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England sent down another statement in the final third with their performance against Kosovo in their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. The Three Lions scored five goals at St Mary's Stadium following up from their four-strike outing against Bulgaria in their comfortable triumph.
Gareth Southgate's men need only one more victory to confirm their place in Euro 2020 after winning all four of their Group A matches to date. The team are playing with a swagger in the final third that will put the rest on Europe on notice. England are backed in the odds found on betting.betfair.com at 9/2 behind only France to win the competition for the first time.
There should be plenty of optimism around England's performances heading into another major tournament. Southgate has stronger options and depth in the final third than the side that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
Raheem Sterling has become a world-class operator that makes the side flow as highlighted by espn.co.uk. He has been outstanding for Manchester City under Pep Guardiola's tenure and he has brought his club form to the international stage, notably producing three assists and a goal in the victory over Kosovo and another strike against Bulgaria. His development is perhaps the most exciting development in the squad, providing a potent outlet and easing the burden of goalscoring on Harry Kane.
1️⃣ goal
— England (@England) September 10, 2019
3️⃣ assists
Just how good has this man been?
👏 @sterling7 👏 pic.twitter.com/lMUQRwYJTz
The England skipper has remained consistent in his performances, seamlessly moving past great names on the all-time goalscoring list. The 26-year-old has 26 goals to his name and looks a certainty to smash Wayne Rooney's record of 52 England goals. Kane got worn down at the World Cup, and the only concern Southgate will have about his strikeforce will be the number of matches both his captain and Sterling will be playing over the course of the campaign.
Jadon Sancho's emergence and the presence of Marcus Rashford will alleviate those worries, while Callum Wilson, Callum Hudson-Odoi and potentially others will be important between now and the start of the tournament. England's strikeforce can only be matched by the world champions France, which could raise the prospect of a mouth-watering final at Wembley Stadium next July when two elite forward lines could go toe-to-toe.
The Three Lions will need their forwards to be on form in the final third as the performances of their backline have been poor to say the least, especially in their win over Kosovo. Michael Keane made a shocking mistake to allow Valon Berisha to open the scoring. It was not too dissimilar from the error that was committed by John Stones in England's Nations League semi-final defeat to the Netherlands. Harry Maguire was also culpable against Kosovo conceding a penalty after failing to clear his lines.
Southgate refuses to blame John Stones after Netherlands error - https://t.co/NymZdJVw3C pic.twitter.com/LCjFFXC8EA
— Sports Radio 88.9 Brila FM (@Brilafm889) June 7, 2019
Southgate has made a point of trusting his defenders to play out from the back, although it has come at a cost albeit in slightly low-profile matches as reported by the bbc.co.uk. If an error were to occur that could be fatal to England's hopes of winning Euro 2020 then Southgate and the guilty party would have a lot to answer for in the post-mortem. England's attack may save them in the qualifiers, but in a major tournament, both ends of the pitch have to be in perfect harmony to achieve the ultimate success.
