England

Very shortly, my nation of birth will kick off their World Cup campaign as they take on Italy and rather unusually for an England game, I'm actually rather excited. The national team has long been a source of frustration and angst, not least of all because of my general apathy toward patriotism as a whole. As the years have passed and my enthusiasm waned entirely, forced out of me by a collection of players I'm unable to get behind and a fan base that appears at odds with everything I stand for. "England fans" are my kryptonite. All that without even mentioning the media circus that follows them. And yet, there are shoots of recovery. In spite of perhaps my least favourite manager of all time, there is actually a team there that I can root for.

I could write for hours about the man, the myth that is Roy Hodgson. His method of play and philosophy was outdated some five years ago. I had long but given up on any idea of English success and to be honest, with the rubbish that's written and said up and down the country, the Hodge was a perfect fit for a nation that's still reluctant to embrace new ideas and ways of thinking. But then he managed to do something that was unprecedented. Faced with the choice of going with a majority of the old guard or taking a risk with some youthful exuberance, Hodgson went with the latter.

There's still one obstacle to get around. One area of contention that I would love to be settled the way I have it in my own mind. Raheem Sterling simply has to start the game. There's an aura about him right now having finished the last six months of the season in tantalising form. Right now the sky is the limit for Sterling and if he is unleashed on the Italians from the off it is much more likely to have an effect than bringing him off the bench. Keeping him back would be very safe and boring. Typically English and typically Hodgson. He took a chance I thought he wouldn't take with the squad. Now he needs to take one more.