Three Lions; Euro 16 Ambition
It has come to that infamous time of the football calendar where legends are made, and history is written, "Squeaky Bum Time" as Sir Alex Ferguson so aptly described it. In what has been one of the most unpredictable campaigns since the Premier League's inception, we are not going to concentrate on the relegation battle or the title race, instead we will look a little further ahead to the European Championships.
The Summer tournament see Europe's top 24 nations compete in what is for me personally the most entertaining cup competition. With the addition of 8 extra teams it will be interesting to see if the new layout will will detract or add to the excitement levels. In previous years all 16 teams turn up to the party actively trying to go all the way. Unlike The World Cup, which is seen as more of a celebration/festival of international football where teams are happy to make up the numbers. Teams are willing to defend for their lives hoping not to be on the wrong side of drubbing from one of the more established nations, and that often leads to more monotonous spectacles for the neutrals.
All the Euro Championships I've ever watched have been open affairs, and my first ever indulgence was watching the unfancied Denmark side of 1992, who in theory weren't even supposed to be there, upset the odds and come home victorious. This was again illustrated in 2004 with Greece, led by Otto Rehhagel to a succession of 1-0 wins in the Knockout phases beating the host nation Portugal in another notorious upset.
All things considered with all of Europe's elite players (minus he poor old dutch) in attendance it will be intriguing to see who will come out on top, more interesting is how Roy Hodgson's Three Lions will fare off, and in this latest post I will be analysing the squad and their chances.
The Squad
Before a ball was kicked this season I had drawn out my provisional list, minus any injuries of players who I thought realistically would make he trip across the river. Here is what I predicted;
Goalkeeper; Hart, Butland, Forster
Defence; Clyne, Stones, Jones, Jagielka, Cahill, Smalling, Gibbs, Shaw
Midfield; Wilshere, Delph, Henderson, Sterling, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Barkley, Milner
Forward; Rooney, Sturridge, Welbeck, Kane
*Highlighted; Not in the most recent squad
** Underlined; Suffering from injury
Excluding the long term injuries only Kieran Gibbs is looking like missing out, due to the excellent form of Nacho Monreal and the emergence of Danny Rose. On the other hand nobody could have foreseen Jamie Vardy's rise more to the point Danny Drinkwater. Overall my predicted squad is looking pretty accurate.
At this point with a significant number of high octane fixtures left to play it is impossible to rule out any further injury concerns to add to the growing list with Sterling out until at least May. In this instance with far less miles on the clock at 21 and having participated a full season playing at least two times a week, perhaps the injury set back for Raheem is a blessing in disguise with him able to get some rest after a long season. Roy has a tough decision in regards to drawing the line on taking players in poor health and with a lack of regular football in the bank. The head coach has gone on record as stating that if the England Captain is fit he not only travels but he starts. Given his international pedigree and goal scoring record nobody would argue against Rooney travelling, but with other in form strikers playing well and scoring goals, is a struggling Wayne Rooney a necessity? The same argument can be over Jack Wilshere, an obvious shoe in if fit, however he hasn't kicked a ball since June 2015. With his chequered injury record is it worth risking him in a major tournament where in essence you're playing every 4 days? Rooney played an integral part in qualification, and Jack was talismanic in his last 5 international appearances notching 4 man of the match performances. A pretty tough call right?!?! Funnily that's before we even discuss what shape is best suited to the current crop.
One thing we can be certain on is that Roy Hodgson has been loyal to a core group throughout his tenure and has spoken passionately about trust between him and his players. History has shown that his preference is to opt for players that he has worked with closely and trusts implicitly to execute what he wants tactically Jordan Henderson, Danny Welbeck and James Milner are all very good examples of this, and are what we would call some of his favourites. This idea of favouritism has previously been the penchant for criticism of previous England managers, however due to the transitional process England are in a blind eye has been given to Roy in most uncertain terms. Players such as Milner however reliable have never shone on England duty and although they don't possess the quality to win a game, can be very adaptable versatile and hard working, attributes that Roy buys into. The same could be said for "Boring James" Liverpool counterpart Adam Lallana who despite rejuvenating himself and displaying better form since Jurgen Klopp's arrival at Anfield, has hardly been amazing at international level.
