now the domestic season has finished our attention tirns to the international stafe and Roy Hodgsons first act as England manager was to name a 23 man squad to take to euro 2012. There are a few surprises in the squad with the inclusion of Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll the two main talking points whilest the exclusion of Michael Carrick also gets plenty of mentions.
Roy has played fairly safe with the selections, I'm not a fan of Downing, no goals and no assists this season for Liverpool doesn't feel me with confidence but he has performed slightly better for the national side and with few left sided players to choose from may be the best of a bad bunch.
Carroll has had a disappointing season scoring only 4 goals, some of his better performances have come in the last few weeks of the season but most fans will be concerned with his lack of goals and better options were available but won't possibly fit into the system that Hodgson will operate with.
My starting 11 from the squad would be
Hart
Cole
Cahill
Terry
Jones
Downing
Barry
Parker
Gerrard
Young
Carroll
This would give the team a 4-5-1 formation with Young, Gerrard and Downing providing the support for Carroll.
Rooney will come back into the team for the third (and hopefully not last) game, possibly as a line striker this I think depends on how the first two games go.
The defence looks ok, Terry has had his problems on and off the field but is a decent enough player and the experience of Cahill and Terry playing together at club level will help. The midfield looks solid enough but have they got enough quality to provide the goal scoring oppourtinties required, and then the strikers none apart from the suspended Rooney are international quality, Welbeck has done ok for Manchester united and with more games under his belt will improve but at present doesn't have the killer instinct in front of goal. Defoe hasn't played much for Spurs this season and is lucky to be included in the squad, a player that will be used as an impact player from the bench where he has a decent goal scoring record, but other players who have been playing more regular 1st team football have been over looked, Sturidge of Chelsea has had a good first full season scoring 11 goals.
Whatever we think of the squad we go into the competition with very few expectations and face a tough task to make it through the group stage, I for one will be supporting the team and hopefully the media can do the same instead of trying to dig dirt and find stories to destabilise the squad in a big tournament as so often happens. Let's enjoy the feast of football on offer and support our country.
Roy has played fairly safe with the selections, I'm not a fan of Downing, no goals and no assists this season for Liverpool doesn't feel me with confidence but he has performed slightly better for the national side and with few left sided players to choose from may be the best of a bad bunch.
Carroll has had a disappointing season scoring only 4 goals, some of his better performances have come in the last few weeks of the season but most fans will be concerned with his lack of goals and better options were available but won't possibly fit into the system that Hodgson will operate with.
My starting 11 from the squad would be
Hart
Cole
Cahill
Terry
Jones
Downing
Barry
Parker
Gerrard
Young
Carroll
This would give the team a 4-5-1 formation with Young, Gerrard and Downing providing the support for Carroll.
Rooney will come back into the team for the third (and hopefully not last) game, possibly as a line striker this I think depends on how the first two games go.
The defence looks ok, Terry has had his problems on and off the field but is a decent enough player and the experience of Cahill and Terry playing together at club level will help. The midfield looks solid enough but have they got enough quality to provide the goal scoring oppourtinties required, and then the strikers none apart from the suspended Rooney are international quality, Welbeck has done ok for Manchester united and with more games under his belt will improve but at present doesn't have the killer instinct in front of goal. Defoe hasn't played much for Spurs this season and is lucky to be included in the squad, a player that will be used as an impact player from the bench where he has a decent goal scoring record, but other players who have been playing more regular 1st team football have been over looked, Sturidge of Chelsea has had a good first full season scoring 11 goals.
Whatever we think of the squad we go into the competition with very few expectations and face a tough task to make it through the group stage, I for one will be supporting the team and hopefully the media can do the same instead of trying to dig dirt and find stories to destabilise the squad in a big tournament as so often happens. Let's enjoy the feast of football on offer and support our country.