Expectations surrounding England’s hopes in a tournament have never been lower for a very good reason: they can scarcely have been so poorly prepared. Although both have made errors of judgment, the main causes of the state of affairs have little to do with either the FA or Roy Hodgson, the manager, so it is worth recapping England’s litany of woe in full.
Since they secured their place with a 2-2 draw against Montenegro last October, everything that could have gone wrong has done so. The player acknowledged as England’s best, Wayne Rooney, is suspended from the first two matches after being sent off in that qualifier. John Terry, the captain, then lost the armband, but not his place, after allegedly racially abusing the brother of Rio Ferdinand, a charge on which he faces trial next month and which he denies.
Fabio Capello, who had led an unbeaten qualifying campaign, resigned as a result of the FA’s handling of the Terry affair and his successor was not appointed until last month, giving him 40 days to prepare, during ten of which Hodgson was still head coach of West Bromwich Albion.
Hodgson’s reign has been beset by bad luck, particularly with injuries, which allied to some curious decisions has left him with an unbalanced squad. With Jack Wilshere and Darren Bent already out, Kyle Walker pulled out before the squad was announced and John Ruddy, Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard and Gary Cahill have broken down subsequently, leaving him to call up inexperienced replacements.
The Terry affair had continued to cast a shadow as several players are bemused over the reasons for Ferdinand’s absence. Hodgson’s attempt to hide behind the catch-all of “footballing reasons” for Ferdinand’s omission has not helped matters, a criticism that also applies to his failure to persuade Michael Carrick and Micah Richards to join the squad.
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Getting out of the group should be seen as an achievement, but such is the madness that surrounds England that many bookmakers have them as fourth favourites to win the tournament.
Tactics/Manager
Hodgson’s natural conservatism has been increased by the circumstances he has found himself in and his priority is making his side hard to beat. England will use a 4-4-2 formation.
Strengths
England are strong defensively and a back four of Glen Johnson, John Terry, Joleon Lescott and Ashley Cole still looks solid.
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Weaknesses
They have looked short of creativity in warm-up wins against Norway and Belgium, a problem exacerbated by Rooney’s ban.
Star player
As playmaker, Steven Gerrard was always going to be a key man, but his importance has increased with the absence of Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney. Gerrard can provide defence-splitting passes, although Hodgson has already spent time attempting to curb his ambition.
Monday, June 11: France v England (Donbass Arena, Donetsk, 5pm, ITV1).
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Friday, June 15: Sweden v England (Olympic Stadium, Kiev, 7.45pm, BBC One).
Tuesday, June 19: England v Ukraine (Donbass Arena, Donetsk, 7.45pm, ITV1).