Tactically Roy has stumbled on two preferred systems, both of which rely on a man central creative player either from a deeper or more advanced position centrally. In regards to starting selection The goalkeeper virtually picks himself due to experience, although a case could be made for the blossoming Jack Butland, moving forward.
As a nation we probably have all accepted that we aren't blessed with the wealth of quality centre backs that we have become accustomed to. Cahill and Jagielka hardly covered themselves in glory at The World Cup, however as Vice-Captain I would presume that Cahill will line up alongside Chris Smalling, who is best centre back at our disposal by a country mile. John Stones unfortunately is currently out of favour and form at Everton although I feel he will fare well at international level with his ability on the ball, I think Roy will not risk the player on this particular stage, but I would expect him to feature prominently in the future. the full back are very similar in Walker,Clyne Rose and Bertrand I believe that there isn't much difference in quality who so ever Roy chooses.
All in all the defence is the least stable looking area of the squad, and clearly this has led Roy to employ a defensive midfielder to screen the back four, something that has looked imperative if England are to do well. Eric Dier's club form has seen him emerge as he perfect fit for the role which initially was ear marked for Jack Wilshere. Playing the defensive midfielder will allow the full backs to venture forward and join attacks, with Dier adept at playing all across the back line he can fill in the spaces left by advancing players. When it comes to the central midfield slots, things begin to get very tricky. If you are heading to France with adventure and daring to dream for me Ross Barkley has to be incorporated, however you cannot accomoadate both him and Deli Alli, unless you go 4-4-3 or 4-2-3-1. Both of which would mean that one of Kane, Rooney, or Sturridge will miss out due to lack of effectiveness coming from wider areas. This conundrum will be the Gaffer's most difficult challenge. How does he include not only his most creative but also more in form midfielder without compromising the overall balance.
Going back to his use of favourites, Henderson/Milner's work rate will more than likely be called upon to complement an out and out creative midfielder. Personally I would love to see a 4-4-2, but unless England goes into the final game needing a comprehensive victory I can't see that happening. This leaves us with a central midfield looking like Dier and one of the following Henderson/Alli/Milner.
In the wider midfield areas Welbeck's return to fitness is a boost and somebody that can be relied on to carry a goal threat whilst not neglecting defensive responsibility. Raheem Sterling can switch flanks, similarlyy to Lallana but I feel Sterling's pace will be a better option. That leaves Arsenal teammates Theo and Alex to battle it out for the final midfield berth in the squad. I'll let you decide who and why on that one.
Given the events of the current season domestically the competition for the number 9 shirt should be alot stiffer than it will be in reality. We will see Wayne Rooney utilised as a number 10 just in behind Harry Kane. Rooney's best years are definitely behind him but he can still find pockets of space to draw out opposition defenders, with a more willing runner able exploit said gaps. Kane is somebody who needs no encouragement to strike at goal and naturally finds goal scoring position frequently, something that Rooney himself has struggled with at times. A strong arguement can be made for the direct and vivacious running of Vardy as a partner for Rooney also. The person who sadly will be most disappointed is Daniel Sturridge, easily the mosy gifted of the bunch, and although he has come back to fitness and is scoring goals I think this tournament has come around to quickly for the Liverpool front man, we'll have to get used to his "Resting Bitch" face on the bench all summer.
With the top heavy balance of the squad, accomodating all the best attacking quality would be lovely, especially given the fact we ae meant to be building for the future with this young group of players. Kane, Barkley, Sterling, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alli, Stones, Butland, Dier and not forgetting Shaw are all under 25 and have at least 2-3 tournaments in them together.
Building around this group moving forward was the overall idea for England, but I guess the opportunity to compete for a tournament right away is a challenge they should willingly accept. Indeed thi England team is equip to go reasonably far, however I feel the element of caution needs to be lifted and whatever Roy does decide on as a starting 11, he needs to encourage them to go and express themselves, showing their undoubted potential.
The England team travel to Germany for a friendly against the World Champions on Saturday, before facing a Holland side stuggling to find their identity at Wembley next Tuesday.
