Euro 2012: Group D, why England CAN progress

The final group in Euro 2012 kicks off tonight and it's also possible the hardest one to judge, each team is playing down their chances but really they will all feel they have a chance to go through. Ukraine as hosts will either feel the pressure of being a host nation too much or be spurred on by home support. Sweden have talented players yet play well as a team, France are a team that have dramatically rebuilt since the collapse at World Cup 2010 and England have a manager a month into the job, players missing or suspended but have arguably the best looking defence on paper. Watching this group play out will be fascinating.


England
   England fans aren't expecting much this summer, with new manager 'Woy' Hodgson appointed just over a month ago, key players like Gary Cahill and Frank Lampard injured and key player Wayne Rooney suspended for the first 2 games, why should optimism be high? Well in my opinion, England have one the of the best defences on paper. Manchester City's Joe Hart has just finished a season where his side won the English league title, Hart was a key part of that. Look at the best left back's across the world, is there anyone better than Ashley Cole? (Ashley Cole could be out of the France game from a knock in training...
Roy may call up Rio now...And ask him if he's got Sol Campbell's number)  In central defence they have John Terry, while some may question his personality, on the pitch Terry is a born leader. Alongside him will be Joleon Lescott who like Joe Hart has completed a league winning season at Manchester City and can be a colossus in defence. At right back England will have Glen Johnson, not as articulate or technical as Ashley Cole on the right but the Liverpool man likes to get forward and support the attack and has pace to come back and cover. Where England can come unstuck is their attacking options. Manchester United's Wayne Rooney misses the first two games through suspension (he petulantly kicked Montenegro's Miodrag Dzudovic in a game when England had already qualified) and no-one is in the calibre of class that he is for England. Danny Welbeck looks likely to start the first game against France and has looked impressive for Manchester United though in the so called big games, he can fade away and he can't do that at this level. The other option is the wayward Andy Carroll, the Liverpool man has had a mixed season and his electric form in the final weeks of the season have gained him a place in this squad (Roy Hodgson only selected four strikers in his Euro 2012squad; Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe, Danny Welbeck and Andy Carroll. With Rooney suspended for the first two games and Defoe sent home for family reasons, we're left with only two striking options, Danny Welbeck's right foot, and his left foot.). England will look to counter attack opponents and will rely on the defence to perform admirably and be a platform for the rest of the team. Though Hodgson has just days to decide his team, some of his inclusions have been surprising, particually picking 6 players from a poor Liverpool side. Steven Gerrard is the England and Liverpool captain and deserves his place but why was Andy Carroll picked before Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge or Norwich's Grant Holt? Stuart Downing never got a goal OR an assist on the wing for Liverpool and has been picked (Downing has hit back at critics who questioned his lack of goals and assists this season but unfortunately, he missed), why not Everton's Leon Osman or Manchester United's Tom Cleverley, both who had good solid season's at their respective clubs. Much fuss has been made over Hodgson's decision not to include Rio Ferdinand when Martin Kelly was picked but why not select Micah Richards or Chris Smalling. Lastly is the inclusion of Jordan Henderson, why not pick Manchester United's Michael Carrick or City's James Milner? England could of come here with a lot more experience and more quality, players have been omitted that have won leagues, domestic and European titles, the reason we are told is to look at the bigger picture with the World Cup in 2 years but I don't buy that as surely more youth players would be picked, plus England fans want the best players for the team here and now, England could over-exceed all expectations or fail miserably, if it's the latter, the excuses are already waiting.
  Star Man - Steven Gerrard will be key driving the team on but Ashley Young from Manchester United will be the creative spark and look to link up between midfield and attack, if he has a good tournament then England will follow suit.
  Prediction - Much is made of the first game against France, if they win that they will escape the group with the returning Wayne Rooney, as I expect a draw I don't think England can get out the group and fans will hear about 'lack of time to prepare', 'unfortunate injuries' and 'bad luck', maybe England just aren't that good right now

 
France
 Coach Laurent Blanc took over the squad 2 years ago after the embarrassing debacle at the World Cup in South Africa after previous manager Raymond Domenach had the team implode. In that time former France player and World Cup winner Blanc has been able to experiment with different formations and players in that time. Lyon's Hugo Loris the captain and the goalkeeper is a player Blanc has stuck with. Defenders Adil Rami from Valencia and Milan's Philippe Mexes always play when they are available to, Rennes 21 year old midfielder Yann M'Vila is so good he's slowly having the team build around him and their first choice striker is Real Madrid's Karim Benzema. The past two years have seen Les Blues become a lot more attack minded and they look to keep possession and complete short passes, relying on wingers Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich) and Manchester City's Samir Nasri to break through defences.
   Key player - Karim Benzema, the Real Madrid man scored 32 goals last season and will look at this tournament as his chance to truly shine for France, if the French team progress, he could well be the tournament's top scorer (expect Benzema and Ribery to be in single digits and not under age prostitutes this tournament)
  Prediction - France flatter to deceive, they have a decent side and will give anyone a good game, if they do make it out of the group I expect them to fall in the quarter finals

Sweden
  The Swedes are always well balanced and organised and as ever, they go into this set of games the same. In defence they have Olympiacos and former Aston Villa centre back Olaf Mellberg alongside West Brom's Jonas Olsson,  midfielders see's the likes of Lyon's Kim Kallstrom and Sunderland's Seb Larsson looking to run at defenders and create opportunities for the mystifying Zlatan Ibrahimovic, I have never bought into this belief he is one of the world's best players yet I have never seen him perform well when it comes to the big games, he once claimed he is the world's best player, well I'd like to see him go out there and prove that.
  Key player - Kim Kallstrom, he can pull the strings in midfield, with 92 caps to his name he has plenty of experience and he is a constant performer in the Sweden squad
  Prediction - the group is hard to call but teams need to be patient against Sweden as they are beatable and I feel that will show, expect them to end the tournament after the three group games



