Raheem Sterling will take more time to decide whether to return to Qatar before England’s World Cup quarter-final against France after the burglary of his Surrey home.
Sterling, who has scored 20 goals in 81 appearances for England, missed their victory over Senegal after flying back to the UK due to a “family matter”. Jewellery and watches were among the items stolen at the home of the Chelsea winger, who is understood to have been left “shaken” by the break-in and left fearing for the safety of his fiancee and children.
As it stands Gareth Southgate must prepare for the task of facing the world champions on the basis that Sterling is not available. England are not short of options in attack. Sterling has lost his place since the start of the tournament and Southgate said the former Manchester City was not due to be in the starting XI against Senegal.
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England had Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden on the flanks against Senegal. Southgate also has James Maddison, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish and Mason Mount competing for places in the wide positions.
It is likely Saka and Foden will keep their places on the wings against France. Sterling started the tournament by scoring when England beat Iran 6-2 in their opening game, but he was substituted after a disappointing performance in the goalless draw against the USA. He was then an unused substitute when England sealed their place in the knockout stages by beating Wales.
Surrey police confirmed on Monday they are investigating a burglary at a property in Oxshott. The force said it had been contacted at 9pm on Saturday after Sterling’s family returned home from an international trip to discover items missing. It is unclear when the burglary occurred. There had been no threat of violence involved and no one present at the property when the burglary took place.
The Football Association has reiterated to England’s players that additional security measures can be put in place at their homes while they are away. English football’s governing body spoke to the squad before the World Cup telling them they would have access to extra support before flying to Qatar. The FA liaises with local police forces when players request increased security at their residences.
Raheem Sterling is returning home from the World Cup in Qatar after armed intruders broke into his home on Saturday night.
The England forward missed the 3-0 win over Senegal in Sunday’s last-16 tie and Gareth Southgate said it was unclear whether Sterling would return. England play France in a quarter-final on Saturday.
Southgate said Sterling would be allowed “as much time as he needs” to deal with the emergency, which has left him shaken and concerned for his children.
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The England head coach was asked whether Sterling would come back and told ITV: “I really don’t know because at the moment it’s a situation that he needs to be with his family to deal with. I don’t want to put him under any pressure with this. Sometimes football isn’t the most important thing and family has to come first.”
England’s captain, Harry Kane, said: “Our thoughts are with him and his family. It’s a private matter but it’s never easy to see one of your teammates and friends deal with something like that. We’ll have to take it day by day. I’m sure Raheem will speak to the manager and take the best decision for him and his family. That’s the most important thing. We send him our best wishes and hope to see him as soon as possible.”
Sterling’s commitment to England has never been in doubt and it is only concern for his children that informed his decision to leave at such a pivotal time for the team.
England were well on their way to defeat in Stockholm by the time Zlatan Ibrahimovic launched himself into the air and prepared to embarrass Joe Hart. An experimental lineup had collapsed at the end of a ramshackle friendly with Sweden and, for all the fanfare over Steven Gerrard winning his 100th cap, the only thing anyone wanted to talk about after the game was the moment when Ibrahimovic made it 4-2 with a preposterous overhead kick in the 90th minute.
Ten years on, the ponytailed striker’s chutzpah still inspires awe. Ibrahimovic had already scored a brilliant hat-trick, but his fourth goal was the pick of the lot. It left Hart red-faced and, if there was a consolation for England, at least Sweden’s biggest star had dragged the attention away from their struggles.
This was a very different England side to the one that will face Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium on Monday. They were coached by Roy Hodgson, captained by Gerrard and bruised after a drab performance at Euro 2012. Gary Cahill, who announced his retirement this past week, was in central defence and a 31-year-old Leon Osman was one of six debutants. Rejuvenation was the focus for Hodgson. He took the opportunity to have a first look at Steven Caulker, Carl Jenkinson and Ryan Shawcross; he even dipped into the Championship, calling up Wilfried Zaha and bringing the Crystal Palace youngster off the bench with five minutes left.
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Of course, Zaha ended up switching his allegiance to Ivory Coast. The player he came on for against Sweden, though, has become part of the furniture. Last Monday marked the 10th anniversary of Raheem Sterling’s England debut and, even though his form for Chelsea is a concern, it would represent a major surprise if he does not start against Iran.
The England shirt no longer weighs heavily on Sterling. This is the 27-year-old’s fifth international tournament, underlining his importance to the side, and it is startling to consider how much has changed in the last decade. To put it into context, Gareth Southgate was working on the Sweden game as a pundit for ITV. Sterling was 17 and had just broken into the Liverpool side. He was exciting but raw and there were times when he frustrated fans with his indecisiveness in the final third.
The mind goes back to Sterling facing Italy in England’s opening game at the 2014 World Cup and letting fly from long range early on. Everyone watching on television saw the net ripple and thought it was in; in reality the ball had flashed past the left post, merely brushing the side-netting, and England would go out before the group stage was over.
Raheem Sterling takes on Italy at the 2014 World Cup. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Observer
That near miss felt symbolic for Sterling. There was a time when he dreaded international duty. He received heavy criticism after England lost to Iceland at Euro 2016 and it was not long before he was being targeted with racial abuse.
Yet adversity brought out the best in Sterling. Off the pitch, he has become a pioneering voice in the fight against discrimination. Sterling, who will win his 80th cap against Iran, is a leader. He looks after young players when they enter the England setup. He is the most-capped player in this squad – Harry Kane is second on 75, Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker are joint third on 70 – and there is no bigger fan of him than Southgate, who tends to respond to criticism of Sterling by arguing that none of the other attacking midfielders at his disposal can match his goal threat.
Still Sterling, who has 19 goals for England, is in danger of losing his place as an automatic starter. He was England’s best attacker during their run to the final of Euro 2020, troubling opponents with his pace and scoring three goals. He is devastating when in the mood. His runs in behind keep defenders guessing and England tend to be at their best when Kane is releasing Sterling with clever through balls.
However the question is whether opponents have grown wise to that line of attack. True, nimble creators such as Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish are likely to play in front of defences. They like the ball to feet, whereas Sterling runs in behind. For Southgate, the risk of dropping Sterling is that England find themselves without enough pace and get bogged down.
Raheem Sterling is challenged by Sweden’s Martin Olsson on his England debut in November 2012. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
The counter is that Sterling’s recent performances for club and country have been underwhelming. Gone is the level that made his partnership with Kane crucial to England picking Spain off on the break in October 2018 and earning one of the best wins of the Southgate era. Sterling is in a rut. He decided to leave Manchester City in the summer after losing his place as a regular in Pep Guardiola’s side, but he is yet to hit his stride at Chelsea. The sacking of Thomas Tuchel has changed things for Sterling. Tuchel wanted him to be the main man; Graham Potter has often used the former City winger as an auxiliary wing-back and the results have been unconvincing. One goal in his last 10 games for Chelsea speaks volumes.
It feels unsustainable. Southgate has backed Sterling, but he is goalless in his last five internationals for England and was poor against Italy in September. At some point Southgate will have to look elsewhere. Bukayo Saka has been in outstanding form for Arsenal. A rejuvenated Marcus Rashford is an obvious alternative on the left. Foden, Mount and Grealish are also pushing for starts, though James Maddison’s knee injury is likely to keep him out against Iran.
Equally Sterling, whose England record is worthy of more respect, has seen it all before. He was pilloried after Euro 2016 but responded by helping England reach the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. His mentality is rock solid. Sterling will remember how there were similar doubts over his place before the Euros and his response was to score the winner when England beat Croatia in their opening game. Something similar against Iran would not go amiss.
