England: Euro 2012 preview

Are The Three Lions ready to roar in Poland & Ukraine? If so, they are off to a dubious start.  The controversy that always comes out of the England camp arose once again with Fabio Capello’s surprise resignation as manager at the end of April. West Bromwich’s Roy Hodgson was named manager with only one month to prepare.

It falls on Hodgson to lead England’s charge towards their first major trophy since they lifted the World
Cup on home soil in 1966.  This will be an incredibly difficult challenge.  Despite having a surplus of individual talent, they have not advanced past the quarterfinals of a major tournament since 1996.  In addition, they arguably provided the worst performance ever by the English National Team at the 2010 World Cup.  Their second round game against Germany was nothing less than a complete embarrassment.  They were literally unwatchable.  In order to avoid a repeat, Hodgson needed to select not just the best players, but also the right players.  Here is a look at his selections.

Manchester City’s Joe Hart is the obvious choice to start in net.  After two very strong seasons in the Premier League he has established himself as the clear number one. 

For the past decade England consistently fielded a strong backline.  While they are not as strong on paper this time around, their defense should still hold up well.  Leading them is Chelsea’s formidable Ashley Cole.  Cole has been one of the top defenders in the world for many years.  He consistently plays at a high level against elite competition.  This brings us to the surprise exclusion of Rio Ferdinand, and the inclusion of John Terry.  Ferdinand was a fixture on the national team for over a decade and his exit spurred an ongoing controversy over the manager’s selection.  Though his departure is controversial, Ferdinand often betrayed the national team through his suspensions from Euro 2004 and 2008 for failing to take two drug tests.  The 2004 team may have won the championship had Ferdinand been active.

Meanwhile, the selection of Chelsea’s John Terry is a disaster.  Too often, coaches select individual talent over the concept of selecting players that fit the team system or bring unity.  Terry’s selection is definitely of the former.  His talent is unquestionable.  He is England’s best center back.  However, his leadership qualities are noticeably absent and he is often a distraction.  He is currently the subject of an investigation over racist comments towards a Premier League player.  In addition, he has been labeled a team cancer on several occasions including his attempted coup of Capello in South Africa.

The remainder of the defenders including Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, and Phil Jagielka are all very capable players who play top-flight football week in and week out.

Due to recent injuries, Hodgson was forced to alter his midfield plans.  Manchester City’s Gareth Barry, and Chelsea’s Frank Lampard were both late scratches.  While Barry’s toughness and discipline will be missed, Lampard’s injury is a blessing in disguise.  How many times can an England manager place Lampard alongside Steven Gerrard in the midfield, only to watch the experiment fail?  The mere fact that this possibility existed reflects the insanity that exists within the national team.  The two have nor been able to play together effectively for over a decade.  While Lampard excelled for Chelsea, he has showed little in a Three Lions uniform since Euro 2004. The combination did not work in 2006, 2008, or 2010, and the time to move forward has arrived.   His injury frees up Gerrard and provides an opportunity for a younger player to claim a spot in England lore.

The selection of Steven Gerrard as captain was the perfect choice.  Gerrard is a complete player that leads by example.  He should have received the armband many years ago.  Although he is not the player he was when he led Liverpool to victory in the 2005 Champions League final, he is still strong in all aspects of the game.   His versatility is so great that I would like to see him line up as a center back with the freedom to move forward.  Although it would be controversial, it offers Hodgson the option of putting another skillful player on the field.  Regardless, his vision and passing ability make him a great asset in the middle of the field.  His ability to control the pace of the game will be crucial for their hopes.

The rest of the midfield offers plenty of excitement along with some discontent. Although Liverpool’s Stewart Downing has fantastic ability, he is coming off a very poor season, and should not have been selected.  He is a wild card.  Both Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and Manchester United’s Ashley Young will provide plenty of pace and stretch the opposition’s defense.  Scott Parker and James Milner are solid selections.  The most exciting selection is Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.  His brilliant performance against AC Milan in the Champions League displayed the instantaneous spark he can provide.  The exclusion of Paul Scholes is another missed opportunity.  Even at 37, his vision, composure, and complete ball control warranted inclusion.  He rarely, if ever, loses possession of the ball.  Scholes would have been a great comeback story worth watching.  Hodgson should have tried convincing the Manchester United legend to wear The Three Lions jersey once more.

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney will be England’s engine.  They will go as far as he can take them.  Unfortunately for them, he is suspended for the first two group games due to a violent tackle in a qualifying game.  Rooney’s international career has been a failure to this point.  An injury forced him out of Euro 2004, he received a red card in the 2006 World Cup quarterfinal, England didn’t qualify for Euro 2008, and he was largely ineffective at the 2010 World Cup.  He must be aching to put on a great string of performances this time around.  If England can remain in the hunt until he returns then my bet is on Rooney to find the back of the net and get them into the knockout rounds.

When in form, Liverpool’s Andy Carroll can put the ball in the net.  He will be a deadly weapon on set pieces. Meanwhile, Danny Wellbeck and Tottenham’s Jermaine Defoe are competent replacements off the bench.

Prediction: Second Round.  Fortunately, they received a favorable draw in getting paired with France, Sweden, and the co-host, Ukraine.  None of their games will be easy, but they have a decent chance to get points against each team.  It will be nice to see a new generation take the field after the disappointment that the previous one brought.  As painful as it is to admit, the English team is usually nothing more than a public relations machine that breeds a lot of hype, but produces little of soccer value.  Perhaps this new generation will forge a new path.  If they focus on playing long ball then it will just be more of the same.  Their talent should carry them out of the group stage but no farther.  It’s unfortunate that Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere will miss the tournament due to injury.  With Wilshere, they would have a much better chance of making a strong run in the tournament and providing fans with quality soccer.  

By Jeff Graceffo