GREAT FALL OF CHINA!

First it’s teamsheetgate, now a Chinese journo tells Southgate

And, as Gareth Southgate talked team sheets, Dele Alli’s injury, the climate and VAR, ahead of the date with Panama, this one came via our man from China.

“We have a saying,” he said. “You are playing happy football.”

Southgate’s laugh started naturally enough, but turned a little incredulous when our man explained that, in China, “happy football” means “ridiculous football”. He then explained himself. England’s misses – and Raheem Sterling’s in particular – have, oddly, had the Chinese chuckling.

“I hope we give you a different sort of happy football over the next few weeks,” smiled Southgate.

For the England manager, a different sort of happy football would see more opportunities taken, would see others help shoulder the goal burden carried by Harry Kane. If Raheem Sterling staves off the claims of Marcus Rashford and keeps his place, this will be an England team with just 27 international goals between them – 15 of those from Kane.

Sterling has not scored since collecting his second England goal in October of 2015.

Yet Southgate remains convinced Kane’s support acts will hit the right notes at this World Cup.

He said: “We’re trying to get a forward line that are exciting in their movement and have scored goals at club level.

“At international level, that will come if they keep getting in the right areas and making the right runs, keep creating the chances we did the other night.

“The goals will come. It’s actually good that Harry scored because, otherwise, we would be answering questions about him not scoring in a tournament.”

Southgate looked relaxed after a week when he dislocated his shoulder in a fall while out running and in which he had to deal with Steve Holland inadvertently showing team notes at a training session.

And Southgate explained that, as players become trapped in the slightly mad world of a tournament bubble, he has had to pay extra attention to their