LONDON -- England have prioritised defining a clear sense of identity ever since Gareth Southgate took charge in 2016. The 50-year-old's attempt to deconstruct inhibitions created by past failures and reimagine England as a youthful side unencumbered by history improbably took them to the World Cup semifinals two years ago.
Belgium's visit to Wembley offers a neat opportunity to determine their progress since then, given the teams met twice in Russia with Roberto Martinez's side winning on both occasions. And while the result offers encouragement England remain admirably robust enough to compete with the best teams, the manner of this 2-1 win raises questions about just what sort of team they are trying to be.