Gareth Southgate’s England will put good vibes on the line in Germany

Football loves its omens and portents. As Gareth Southgate prepares to send his limb-weary players out into the giant illuminated armadillo shell that is the Allianz Arena in Munich on Tuesday night there is perhaps some solace to be taken in the past.

The last time England lost in Hungary in a World Cup year, defeat in Budapest was followed by a joyful, unifying, era-forging World Cup final triumph under a dapper and mild-mannered head coach.

Admittedly, the surprise World Cup winners in question were West Germany in 1954. The glorious era that followed belonged to the powerhouse teams of Franz Beckenbauer and Lothar Matthäus. And the dapper and mild-mannered head coach, Sepp Herberger, turned out to have been a Nazi. But apart from that. Apart from that. Well, what exactly?

It is hard to know what to take from the current slew of deathly close-season England internationals, other than a generalised sense of unease. The defeat in Hungary was no surprise, an awkward, bruising game for a group of England players running on fumes and lactic acid. But it was also one of the worst performances of Southgate’s time in charge, defined by all the things the current era has set its face against: staleness, mediocrity, a lack of special qualities.

It is that general sense of unease that seems to define this England team right now. In Munich England’s travelling support has already become the pre-story, with fears of reprise of the kind of events – booing, rioting, booing children – Southgate seems to have to address every time he finds himself frowning in front of an advert board. Even the triumph of reaching a final last summer was transformed into a toxic event by the aftermath of defeat.

A mangled schedule has hardly helped in