With England’s opening match of the World Cup mere hours away, you’d usually hear a collective yawn coming from large swathes of the Liverpool support, but with five Reds — including youngster Raheem Sterling — in the starting eleven for their meeting with Italy, Kopites around the globe have a vested interest in this one.
The 19-year old, who was handed a red card in the less than entertaining draw with Ecuador as Roy Hodgson’s side warmed up for their trip to Brazil, is a bit of a shock inclusion with many pundits tipping Southampton captain, and Liverpool target, Adam Lallana to take up a post on the opposite flank from Manchester United attacker Danny Welbeck. Instead, it’ll be Sterling who’ll be first to test the Azzurri — along with some familiar company.
Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard is expected to take up the deep-role he’s adapted to with such great effect for the Reds and he’ll be joined in the midfield alongside Jordan Henderson who many are expecting to be charged with harassing Italian play-maker Andrea Pirlo. Glen Johnson slots into his usual spot at right-back while Daniel Sturridge, employed as a lone striker, will have Sterling on the wing in support.
Yesterday, Gerrard underlined that there’d be no excuses should England come up short in Brazil.”The talent is there, the ability is there but this is the most difficult and the most pressurised stage to deliver on, both personally and as a group” said the skipper. “It is all right having the talent but it is also being cute, clever and having that knowledge of how to beat these sides because everyone has got what we have got.” If they play anything like Liverpool did last season, the Three Lion’s fans will be in for a show — but Reds fans everywhere will just be hoping the boys make it home without any knocks.
We’re got our own ambitions to think of…
