STAN COLLYMORE
MESSI CAN DO NO RON CLEAR WINNERS SHILTS REVENGE
THERE are two ways you can play Raheem Sterling.
Play him as an orthodox wideman who comes off either flank, or as a No.10 who floats around, picks up the ball, runs at defenders and gets assists.
The problem he has with the No.10 slot at Manchester City is that he ends up deferring to David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, and from time to time Leroy Sane, in the race to play there.
So Sterling (left) doesn’t get much chance to grow into the role and it’s very difficult going from third or fourth choice for your club to being the main man for your country.
That’s why I’d like to see Gareth Southgate give him another go against Panama today because he’s the best candidate for the job.
In fact, he’s one of only two candidates for the role, the other being Harry Kane, but more of that later.
I know a lot of people expect Sterling to be dropped for today’s game against Hernan Gomez’s side after Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland was pictured clutching a piece of paper bearing what appeared to be a changed line-up.
But I still believe Sterling will play, and that’s the right decision given Panama struggled against Belgium.
Creativity
The game will give him another opportunity to learn on the job – they will have lots of players behind the ball at all times, and we will see how clever he is. I want to see him make strides to get beyond their very thin lines and cause some trouble around the edge of the 18-yard box and five or six yards beyond. If he can do that and get some joy, get some creativity and get a goal, then he will grow in confidence. Then he will obviously stay in that position against Belgium and, fingers crossed, beyond. Because it is the right system for him, as it is for Dele Alli, you just have to give them games to get it right because it isn’t identical to the ones they are used to with their clubs. Alli, like Sterling, is the other England player who has been looking over his shoulder, although he will miss today’s game because of injury, with Ruben Loftuscheek (left) getting a chance. The perception when Southgate picked Loftus-cheek was that he was the maverick in the pack, a big unit, very difficult to get off the ball and very skilful.
He impressed in the friendly against Nigeria and in his nine-minute cameo against Tunisia.
He’s an extremely skilful player and someone who will be happy to say to those ahead of him in the pecking order: ‘If you guys don’t want the shirt then I’m more than happy to have it off you’.
He’s a good option to have in midfield and a strong performance today will serve as a wake-up call to Alli.
It will be interesting to see how Loftuscheek plays because if England win there is a shout for leaving him in against Belgium.
A reward, yes, but also because it would give Alli another chance to get fully fit ahead of the knockout phase.
If Loftus-cheek struggles then Alli, providing he is sharp enough, will come back in.
The team does have to have some degree of continuity, which is why I’d like to see Sterling stay in today, but if it is still not quite working how the manager wants it to, that is when you change things around.
Marcus Rashford would be the obvious shout to replace Sterling, yet the one person I know who could do that job and is clever enough to play there is Kane.
He could drop deeper, with Jamie Vardy going up top against Roberto Martinez’s men on Thursday if there are any issues today. Yes, Kane gets us goals but he understands the No.10 position and has the passing ability to be able to find the central striker.
I would have no problems with him playing a little bit withdrawn against the Belgians because, I’ll tell you what, Vardy doesn’t half scare the life out of the opposition, no matter who he is playing. WE get so caught up in the battle for supremacy between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and, because of that, players such as Luka Modric get relegated to the third or fourth act. But he was sensational on Thursday, as were Croatia, as they pumped Argentina 3-0. We shouldn’t overlook that. A COUPLE of weeks ago I wrote that Lionel Messi would have to go down as the greatest player in history if he led Argentina to World Cup glory in Russia.
The statistics in terms of his career honours would demand that.
But the caveat was that the same would have to be said of Cristiano Ronaldo (below) even if Portugal reached the final without winning it.
Nothing has happened in the first two games to suggest I was wrong and what we have seen in Russia is that Ronaldo is on another level to his rival in terms of leadership skills.
Some people look at Messi as a great footballer and automatically stick him in as the world’s No.1 player.
But when it comes to being a great footballer and leader, Ronaldo tops it, ending that debate right there.
JAPAN’S fans were praised to the hilt for cleaning up after themselves following the win over Colombia at the Mordovia Arena – and rightly so.
But they were just copying what Ireland fans did in France a couple of years ago after a few pints of Guinness had been consumed.
So it’s only fair we give the boys in green credit where it’s due. PETER SHILTON lapped up Argentina’s plight on the 30th anniversary of the Hand of God, tweeting: “God was looking down on me this morning! Having watched the worst football Argentina has played in a World Cup on the eve before the 30th anniversary.”