Montenegro 1-5 England talking points: Raheem Sterling, bouncebackability and Gareth Southgate's selection headache
England made it two wins from two in Euro 2020 qualifying as they won 5-1 in Montenegro on Monday.
Off-field events dominated the post-match headlines, but nothing should be taken away from a five-star performance on the pitch from a young Three Lions side, days after thrashing Czech Republic at Wembley.
We pick out some talking points after another enjoyable international break...
Bouncebackability
England endured a tough opening 20 minutes, looking slow and fairly laboured as the hosts took the lead through Marko Vesovic.
A young side with the inexperienced Callum Hudson-Odoi and Declan Rice making their first starts could easily have folded in a hostile atmosphere but there was no lack of complacency and they recovered well, most importantly getting back into the game and on top by half-time.
Going down away from home was a good test of character for Southgate's men and they passed with flying colours, with an improved second-half showing which in turn allowed them to introduce James Ward-Prowse and Callum Wilson.
Raheem Sterling: From scapegoat to star man
The forward was once an easy target for both England fans and the media and was heavily criticised around a disastrous Euro 2016 campaign.
In the same summer Pep Guardiola arrived at Man City and regalvanised the young forward. The 24-year-old is now key for club and country.
As well as scoring four goals in two games in the current international break with England, he has proved to be a leader by guiding newcomers Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi into the squad, two players who he could easily have seen as competition for his place in the XI.
"In between November and March, observing his maturity and influence, I felt that would be a good step for him," Southgate recently said after adding Sterling to his 'leadership group' of senior players.
"I think when you speak to other young players, he's one of the first they speak about making them feel really comfortable in the environment.
"That was a really important move for him."
Best way to silence the haters (and yeah I mean racists) 🙉😘 #2019 #getsomeeducation pic.twitter.com/ohhkOJtdey
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) March 25, 2019
Southgate added: "We've had three or four players captaining the team, and Raheem is developing lots of the qualities those guys have.
"He has those qualities. It's difficult to talk about a potential captain when the captain (Kane) is in the hotel waiting to go out for dinner but, in terms of his personal qualities, he's shown some outstanding personal qualities."
Furthermore, he also showed his maturity in the way he dealt with alleged racist behaviour by sections of the Montenegro crowd on Monday.
Sterling is 3/1 with Sky Bet to win the PFA Player of the Year 2018/19 award and odds-on to get the Young Player of the Year award.
He has scored 19 goals and assisted 16 in all competitions for Man City this term and has proved to be a key component in Southgate's Three Lions team going forward.
Competition for places
Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson - some of the key figures in England's run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. Less than 12 months on, they are no longer guaranteed starters.
The emergence of England's young stars means that no-one will be confident of a starting berth in Southgate's XI.
Jordan Pickford cannot be sure of his number one spot, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Trent Alexander-Arnold are pushing Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker at right-back, while Ben Chilwell, Danny Rose and Luke Shaw are all competing at left-back.
The midfield options are packed and an emergence of wing wizards which means Southgate will have plenty of selection headaches going forward.
Youngsters showing no fear
That competition for places is down to the emerging youngsters settling into the squad and showing no fear when given their chance.
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho, 18 and 19 respectively, have come into the reckoning since the World Cup and played with confidence and without fear, while Declan Rice took his first England start in his stride, providing a solid presence in the centre of the park.
The West Ham man, 20, looked every inch an international quality player, best evidenced by his quality on the ball. The West Ham midfielder operated at a 95 per cent success rate, making 62 successful passes.
They have shown to other young players coming through how the transition to the senior team can be made.
More to come
The recent success of England's youth teams shows the talent should keep on coming to make competition for places in the squad alone tougher than it has been for a long time.
After the progression of Hudson-Odoi and Sancho, there is also James Ward-Prowse - the Southampton star called up to the senior team last week due to injuries and came on as a sub against Montenegro - and Crystal Palace full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka who was in the U21 squad last week before withdrawing through injury.
There is also Man City youngster Phil Foden, the 18-year-old who recently became the youngest English goalscorer in the Champions League knockout stages, Arsenal's Reiss Nelson and much more.
Odds correct as of 1230 GMT on 26/03/19
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