England

After much, and yet surprisingly unvaried, debate amongst the media it finally happened, the FA picked up the phone and rang Roy Hodgson. Looking back on it now, it is no wonder the FA waited so long to make the phone call, any earlier and the papers would have gone crazy, criticising the FA over their snubbing of their particular favourite Harry Redknapp. However, Hodgson’s record is a strong one and despite his failure at Liverpool, the majority of his tenures have been successful. Whichever way you stand on the managerial front, now the question is how to take England forward? Does Hodgson rely on experience or does he bring in some younger players to gain valuable experience before England embarks on qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil? Most people expect little from England this summer so why not give the youth an opportunity, what is the worst that could happen? However, Hodgson has now named his provisional 23 man squad and it is clear that little change is going to be brought about in this tournament. A host of usual players make the trip with only one major surprise. Yet, the European Championship has not been a happy hunting ground for English football in the past. In 96 they reached the semis, losing to Germany on penalties, and in 2004 they reached the quarters, losing to Portugal on penalties. Otherwise though, England has never made it past the group stages and in 2008 they didn’t even qualify. So, for once in an international football tournament, there really shouldn’t be any pressure on the English national side. Joe Hart has been in exceptional form for Manchester City and, even if he got injured, should still start ahead of Rob Green or John Ruddy in goal. Hart is of the top order and is beyond doubt the best English keeper since David Seaman. The rest of the team is much more debatable. Ashley Cole or Leighton Baines are the two players competing for the left-back spot. Baines has played well for Everton for the past few seasons and is a real danger from free-kicks and set pieces. England lack a set-piece specialist so this could be to Baines’ advantage. However, Cole is still one of the best wing-backs in the world. His strong athleticism and all-round ability cannot be questioned. Starting at right-back will be Glen Johnson with out-of-favour Mikah Richards not even in the squad. Richards has power, pace, aggression and his hot-headed attitude has calmed under the guidance of Roberto Mancini. He has played a focal part in Man City’s title challenge but yet couldn’t push past current right-back Glen Johnson in the pecking order. At the heart of the English defence there are only two places for at least six major options. John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott and Gary Cahill all have a strong case for the number 5 or 6 shirt. Smalling’s battle for fitness has unfortunately seen him as too big a risk but to leave Rio Ferdinand out is baffling. His exclusion is surely due to the inclusion of John Terry, who despite being a good centre-back should have spent his summer at home. An experienced centre back is vital to success in international competitions and therefore it should have been Rio placed alongside Cahill in Ukraine. Gary Cahill’s recent performances for Chelsea, especially against Barcelona, have been of the highest order and have surely earned him the right to a starting shirt. The midfield has equally contentious decisions to be made. Gareth Barry or Scott Parker are the mostly likely candidates for the fun defensive midfielder role. Ashley Young and Stewart Downing provide real potential occupiers of elusive left wing spot with the opposite wing being run by Theo Walcott or maybe even the impressive Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The final space in the middle could be claimed by James Milner, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard or any of the aforementioned players. Unfortunately, Jack Wilshere’s continuing injury issues have ruled him out of the Euros whereas Adam Johnson and, extremely surprisingly, Aaron Lennon have not been selected for this summer’s tournament. Lennon has been particularly dangerous for Spurs when fully fit. His speed matches that of Walcott and his quick footwork, final ball and finishing exceeds that of his London rival. Wayne Rooney will be one of the forwards however his two match suspension means that he won’t be available for most of the group stages. Jermain Defoe has fallen out of favour at Spurs and Andy Carroll has struggled at Liverpool. Danny Welbeck has had a decent season for Man U and is able to hold the ball up front if placed there alone. However, Peter Crouch and Grant Holt both of whom have scored numerously this season in the Premier League don’t travel. The plethora of attacking midfield players, along with the difficulty of finding two world class strikers, means that a 4-3-3 formation may have real merit. The pace and creativity of Young and Oxlade-Chamberlain could provide a strong attacking wide threat leaving Parker, Gerrard and Milner, who all have the energy, discipline and passing ability, to control the midfield. Whichever England team that Hodgson fields is going to have world class players in. The only difference this tournament is that nobody expects the English to win. This should relieve the pressure allowing for some free attacking football that England have lacked in major tournaments recently. The games against France, Sweden and Ukraine will not be easy, but it is certainly not the hardest group in this year’s tournament. Yet, will Hodgson succeed where previous managers have failed in the Euros? Winning the tournament may be out of reach, but a semi-final may well be achievable.