Hodgson, Rooney urge England fans to heed UEFA threat

Alan Shearer has urged Harry Kane to ask to be removed from England corner-taking duty and said he does not understand why the striker is taking them.

“He’s worked on his corners as well and, for me, he’s good enough to take them”.

England boss Roy Hodgson has said Kane will continue to take set pieces, claiming he has the “best delivery” in the squad. Just as worrying Kane lacked sharpness and if anything looked jaded.

So England continue their tradition of never winning their opening game at the Euros, but the overall performance at least threatens a better tournament than in recent years.

England’s talisman forced Akinfeev to punch after some wonderful footwork down the right by the inspired Tottenham midfielder, but that dominance did not see them into half-time with a deserved lead.

While England still had chances in the early stages of the second half, there were increasing moments of concern at the other end. “It is natural as a footballer to do that – in the last few months for Manchester United I’ve played in midfield [and] I feel with my football intelligence I can play there and further my career there”.

“I am a huge fan of Kane, but he looked very leggy against Russia”, Shearer contended, although he added he would retain Kane against Wales. “I’ve changed my game slightly, I’ve played with players who’ve done that over the years and have probably been better players”.

“It was a bitter blow and a bitter pill to swallow, that equalising goal, but if we can swallow that pill and take encouragement from numerous good things we did out there then I shall be very, very hopeful going forward that the misfortune of tonight won’t happen to us again”.

England, with Wayne Rooney in midfield and Jamie Vardy on the bench, adopted a positive approach and had their first sight of goal when Adam Lallana headed back for Dele Alli to strike, but the Tottenham Hotspur man could only make contact with his shin and missed the target.

And that’s the problem.

Who should start up front for England vs Wales?

Vasili Berezutsky heads in Russia’s equaliser.

Kane’s ability and his outstanding attitude are significant factors in keeping him in the team and the number of minutes he has played.

England now face Wales on Thursday with Chris Coleman’s men top of Group B after the first round of fixtures. If the Three Lions remain at the level shown in these friendlies, they are likely headed for another quarterfinal exit. I have no idea how he went from failing at Liverpool to being manager of the national team, and the fact that we rely on him to get us through these competitions is utterly foolish.