No time to panic as England will ‘come good’ at World Cup, insists Raheem Sterling

England Training and Press Conference - Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground
PA
Dan Kilpatrick @Dan_KP25 September 2022

Raheem Sterling has insisted there is no need to panic over England's form as he backed them to “come good” in Qatar this winter.

Defeat to Italy in Milan on Friday night condemned Gareth Southgate's side to Nations League relegation, and means England have gone five competitive games without a win for the first time since 1992 as they prepare for their final fixture before the World Cup.

The national team has never gone six matches without winning, leaving Southgate and his side under pressure to get a result against the Germans at Wembley in their last outing before they face Iran on November 21 in their opening group game in Qatar.

Asked what he would say to Southgate's critics, Sterling replied: “I just say [we have reached] a [World Cup] semi-final and a [European Championship] final.

“We should be trying to put positive messages out there to spur the boys on again. With the performances, I get why people are thinking like this at the minute but as I keep saying I don't think it's time to panic.

“He showed over the last couple of years what he brings to the team. He's someone all the boys trust and someone we all want to follow. I don't think the last couple of games changes that narrative. The narrative needs to be: ‘Can we go a step ahead and how are we going to do it?’. I think the narrative needs to be positive.”

The Chelsea forward added: “As I keep saying, as a national team I don't think it's one we need to panic about. It's a fresh start when we do go to the World Cup and I know the boys have been in this scenario before and we will come good.”

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