Could England's 'meaningless' thrashings actually kickstart Kane & Maguire's seasons?

The divide between club and international football has rarely felt more pronounced.

As the Premier League brand continues to monopolise the sport, whether that is by tangibly improving the quality on the pitch or the up-surge in Fantasy Football and bite-sized content, more and more people are finding it difficult to accept the two-week breaks through autumn.

The debate intensifies after weeks like this, when England won by an aggregate score of 15-0 in two essentially pointless World Cup qualifiers that were unenjoyable as spectacles and borderline embarrassing.

The furore over Harry Maguire’s finger-in-ears celebration against Albania points both to the lack of anything more interesting to talk about and to the mainstream acceptance that qualifiers like these are entirely separate from the club game.

But that might not be true.

We have learnt nothing about Maguire’s defensive resolve from consecutive clean sheets against Albania and San Marino. We have learnt nothing about Harry Kane from his seven goals in four days. But just because the opposition is inferior and the tactical landscape incomparable, that does not mean the players will not be refreshed psychologically by their time away from the intense spotlight of the Premier League.

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The intersection of psychology with tactics and technical ability remains bizarrely under-appreciated. Players are considered to be robots, by and large, while the way we talk about form -  from purple patches to dry spells – only ever seems to reference goals and results in a team context.

There is no room for consideration that footballers might have issues in their personal lives, or that a fresh perspective by going away on international duty could actually have a huge impact on how they feel when back at their clubs.

Consider the all-encompassing effects of low mood. Often stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem feel almost like external forces, such is the extent to which our hormonal and emotional balance colours the world around us. 

In these situations, everything feels bad and, more often than not, inescapable. That can only be compounded by the harsh environment of football, where performance is pored over and criticism brutal.

Consequently a player’s technique and basic skills can tumble to an extraordinary low level, and though mistakes and hesitancy are the result of brain fog and a lack of self-assurance, they are easy to conflate with a poor work ethic.

It is remarkable how easily we write off players whose technical ability has dropped off a cliff, more readily believing they are in decline than simply in need of a confidence boost. It is equally remarkable how often players are blamed for not working hard enough when their team is in poor form. 

From this perspective, there is plenty for Tottenham and Manchester United fans to be happy about when it comes to the performances of Kane and Maguire, respectively - no matter the quality of the opposition.

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One of Gareth Southgate’s greatest achievements has been making the England camp a happy place to be, a welcome break from the club scene and a relaxed, open environment to break up an emotionally exhausting domestic calendar. 

It is a huge departure from the suffocating, overbearing years that preceded it, when celebrity footballers avoided the media and reportedly talked exclusively to their own club team-mates while on England duty for fear of spilling secrets.

The hostility created a culture of paralysis on the pitch as a dark cloud hung over the eras of Roy Hodgson, Fabio Capello, Steve McClaren and beyond.

Things could hardly be more different now, and the way Kane took his third against Albania, for example, showed freedom – if not confidence. On a technical level it tells us nothing about his fitness to take on Premier League players, but as an expression of a more relaxed, playful demeanour, it could be telling.

And while Antonio Conte’s tactical training sessions will be more about hard work and studious listening, there is no doubt that any manager’s grand strategic plans are useless without happy, lithe, and confident players coming to training with an open and expressive mindset, ready to try new things. 

Maguire’s exploits should provide a boost at United, although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have wished that Jadon Sancho and Jesse Lingard had been selected. Both of these players are shrinking physically, daring to do less with the ball when given the chance in a clear sign of a mind slightly closed off by low confidence.

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Elsewhere, a goal for Tyrone Mings might lift the Aston Villa captain, who was recently dropped by now-departed Dean Smith after some questionable performances.

Again: look beyond the caveat of how poor San Marino are, and think about the players as human beings. The simple release of your first goal for your country could have a significant knock-on effect on self-esteem and the courage it takes to be a leading Premier League defender.

Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, already in a good place, should glide into Arsenal’s game against Liverpool on Saturday, while Tammy Abraham – with three goals in 12 Serie A games for Roma – will benefit from his goal and assist late in Monday’s 10-0 win.

England hitting double figures against San Marino has renewed calls for pre-qualifying, for the elimination of these meaningless games from the calendar. There are a lot of good arguments in favour of that.

But it is also possible we underestimate the impact these matches can have on out-of-form players given the chance to enjoy themselves; to leave the deep waters of the Premier League and come up for air.