Stay Tuned throughout the coming months for regular updates on the Three Lions progress leading up to and at the European Championships in France.
The Summer tournament see Europe's top 24 nations compete in what is for me personally the most entertaining cup competition. With the addition of 8 extra teams it will be interesting to see if the new layout will will detract or add to the excitement levels. In previous years all 16 teams turn up to the party actively trying to go all the way. Unlike The World Cup, which is seen as more of a celebration/festival of international football where teams are happy to make up the numbers. Teams are willing to defend for their lives hoping not to be on the wrong side of drubbing from one of the more established nations, and that often leads to more monotonous spectacles for the neutrals.
All the Euro Championships I've ever watched have been open affairs, and my first ever indulgence was watching the unfancied Denmark side of 1992, who in theory weren't even supposed to be there, upset the odds and come home victorious. This was again illustrated in 2004 with Greece, led by Otto Rehhagel to a succession of 1-0 wins in the Knockout phases beating the host nation Portugal in another notorious upset.All things considered with all of Europe's elite players (minus he poor old dutch) in attendance it will be intriguing to see who will come out on top, more interesting is how Roy Hodgson's Three Lions will fare off, and in this latest post I will be analysing the squad and their chances.
The Squad
Before a ball was kicked this season I had drawn out my provisional list, minus any injuries of players who I thought realistically would make he trip across the river. Here is what I predicted;
Goalkeeper; Hart, Butland, Forster
Defence; Clyne, Stones, Jones, Jagielka, Cahill, Smalling, Gibbs, Shaw
Midfield; Wilshere, Delph, Henderson, Sterling, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Barkley, Milner
Forward; Rooney, Sturridge, Welbeck, Kane
*Highlighted; Not in the most recent squad
** Underlined; Suffering from injury
Excluding the long term injuries only Kieran Gibbs is looking like missing out, due to the excellent form of Nacho Monreal and the emergence of Danny Rose. On the other hand nobody could have foreseen Jamie Vardy's rise more to the point Danny Drinkwater. Overall my predicted squad is looking pretty accurate.
At this point with a significant number of high octane fixtures left to play it is impossible to rule out any further injury concerns to add to the growing list with Sterling out until at least May. In this instance with far less miles on the clock at 21 and having participated a full season playing at least two times a week, perhaps the injury set back for Raheem is a blessing in disguise with him able to get some rest after a long season. Roy has a tough decision in regards to drawing the line on taking players in poor health and with a lack of regular football in the bank. The head coach has gone on record as stating that if the England Captain is fit he not only travels but he starts. Given his international pedigree and goal scoring record nobody would argue against Rooney travelling, but with other in form strikers playing well and scoring goals, is a struggling Wayne Rooney a necessity? The same argument can be over Jack Wilshere, an obvious shoe in if fit, however he hasn't kicked a ball since June 2015. With his chequered injury record is it worth risking him in a major tournament where in essence you're playing every 4 days? Rooney played an integral part in qualification, and Jack was talismanic in his last 5 international appearances notching 4 man of the match performances. A pretty tough call right?!?! Funnily that's before we even discuss what shape is best suited to the current crop.
One thing we can be certain on is that Roy Hodgson has been loyal to a core group throughout his tenure and has spoken passionately about trust between him and his players. History has shown that his preference is to opt for players that he has worked with closely and trusts implicitly to execute what he wants tactically Jordan Henderson, Danny Welbeck and James Milner are all very good examples of this, and are what we would call some of his favourites. This idea of favouritism has previously been the penchant for criticism of previous England managers, however due to the transitional process England are in a blind eye has been given to Roy in most uncertain terms. Players such as Milner however reliable have never shone on England duty and although they don't possess the quality to win a game, can be very adaptable versatile and hard working, attributes that Roy buys into. The same could be said for "Boring James" Liverpool counterpart Adam Lallana who despite rejuvenating himself and displaying better form since Jurgen Klopp's arrival at Anfield, has hardly been amazing at international level.
