IAN LADYMAN: England take on football's refugees in the form of Ukraine but all eyes are on Germany next year

For England, this is unusual territory, an away game on neutral soil. Apart from that, nothing changes. Eyes are already on next summer’s Euros in Germany, a summer from which something tangible really must be taken.

Here in west Poland, Wroclaw’s Tarczynski Arena acts as a temporary home for the football refugees of Ukraine. There will be no advantage for England in that, however. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians live in this part of Poland and the stadium will radiate blue and yellow when this Euro 2024 qualifier kicks off at 6pm local time.

England do not really need to win. Four wins from four in Group C have put Gareth Southgate and his improving team in control. What matters is what happens in Germany next summer. Southgate has told his players it is time to deliver and that rhetoric is not going to change. ‘We were finalists last time and felt in the World Cup we played very well and lost to one of the best two teams in the world,’ said Southgate last night.

‘We know there’s the possibility for this team to get better as well. We’ve got evidence over a long period of time that we should have that belief. Of course, you’ve got to go and deliver it, and a lot can happen in terms of availability of players and everything, but for us that has to be the long-term aim.

‘The nice thing is that, for some players, it will probably be their last chance to win something, some will be at their peak and some have still got space to grow.

‘I don’t see the team falling off a cliff after the next tournament. There’s enough youngsters that still have their best years ahead of them, in fact, so it’s a good balance.’

It is strange to think that a year ago, England were in something approaching disarray. A 3-3 home draw from Germany that