Ukraine
  Ukraine haven't been lucky with injuries but with all but two of the squad picked played their club football in Ukraine (and 15 either playing for Dynamo Kyiv or Shaktyr Donetsk), they will all know each other well and with playing at home, this is an added advantage for them. Kyiv midfielders Yevhan Konoplyanka and Andriy Yarmolenko can provide the opportunities for Andriy Shevchenko and Andriy Voronin. The hosts will look to counter attack opposition but with key players like Donetsk's Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Kyiv's veteran goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovsky missing, the other teams in this group should be able to exploit that added to the fact the Ukrainians don't have the same quality or technical prowess, they don't often qualify for tournaments and as hosts, they won't progress but they will leave their mark against one of the teams
   Key player -Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko has, at the tender age of 22, scored 8 goals in 22 goals, he will look to produce chances for his team and given the chance, will drive Ukraine forward.
  Prediction - the hosts nation usually get buoyed by home support but Ukraine aren't as good as the other 3 teams in this group, ranked 52 in the world, they won't make it out of the group.

England's chances at the Euro's.....nil

It's today that the England football squad fly out to the 2012 European Championships and look to be taking their weakest squad to an international tournament. A team decimated by injuries and Wayne Rooney's 2 game suspension, they'll struggle to not just score goals but also to create chances.

This squad includes SIX players from Liverpool, a team that languished in 8th in the Premier League and performed so badly their much idolised manager was given the sack (are the FA are due to change the team song to "You'll Never Walk Alone"?, at least in England's group the Liverpool players will know what it's like to finish 4th) . Added to this is the controversy of the non-selection over Rio Ferdinand which threatens to destabilise the squad and undermine new manager Roy Hodgson.  

 It's easy to see why England aren't fancied to win this tournament and indeed, to struggle to get out of a group which only contains France, Sweden and Ukraine (It's hardly like they have to come against Germany or Spain), add to this the withdrawal of Champions League winners Gary Cahill and Frank Lampard and it's plain to see good news has been scarce (apart from someone fisted Joey Barton in a nightclub (fisting as in punching....not that)).

The whole Rio Ferdinand situation threatens to overshadow the whole tournament for England and The FA, Roy Hodgson and his seniors would of been hoping this whole situation would of blown over by the time they face the press in Donetsk this Sunday, though with 6 players due to meet the media tomorrow in Krakow, it's going to be the burning topic everyone wants to talk about. It promises to be uneasy for England both on and off the pitch as they cope with the tournament pressures and the press.

In England's favour, the expectations for them are low and new manager Roy Hodgson has a whole catalogue of excuses readymade to wheel out when needed, the injuries, the little time he has had to prepare since taking charge only 5 weeks ago and also his claim this tournament is merely being used for experience as a stepping stone to the World Cup in 2014 in Brazil and Euro 2016 in France. So if it goes wrong against France, Sweden and Ukraine, while the fans won't be happy or impressed, the FA will think of this as the transition as managers and players bed in. Looking at the bigger picture they would claim which really seems to store problems for the future.

Under Hodgson, there have been encouraging signs, apart from the style of the way England have played, they have won 2 games, scored 2 goals and not conceded any (albeit against Norway and Belgium), they have looked well organised and solid in defence and it's an okay start given the circumstances. Then when you look at other England manager's starts they mostly start well. Glenn Hoddle won his first three and won nine out of his first ten games, Kevin Keegan was unbeaten in eight games and Sven compiled five straight victories (the only England manager ironically to lose their first game was Sir Alf Ramsey and he was the most successful of all), even Steve 'wally with the brolly' McLaren won his first three games.

In the 52 year history of the European Championships, taking out of the equation Euro 96 which was held in England, the Three Lions have only won 4 games so what chance do they have against a France side who are unbeaten in their last 20 games next Monday? Tournament play is also about ball-retention and passing, both of which England were poor with against Norway and Belgium.

Scott Parker is clearly trying to bust a gut to impress and make a name for himself at this level but his tackles in the centre of midfield have been just as scary as David Beckham's new V for Vendetta style facial hair. If he continues to play this way, he'll get himself sent off. Out wide there is a lack of penetration and selecting players simply for pace like Theo Walcott will show they are simply 'athletes in boots' on the bigger stage. James Milner simply doesn't hurt defences and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain simply hasn't shown he is a world beater, the most confounding selection though is Stewart Downing, a player who never to score a goal or even an assist, I simply don't understand why he was selected for England when Liverpool have to be thinking of offloading him surely. 

Previously we have gone into tournaments with the likes of David Beckham, Michael Owen, Owen Hargreaves and Paul Scholes and it was understandable why expectations were always high, now we have Martin Kelly, Jordan Henderson (who's family friend is Bigfoot) and Andy Carroll, these three would never of got into the squad between 1998-2010 and that shows the lack of quality and strength in depth going into these Euros.

It's not all bad however, Joe Hart is being compared to the likes of Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton, he's a huge figure and can inspire confidence in the defenders in front of him. Danny Welbeck took his goal against Belgium brilliantly and has pace and quick feet that has seen him keep the impressive Javier Hernandez and the previous seasons top league goal scorer Dimitar Berbatov out of the Manchester United team. Ashley Young has scored or set up a goal in 11 of England's last 20 goals, he is priceless to the national cause right now.

The England team aren't just a ramshackle bunch of players, they are functional as you'd expect with the likes of Scott Parker and Ashley Young though they won't really get anyone excited so Hodgson is proudly making the best of a bad job and needs to make England raise their game against better sides but really, it looks to be a tournament where the nation could rue the experience of Rio Ferdinand and that will be the big talking point and abiding memory.