Tactically Roy has stumbled on two preferred systems, both of which rely on a man central creative player either from a deeper or more advanced position centrally. In regards to starting selection The goalkeeper virtually picks himself due to experience, although a case could be made for the blossoming Jack Butland, moving forward.
As a nation we probably have all accepted that we aren't blessed with the wealth of quality centre backs that we have become accustomed to. Cahill and Jagielka hardly covered themselves in glory at The World Cup, however as Vice-Captain I would presume that Cahill will line up alongside Chris Smalling, who is best centre back at our disposal by a country mile. John Stones unfortunately is currently out of favour and form at Everton although I feel he will fare well at international level with his ability on the ball, I think Roy will not risk the player on this particular stage, but I would expect him to feature prominently in the future. the full back are very similar in Walker,Clyne Rose and Bertrand I believe that there isn't much difference in quality who so ever Roy chooses.
All in all the defence is the least stable looking area of the squad, and clearly this has led Roy to employ a defensive midfielder to screen the back four, something that has looked imperative if England are to do well. Eric Dier's club form has seen him emerge as he perfect fit for the role which initially was ear marked for Jack Wilshere. Playing the defensive midfielder will allow the full backs to venture forward and join attacks, with Dier adept at playing all across the back line he can fill in the spaces left by advancing players. When it comes to the central midfield slots, things begin to get very tricky. If you are heading to France with adventure and daring to dream for me Ross Barkley has to be incorporated, however you cannot accomoadate both him and Deli Alli, unless you go 4-4-3 or 4-2-3-1. Both of which would mean that one of Kane, Rooney, or Sturridge will miss out due to lack of effectiveness coming from wider areas. This conundrum will be the Gaffer's most difficult challenge. How does he include not only his most creative but also more in form midfielder without compromising the overall balance.
Going back to his use of favourites, Henderson/Milner's work rate will more than likely be called upon to complement an out and out creative midfielder. Personally I would love to see a 4-4-2, but unless England goes into the final game needing a comprehensive victory I can't see that happening. This leaves us with a central midfield looking like Dier and one of the following Henderson/Alli/Milner.
In the wider midfield areas Welbeck's return to fitness is a boost and somebody that can be relied on to carry a goal threat whilst not neglecting defensive responsibility. Raheem Sterling can switch flanks, similarlyy to Lallana but I feel Sterling's pace will be a better option. That leaves Arsenal teammates Theo and Alex to battle it out for the final midfield berth in the squad. I'll let you decide who and why on that one.
Given the events of the current season domestically the competition for the number 9 shirt should be alot stiffer than it will be in reality. We will see Wayne Rooney utilised as a number 10 just in behind Harry Kane. Rooney's best years are definitely behind him but he can still find pockets of space to draw out opposition defenders, with a more willing runner able exploit said gaps. Kane is somebody who needs no encouragement to strike at goal and naturally finds goal scoring position frequently, something that Rooney himself has struggled with at times. A strong arguement can be made for the direct and vivacious running of Vardy as a partner for Rooney also. The person who sadly will be most disappointed is Daniel Sturridge, easily the mosy gifted of the bunch, and although he has come back to fitness and is scoring goals I think this tournament has come around to quickly for the Liverpool front man, we'll have to get used to his "Resting Bitch" face on the bench all summer.With the top heavy balance of the squad, accomodating all the best attacking quality would be lovely, especially given the fact we ae meant to be building for the future with this young group of players. Kane, Barkley, Sterling, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alli, Stones, Butland, Dier and not forgetting Shaw are all under 25 and have at least 2-3 tournaments in them together.
Building around this group moving forward was the overall idea for England, but I guess the opportunity to compete for a tournament right away is a challenge they should willingly accept. Indeed thi England team is equip to go reasonably far, however I feel the element of caution needs to be lifted and whatever Roy does decide on as a starting 11, he needs to encourage them to go and express themselves, showing their undoubted potential.
Here is how I expect England to line up against Russia
The England team travel to Germany for a friendly against the World Champions on Saturday, before facing a Holland side stuggling to find their identity at Wembley next Tuesday.
Stay Tuned throughout the coming months for regular updates on the Three Lions progress leading up to and at the European Championships in France.
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