For England and their footballers, it has become a familiar sound. The steady hum of expectation followed by the thump of a reality check landing at their feet.
In major tournament summers, there are rarely any shades of grey and it was this, in part, that Raheem Sterling sat down to address on Sunday.
Despite the undeniable disappointment of a rather stale draw against Scotland on Friday night, the Manchester City winger was keen to underline that England’s position in Group D remains perfectly healthy.
Raheem Sterling believes fans have overreacted to England's performance against Scotland
‘It is tournament football and you can’t expect everything to go your way,’ said Sterling last night.