Given the squad Roy Hodgson is taking to Poland and Ukraine it is perhaps just as well that there does not seem to be much expectation resting on the England Squad as they prepare for the Euro Championship.
Could this be an opportunity for them to eventually play to some of their potential in a major tournament? With some of the usual pressure seemingly off them, I am at least hoping to see some attacking intent and not the usual flat, dull football that is often in evidence when England play in big competitions. Comparisons, rightly-or-wrongly, will be made to the disaster of the World Cup in South Africa. However, with that as a benchmark we couldn’t do much worse!
Roy Hodgson is in a win-win situation as I see it. If we go out in the group stage and are generally rubbish then the argument will be he did not have enough time with the squad to prepare etc. If he gets them performing well then he will be hailed as being the right man for the job all along.
Given this situation I am slightly surprised he has not gone for some bolder selections in his squad. There seem to be too many weak or out-of-form players. Whilst Roy hasn’t had much time to prepare its not as if he is unaware of who is playing well at present and who isn’t. His overriding argument for the inclusion of Andy Carroll was his late season form for Liverpool after all.
There are several players who I would not have included. How Stuart Downing makes the squad when he has not contributed a single Premier League goal or Premier League assist for Liverpool this season is a complete mystery to me. James Milner as been poor for Man City on the rare occasions he has played for them and given the other midfield selections in the squad it is clear he is seen as a wide player by Hodgson. He doesn’t have the pace in my opinion and contributed one cross in the warm-up game against Norway last weekend. A cross that hit the first defender and went out for a throw-in. Theo Walcott is another who has been far to inconsistent for both Arsenal and England and Danny Welbeck is one of the most over-rated players to make the England Squad for some time.
I had hoped Roy would have taken the opportunity to produce more of a blend of young exciting players alongside the more established internationals. His inclusion of the uncapped Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suggests he is not totally conservative in his thinking. I appreciate that but for some injuries the squad would likely look quite different, with the likes of Darren Bent, Jack Wilshere and Kyle Walker all strong contenders for starting places.
It is a rare occasion that on the even of a major tournament the English media and public are not building the expectations of the team and the pressure to win. I hope that the players are able to respond to this in the Championship and produce some exciting and attacking football. Whilst I think there are a few weak links in the squad I will be watching with cautious optimism.
Good Luck England!
PS - How many of you would have included Grant Holt as a wildcard???
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