THREE LIONS CAN ROAR
TOM BLACKETT suggests there is reason for optimism as England prepare to head to France to take on the continent’s best
England’s Euro prospects
THE anticipation is starting to build, hopes are high – could this be the moment for England to end half a century of hurt? Well, if you go on the Three Lions’ record in the European Championships over the years, it doesn’t inspire much hope.
In 13 appearances in the Euros, England have never made it to the final and only twice reached the semis (1968, when they finished third, and 1996).
On the other side of the coin, however, you could say that makes England overdue some success.
And now could be as good as time as any. Okay, the 26-man squad that Roy Hodgson will whittle down to 23 by the end of May doesn’t look as though it will have the rest of Europe quaking in its boots, but at least there are more options going forward now than for some time.
With Tottenham hotshot Harry Kane and Leicester speedster Jamie Vardy both shining in the Premier League this season, England can go into the tournament with players in form.
Skipper Wayne Rooney and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturride both possess a goal threat, while Dele Alli can also chip in from midfield.
Perhaps the biggest weakness is at the back when the likes of Gary Cahill and Chris Smalling come up against Europe’s best.
With the resources they’ve got, England’s best bet is to try to get on the front foot, be aggressive and push the opposition back. There are definitely goals in this team.
With the dismal World Cup showing in Brazil two years ago a distant memory, a fresh England squad can go into Euro 2016 with optimism.
Most managers would have been sacked after the World Cup debacle that saw the Three Lions pick up just one point from three games, but the FA’s decision to stick with a safe pair of hands in Roy Hodgson looks as though it will pay off.
There is hardly a more experienced manager around than Hodgson. He’s seen it all in a career that’s taken him around the world and back again, but you get the feeling that this is his best chance – perhaps his last chance – to really make a mark.
“Whenever you go into a tournament, you have got to have desire and hope you are going to win it,” he said.
“It has happened in the past – no one expected Denmark to win in ’92, no one expected Greece to win in 2004, no one expected Leicester to win the Premier League.
“Everyone has got to have that hope, that dream, that thought in their minds. If we really play well and produce our best, who knows where it will lead us.”
England will have no excuses if they don’t come through the group stage at the very least. With the tournament expanded to 24 teams, the top two from each of the six groups plus the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the last 16.
England open up with what looks like their toughest game of Group B, against Russia, on June 11 in Marseille, the second day of the tournament.
Five days later England meet Wales in a battle of Britain in Lens and then it’s Slovakia in Saint-Etienne on June 20.
The opening game against Russia could be crucial to decide the fate of the group and also to give momentum. It may well turn out to be a cagey affair with both sides relatively happy to bag a point and take their chances elsewhere.
Of course,Wales are going to be up for it in their first major tourna- ment since 1958 and in Gareth Bale they have a player who can light up the tournament. But you’d still fancy England to edge a tight game against them. The prize for winning the group is a good one. If England were able to take top spot, a tie against the third-placed team from groups A, C or D would beckon, potentially Romania, Turkey or Poland. Win that and you’ve got a potential quarter-final against Portugal or Italy to reach the last four. Finishing as runner-up in Group B would mean a match against the runner-up in Group F. Assuming Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal top the group, that would mean one of Iceland, Austria or Hungary. That wouldn’t appear insurmountable, but could lead to a quarterfinal against the French. That would be a tough assignment against one
of the favourites on their home turf. France have proved adept at using home advantage to its full benefit.
They won the European Championship at home in 1984 and the World Cup in 1998.
Realistically, there are plenty of teams in the 24-team competition who won’t be in the running to win it (unless they do a Greece, that is).
I’d narrow the potential winners down to seven teams – France,World Cup holders Germany, Spain, who have won the last two Euros, Italy, Portugal, Belgium and… England.
With the strength of their squads, France and Germany have to start as favourites, with Spain not looking quite the same force they were in their golden spell between 2008 to 2012 when they won the Euros twice and the World Cup.
Italy, too, don’t appear as strong as they traditionally have and may struggle to score enough goals to put themselves in contention.
Portugal have got the Ronaldo-factor to suggest they’ve got an outside chance, while Belgium are probably the team to go for if you don’t want to back the usual suspects.
Their squad is brimming with talent. After going AWOL for most of the season, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard showed signs of approaching his best come the end of the season.
With the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke to call on, they’ve definitely got the firepower to do well and will have benefited from their World Cup experience in Brazil two summers ago.
England haven’t got the stars of the past, but they have got a decent team now and, who knows, if they get on a roll.
You can’t read too much into friendly results, but wins against France and Germany over the last year won’t have done England’s confidence any harm (though there was a defeat to Spain thrown in).
It’s going to be a feast of football from the opener between France and Romania at the Stade de France on June 10 to the final at the same venue exactly a month later.
If England win it, there’s going to be one hell of a party. If, as usual, they don’t, then there’ll be the usual two-week inquest before everyone decides it’s time to focus on the Premier League again…