The many dilemmas of Gareth Southgate ahead of Germany showdown - The Warm-Up

TUESDAY'S BIG STORIES Germany v England Ad/> It’s 20 years, nine months and three days since Emile Heskey danced through the German backline in Munich and sunk the naughtiest of putts. Michael Owen had a hat-trick, England had five, Germany just one, and it remains the standout away performance the Three Lions have ever mustered. UEFA Nations LeagueSouthgate praises Germany as 'benchmark' as they plan to join England in taking knee17 HOURS AGO Flash forward to the present and a lot has changed.

For one, England are legit better than Germany. There is no need for blind optimism anymore – this crop of players may have flaws, but they are among the favourites for the World Cup on merit. Second, England have become much more boring.

Despite their embarrassing riches in attack, Gareth Southgate has pinned his faith in Operation Grind Out The 1-0. And fail to grind out that 1-0 when it really matters. Tonight, England return to German soil for their first competitive outing against their old rivals – well, sort of competitive outing – since that day in Munich.

The sides meet in the UEFA Nations League, with England bottom of Group A3 after the abject behind-closed-doors defeat in Hungary in front of 36,000 fans. And for the first time in a long time – even predating that victory under Sven – an England manager has a flood of selection dilemmas. The first XI always used to pick itself, save for the occasional ‘should it be Jermain Defoe or Peter Crouch?’ All Fabio Capello had to worry about was wiping the nickname culture of Stevie G, Becks, JT and Lamps.