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By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer
England manager Gareth Southgate will have struggled to determine whether his glass was half-empty or half-full because he reflected on a thud and blunder night against Kosovo.
First things first – everyone at Southampton enjoyed a Euro 2020 qualifier that led in the conclusion of England victory.
And Southgate will have revelled from the magnificent attacking display, spearheaded by a world-class performance from Raheem Sterling, who scored of England in addition to establishing two objectives for Jadon Sancho and yet another for Harry Kane.
After defender Michael Keane presented them passing into Valon Berisha with a clear run at goalkeeper Jordan Pickford Kosovo tormented.
However, there has to be a facet to this story even though England are currently celebrating four wins from four Euro 2020 qualifiers and so are cruising through Group A after scoring 19 goals in those games.
The bottom line is that – if they shield carelessly and shoddily like this, should they are simple to acquire at as Kosovo made it seem and give ownership off cheaply as that England possess little or no prospect of beating international sides.
Kosovo entering this game on the rear of a 15-game unbeaten run are advancing rapidly and having a victory over the Czech Republic that increased their hopes of becoming among the qualifiers summer.
They’re, however, now ranked 120th on the planet.
That is a slightly false evaluation given their skill but the truth that they dragged England back from 5-1 to 5-3 in the second half and made an air of anxiety and expectation among the enthusiasts at the end of St Mary’s says about the defects within Southgate’s side.
England were not good – nowhere near the standard that will be okay at the global level.
Keane was the very first to err but that he was certainly not the last.
West Ham United’s Declan Rice gave the ball away seriously while Manchester United’s Harry Maguire failed to clear before hauling down.
Maguire made an meal among the most basic object of effort to make it a treble helping of horrible and for all the flair and fantasy of the play there is no hiding that this is a severe weakness.
Himself pointed at mistakes. This was hardly a night of pleasure for England’s manager. There’s much to bother him.
When confronted with the Type of defending England produced against 26, Picture the likes of Belgium, France, Spain, Germany and a Couple of others?
The truth is it may be better not to envision it.
The attackers who perform for those countries would be licking their lips at the notion of confronting this England defence.
England still have Manchester City’s John Stones to return while Liverpool’s Joe Gomez, the ideal option away from the selections, is not getting games at club 47, but that he had a nightmare in the Uefa Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands.
Southgate pick defenders have not established reliable against opposition of the maximum grade – and made no evidence here to suggest they’ll do soon.
The ability to operate through England’s midfield and receive at that centre of kosovo would also have worried Southgate.
It might appear somewhat spoilsport to concentrate in on this negative after yet another victory that is significant except to ignore it could be delusion. Southgate will not be letting it escape his attention.
For all of the class and potency of England’s assault, their current condition indicates because there’s no way they’ll have to rack up at least three goals against these groups mentioned to stand a chance of victory.
This task won’t be as simple as it had been against a Kosovo side dedicated to an attacking strategy that left them open in the back.
England are fallible in defence – however they’re superbly irresistible in attack.
They’ve scored 14 goals in their three home matches, more than any other state in Euros.
And at the heart of it all was that the brilliant Sterling, that produced a 45-minute performance against Kosovo which was from anyone.
Sterling ended a 27-game sequence that was barren stretching back three years after he scored in Spain in England’s 3-2 win nearly a year – today he is a talent reaching full maturity, irreplaceable.
Since that game in Spain he’s played seven games, scoring six goals in England’s qualifying games so far and producing four assists.
He couldn’t be stopped in the first 45 minutes since he set up England’s captain for his 26th goal in level with Bryan Robson 41 appearances and just yet behind David Platt and also his partnership with Kane is reaching telepathic proportions.
Sterling has been involved in 12 goals in his past eight England games. He and Kane have combined for six goals under Southgate three times as many as any other duo.
Kane’s operation contained a blemish if Arijanet Muric, just his second miss saved his second-half penalty in 10 attempts for England.
As Kosovo attempt at a wonder turnaround dropped short, in the long run it was not costly and England will look at a Group A table with a flawless look.
However, England’s display that defence, was not perfect if that is created on a stage, and they won’t come off unscathed.
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