WHY IT’S FRANCE FOR ME

Leicester won the Premier League this season with the least amount of possession, but i cannot see the same result in France.

Leicester broke all the rules. Before then we thought it was about trying to copy Barcelona — dominate possession, tire out the opposition and then find a moment: 1-0. then sit back, frustrate, try to draw out the opponent, who is trying score an equaliser, and then pick them off: 2-0.

Leicester let you have the ball and then — bang! — hit you on the counter with pace. Denmark played similarly when they won this tournament in 1992 but i don’t see that happening this time.

i see the winners coming from one of the big four — France, who are rightly the favourites, Germany, italy or spain. One of them has won four of the last five european cham- pionships. the Germans always seem to get the balance right between picking the team and system and then being unafraid to drop big names when it matters. their buildup form is erratic, but they are the masters of timing.

the two i see challenging that group are england and Belgium. i’ve seen a fair bit of Belgium as one or two of their players interest me as potential signings for crystal Palace but they are still looking for their best team and seeking their ideology, a bit like england.

My dark horses are croatia. i don’t see anyone else i fancy. Portugal have been mentioned to me and, of course, they have the ronaldo factor and athletic defenders, but they are not at their best. england have a better team than them.

But the outstanding team for me are France. they are the team to beat.