Raheem Sterling’s craft offers key for England to throw off the shackles | Barney Ronay

Gareth Southgate’s most pressing need at Wembley was for his players to show something in attack against Italy – and Sterling and Vardy were happy to obligeOn Wembley Way before kick-off a louche, drowsy New Orleans‑style jazz band dressed in Three Lions shirts could be heard parping and tootling away, serenading the strolling crowds. At the time it seemed a slightly off‑key soundtrack to another outing for this guarded, orderly England team, like cutting the highlights of a chess match to the soundtrack to the Benny Hill show.Three hours later it was probably all for the best that England had failed to keep their sixth successive clean sheet on another mannered, quietly intriguing night for this doggedly constructed team. When it comes to recent England tournament performances it’s not actually the hope that kills you. It’s the lack of hope – closely followed by repeated confirmation that the initial lack of hope was based on sound hope-free judgment. Continue reading…
Via: Raheem Sterling’s craft offers key for England to throw off the shackles | Barney Ronay