3 reasons why Sterling has replaced Kane as England's talisman

#2 Sterling has been the better big game player this season

Harry Kane has put in 6 Man of the Match performances in the PL, as compared to 8 by Raheem Sterling

When we look at the kind of impact both players have had in big games this season, the Manchester City winger emerges the clear winner. Sterling has had a major role in Manchester City's all-conquering 2018-19 campaign, which is well on course for a historic quadruple. He was the Man of the Match during Manchester City's crucial 2-3 first leg away win over German side Schalke 04 in the UCL Round of 16, scoring the all-important, 90th-minute winner.

True to his big game form, Sterling was imperious against Chelsea in the 6-0 drubbing the Cityzens inflicted on them in February, scoring a classy brace. His man of the match performances against Arsenal and Liverpool for Man City and in both the Euro Qualifier this month show how pivotal he is to both teams when it comes to crunch matches and how he seems to step up his game when the opposition gets tougher.

Harry Kane, on the other hand, has not been able to inspire Tottenham as per his own lofty standards this season as some poor recent form sees the Spurs trailing league leaders Liverpool by 15 points. Tottenham scraped through their UCL group, losing to Inter Milan and Barcelona, but managed to display a good account of themselves, overcoming German giants Borussia Dortmund to reach the UCL Quarters. Interestingly enough, they are set to face Sterling's Manchester City over two legs in the Quarters!

A glance through Kane's Man of the Match performances reveals that he has not been his usual imperious self against the top team in the EPL and has been struggling to reach peak goalscoring form since returning from an ankle injury.