Years after the infamous newspaper headline, the Turnips have finally beaten the Swedes in a meaningful football match. WHOOPEE !
Sadly, the victory doesn't mean that the Turnips, aka, England, have actually won anything, just the chance to win something. Nonetheless, it's a bit more than the ridiculously named "Three Lions" have managed for many years and is to be applauded; after all, this young England team seem to have a bit more about them than many far more lauded squads of recent memory.
The victory over the Swedes was a good one and well deserved, even if the Swedes did provide several severe tests for the England goalie, Jordan Pickford; on the overall run of play, it would have been something of a travesty had there been anything but an England win. However, England did make it somewhat more difficult for themselves than it might have been; if Raheem Sterling was even close to being a top class player, the result would have been beyond doubt much earlier than it was.
Sterling runs fast and dribbles well with the ball, but he's far too easily pushed aside by chunky defenders. When he does make a nuisance of himself in the opponent's half, he generally ends up having no idea what he should do - should he shoot, pass, go for a corner ? The inevitable answer is that he loses possession far too often, nothing results for the team and his efforts end up proving pointless. Sterling does not have the strength to hold off defenders, as does Harry Kane, and does not have the striker's instincts of Kane; he might be 'great' playing in the 'armchair' provided by Manchester City but, for England, he's a liability. In his England career, Sterling has played more than 40 times and scored twice - against the mighty giants of Lithuania and Estonia and both in 2015.
England can get to the final and might, just might, even win the World Cup, but they'll need a far more effective player than Sterling if they're to worry the French or Belgians. The rest are fine.
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