightly further forward with a little more freedom. And even though I’m a massive Trent fan, that particular midfield slot is Jude Bellingham’s, pure and simple.
We saw that Southgate wouldn’t change his philosophy to accommodate Alexander-Arnold at right back, even when he was winning the top honours with Liverpool. He wants defenders to defend, full stop.
Same with his midfielders. He wants them to defend, first and foremost. So it’s Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips - if he moves away from City this summer to get regular first team football - or Jordan Henderson. Then Bellingham ahead of them, who would have played on Friday if he’d been fit.
People were surprised he didn’t experiment more against Malta. I wasn’t. What’s the point? Southgate knows his team, he knows his squad more or less. It won’t change between now and the Euros next summer.
So have a look at Maddison and Eze by all means, but they’re not getting in the team when it matters. Neither is Trent, though he has shown that with his passing, he is quality back up to Bellingham.
In fact, and injuries aside I think it is safe to say there is really only one question for the England manager between now and next summer - centre half. John Stones is a certainty, and Harry Maguire would be, if he was playing regularly.
But if he stays at Manchester United, that won’t be the case. It’s clear Erik ten Hag doesn’t really rate him, but will he get a move this summer? If he doesn’t, then even Southgate’s loyalty will be tested to the limit by that one.
I think the only real question that came out of England’s stroll against Malta - apart from how a team who didn’t cross the half way line still managed 34 percent possession! - was why the hell are these matches being played in the middle of June.
Look at the fixture list, it’s mind-boggling. There is a Nations League final this weekend (and I still haven’t worked out what that tournament actually is for), there are European Championship qualifiers next week.
Hell, there is an U21 European Championship that goes on until July 8…which is after most Premier League clubs report back for pre-season training. That is total madness.
The coming season is a massive one for the likes of Curtis Jones, Anthony Gordon, Jacob Ramsey, Emile Smith Rowe and Levi Colwill. Yet they could still be playing in the second week of July…and then will be weeks behind the rest of their club team-mates.
It’s unfair on them, because careers are on the line. Look at Jones for instance. Liverpool have already signed one midfielder, they will sign at least one more - and he’ll be desperate to start the season well to prove to Jurgen Klopp he deserves a place in the starting line up despite the new signings.
How can he do that if he doesn’t report back until towards the end of July? Or if he skips a break, how can he be fresh enough to show his true form?
Something has to change with the fixture list. It’s time to take a step back for the whole of football, and cut something out of the fixture list. The Nations League for a start, then some of the meaningless games like playing Malta in a tournament.
After that, I think the time has come to cut down on European games, instead of increasing them as the Champions League is about to do. And cut down on the games at major tournaments, rather than increase them as the World Cup will do.
It’s about money of course, so there will be more games, not less. But one day soon, players are going to start suing because their health is being jeopardised, and that may just get UEFA, FIFA and the domestic leagues to take a long hard look at what they’re doing.
