Being an England fan isn’t easy. Ever since the 2002 World Cup, when England’s golden generation spearheaded by David Beckham was just blooming, it’s been the same old story. They breeze through the qualifiers of a major tournament, win some friendlies – suddenly everyone including the media is talking them up – and then they get knocked out in the quarter-finals or even earlier.
The team is then ripped apart by the fans and the media, the manager is sacked and a new one hired, a complete overhaul of English football is discussed, some new players are brought in, the team breezes through the qualifiers and friendlies again, and suddenly everyone including the media is talking them up, but then they get knocked out in the quarter-finals or below.
And so on…
England haven’t lifted a major trophy since winning the 1966 World Cup, which was half a century ago. Former Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp recently said that if England does not win Euro 2016, “We might as well all give up”.
While Redknapp’s frustration might be valid, the buzz around the England team has been rather quiet this time around. There has been the odd pundit predicting a trophy, but other than them, no one is really backing Roy Hodgson’s men to go all the way. “I think that they’ll have a good tournament, which would mean quarter-finals or semi-finals at best for me,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports.
The fans aren’t so optimistic either. “I think England have a decent chance, but honestly I’ll be happy if they get to the quarters,” said Edward Lauder, a 25-year-old Englishman who lives in Paris. “I think a lot of people are quite excited about the young team, but we don’t think that we’ll win it,” he added.
Young squad
Hodgson’s squad is indeed a young one – the average age is just 25. In fact, it is the youngest in the tournament, which is perhaps why expectations aren’t so high. This is the first tournament England are playing without the experience of the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, who were part of that golden generation.
The general sentiment seems to be that the England lads should enjoy themselves out in France, try their best, learn from the experience and use it to pose a genuine challenge at the 2018 World Cup.
While that may be the long-term plan, England would at least want to better their performance at the 2014 World Cup, where they were knocked out in the first round. Hodgson’s squad seems capable of progressing from a group that includes Russia, Wales and Slovakia, but there are some chinks in the armour that could expose them.
The Three Lions have one of the most potent forward lines there is in the tournament, comprising captain Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Daniel Sturridge and Marcus Rashford. However, the midfield and, especially, the defence aren’t the most formidable ones around. Hodgson has picked only three central defenders – Chris Smalling, Gary Cahill and John Stones – with defensive midfielder Eric Dier as back-up.
What works for this squad is that it has a good core of players belonging to the same club. England's midfield could have as many as three Liverpool players in Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Adam Lallana, who could link up up well with club teammates Sturridge, ahead of them, and Nathaniel Clyne, behind.
There is also the Tottenham Hotspur Holy Trinity of Dier, Kane and Dele Alli, who had an incredible Premier League season. If these three can link up the way they did for their club, England might just pop a few surprises. The trio were superb in the friendly against world champions Germany recently, playing in a highly successful 4-3-3 system that England employed throughout their qualifying campaign, winning all 10 of their matches.
The Rooney conundrum
However, that game against Germany and the team’s performance would have increased the dilemma in Hodgson’s mind over his best starting eleven. Skipper Rooney missed out that match because of a knee injury, which resulted in Alli taking his position.
If the recently concluded Premier League season has proved anything, it is that the 20-year-old Spurs midfielder is a genuine match-winner playing behind the striker, who is most likely to be his Tottenham teammate Kane. England’s best chance to do well in Euro 2016 might come from playing Alli in that position.
Rooney played well in England's qualifying matches, but has never really lived up to his reputation in major tournaments. His season with Manchester United could also be described as slightly above average at best. He could play wider in the midfield for England, or behind the No. 10, but that would just be shoehorning him into the team.
But then the question arises: will Hodgson really drop the England captain and record goal-scorer? It would seem highly unlikely, considering his conservative ways, and it might just turn out to be the reason why England crash out of a major tournament in the early stages again. Considering this is likely to be Rooney's last major tournament, he might be inspired to put in an extraordinary performance, but, frankly, it would still be a huge risk for the team.
