so I read Maria letter it was actually a dispute over contract at Real Madrid not he wanted to leave. I guess he demanded improved contract and RM not willing to pay

2. Should Raheem Sterling play through the middle?

It would be enormously tempting for Hodgson to make a slight tactical alteration and play Sterling at the tip of a midfield diamond, where he has excelled for Liverpool, for a couple of reasons. Firstly it solves the problem of picking two strikers while maintaining the numbers required to maintain some control of midfield and without playing three at the back, which as we've seen from a few Premier League teams this season, brings mixed results.

But secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it puts England's most dangerous player by quite some distance (particularly given Sturridge's injury) in the position where he can do the most damage. An international manager should be flexible enough to not simply squeeze his available players into his own favoured shape but to mould the shape to suit the available players, thus getting the most from the resources available to him. At the moment Sterling is playing so well that he basically justifies having a team built around his strengths, so it would not be unreasonable for Hodgson to do exactly that.