3 reasons England's qualifier against Lithuania might actually be interesting

England’s record of 33 unbeaten World Cup and European Championship qualifiers is ostensibly a proud one, stretching back as it does to a 1-0 defeat in Ukraine in 2009, but in truth, qualification has become a procession – a procession which leads only to embarrassment when the tournaments proper start.

Euro 2016 qualifying was effectively over as a going concern after just one game: with the top two qualifying from each group, England’s place at the finals was virtually assured the moment they won 2-0 away to Switzerland in September 2014.

Lithuania were in that group too, dispatched 4-0 at Wembley by Roy Hodgson’s England. A similar result could see Gareth Southgate’s iteration extend their four-point lead at the top of Group F at the half-way point of World Cup 2018 qualifying. Yawn.

And yet, despite this admittedly downbeat introduction, there are some reasons to get interested in the match at Wembley, if you dig deep enough...

Southgate makes an unlikely revolutionary but ahead of his first game as permanent manager, he outlined his vision for the national side. The defeat to Iceland at the Euros was a devastating low for the nation and, prior to the 1-0 loss to Germany, he said England need to make big changes if they are ever to challenge at the top level. Article 50 will be formally triggered next week to start the Brexit process but Southgate has a very different vision of what his nation can, and should, be.

As well as highlighting the exceptional work Germany have done in developing their academy system and coaching structures, he added:

Tackling England’s structural and cultural deficiencies is a grand undertaking; the man deserves a good hearing, starting with his first home game after being appointed on a permanent basis.

Southgate’s decision to switch to a back three for the friendly loss in Dortmund caused ripples of surprise. It is a tactic which has been steadily gaining weight in the Premier League, largely through the influence of Antonio Conte and his all-conquering Chelsea team, but England had not used it since a disastrous 2-0 Euro qualifying defeat in Croatia in 2006. The Independent called that awful 90 minutes: “A requiem for Steve McClaren's tactical innovation… a tragic, humiliating affair." But it worked rather better for Southgate, even if the result was almost the same.

A collorary of the three-man defence was a three-man attack at the other end of the pitch with two of the Premier League’s best players this season, Dele Alli and Adam Lallana, working in support of central striker Jamie Vardy. Both had their moments, particularly Alli, and both will start again against Lithuania, even if their roles do change ever so slightly.

The loss of Chris Smalling to injury and Gary Cahill to suspension means Southgate may well revert to a back four, with Michael Keane being partnered by John Stones in the centre. England are likely to play their tried and tested 4-2-3-1, with Lallana moved a bit wider and Alli shunted into the centre. With Raheem Sterling possibly coming into the three as well, England could be blessed with a vibrant and entertaining attack. Lallana and Alli are two of the best things about the national team at the moment.

England will be led out by a fourth captain in their past six games as Joe Hart follows Wayne Rooney, Jordan Henderson and Gary Cahill in donning a piece of fabric which has proved surprisingly vital to the fabric of international football in this country. For Hart, it will be a proud moment, and the national anthem, always lustily and performatively bellowed by this ostentatious patriot, will be that much more profound as it emits from his throat. Hart in his natural habitat.

And yet, it will represent something more broad, beyond personal fulfilment: the end of the fetishisation of the captaincy which has clung to a country seemingly forever desperate to be in thrall to some authority. The frenzy around the captaincy reached its peak during the Fabio Capello years when John Terry was unceremoniously stripped of it twice, and Rio Ferdinand was given the honour, and had it taken away, in between. The armband hung like a lead weight around the Italian, who eventually quit when he was told to demote Terry for a second time ahead of Euro 2012.

But Southgate has sought to inject some sense into the debate by stripping the armband of any real resonance. Hart will wear it on Friday as he is the most experienced member of the team. That will be reassessed on a game-by-game basis. “The manager has made it pretty clear it’s just an armband to him,” said Hart this week. Hear, hear.