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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Gerard Meagher at the Stadio Olimpico

Freeman and Roots offer spark but England’s growing pains are obvious

Tommy Freeman bursts forward for England against Italy
Tommy Freeman bursts forward in a new roaming role against Italy. Photograph: Ashley Western/Colorsport/Shutterstock

Are you not entertained? Maybe a bit amused before a dulling, familiar sense of ennui set in? Mildly intrigued, with a big dollop of feeling like we have been here before, is perhaps the best way to sum up an England performance that left them scoring fewer than 30 points against Italy for the first time in 11 years, but left you clinging to the odd flicker they were able to produce before curbing their enthusiasm and numbing that of the supporters they so want to connect with.

The bar is pretty low when a willingness to pass, to avoid kicking the ball at every opportunity, to avoid a performance that is gutsy, defiant and all the other words to describe things that should be prerequisites at this level, is noteworthy. But there was something a little different to England in the odd spell here. Something that made you raise the eyebrow every now and then.

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