Everything is possible, Southgate had said on Sunday, as he sought to consign the dismal Nations League campaign to unwanted history. This was a display to fire optimism. There was even the cherry on top of a late sixth for Jack Grealish, who had entered as a substitute, from a pull-back from another replacement, Callum Wilson.

But at least investment was on the agenda. Now the state of the industry can be described as blancmange, an incoherent muddle without even a cherry on top. And that has not gone unnoticed.

Cherry on top

Meaning

Noun

Synonyms