That movement in the box is quite something...
Kanes been poor, no one can deny that at this point.
There’s a few things worth mentioning about it. I’ve watched the game back and passing back to cross like is being asked in the video was done many times and wasn’t leading to anything. There was no movement in the box and the guy in James’ position was closed down so he’d end up passing backwards.
I think Sterling is therefore looking for other options and at least looking forward. Again, the movement around him was woeful so he ended up trying to create something alone in this particular passage and got no where. There’s an argument that he was fouled and it could have been a penalty, I think in the league it would have been. The defender catches him. Trouble is he also clearly dived and was about to go out of play anyway. Seems the VAR in this tournament is a lot more sensible which is why we got nothing out of it.
As much as I wish we could blame everything on one guy, I’m not sure Sterling had many real options and was at least looking forward instead of backwards in fairness. Of the few good attacking plays we had, they all seemed to start with him.
The trouble we have in tournament football is it attracts people who don’t normally watch games and they don’t see the work some players are doing, especially off the ball.
I genuinely think the biggest problem with this game was two CDMs against a team who was parking the bus. No real link in midfield between defence and attack and a striker who spent most of the game playing deep instead of waiting patiently outside the box.
