England Team Preview – Overview
England qualified for this tournament with a perfect record in qualification having played ten matches and won them all and for all the talk and critiques the opponents in the group got England could only beat what was in front of them and they did that without too much fuss. The acid test comes in the tournament however.
This is a refreshing young generation of English footballers with many playing their first tournament at this level which could be an important factor as they carry little mental baggage. This England side look exciting going forward but concerns are about a shaky defence. A semi-final spot would probably constitute a successful tournament for Roy Hodgson’s men and they have the draw to achieve that.
Statistics
Best Performance – Semi-finals in 1996
Previous Appearances – 8 (1968, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 & 2012)
Qualified – Group E Winner
Qualifying Record
P-10 W-10 D-0 L-0 GF-31 GA-3 PTS-30
Fixtures
England vs Russia – Saturday 11th June, kickoff 20:00 at Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
England vs Wales – Thursday 16th June, kickoff 12:00 at Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens
Slovakia vs England – Monday 20th June, kickoff 20:00 at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne
Squad
Manager: Roy Hodgson
Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Manchester City), Tom Heaton (Burnley)
Defenders: Ryan Betrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Danny Rose (Tottenham), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Everton), Kyle Walker (Tottenham)
Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham), Ross Barkley (Everton), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), James Milner (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal).
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester)
Betting
I’ve mentioned in other previews about England’s draw and how they don’t face what are considered the big teams until the semi-final if they can win the group and that is very encouraging. I do think England will win the group. While it looks competitive I think it is perfectly suited for England in that the other three sides lack for creativity to expose their weak defence, much like their qualifying group.
I think most people would be disappointed if having won the group England went out to a third placed side in the last 16 and with Portugal being the hardest side England could get on paper in the quarter final. I’m willing to chance they overcome that hurdle but find the semi-final opponent too good for them just like they did 20 years ago.
Wayne Rooney has been written off over the last 12 months but I think he still has something to offer this England side not least in dead ball situations where we saw in the lead up games that England really lack a set-piece taker in his absence. Rooney will be on penalties and probably a number of free kicks around the box so the 9/2 on him top scoring for them in the tournament is too big.
We have to accept Harry Kane is in great form and he is a very exciting prospect. His link with Dele Alli could be vital too and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kane scores the most England goals in France but there is still life in Rooney yet and that set-piece potential could be the deciding factor.
Marcus Rashford, Dele Alli and Daniel Sturridge are all exciting prospects too while Jamie Vardy is a real story which is showing no signs of reaching its peak but I worry none of them will get enough game time to be competitive in this market. At 9/2 it is Rooney for me.
Tips
England to be eliminated in semi-finals for a 1/10 stake at 6.50 with Boylesports
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Back W.Rooney Top England Tournament Goalscorer for a 2/10 stake at 5.50 with Skybet
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