England’s (10/1 Euro 2012 outright) preparations for the upcoming European Championship in Poland and Ukraine are now complete but, following Saturday’s 1-0 win against Belgium, it appears as if they have more questions than answers heading into the tournament.
However, this does leave England with a few positives, as probably for the first time since winning the World Cup 1966, the Three Lions aren’t being tipped for glory, with pundits instead being more cautious in their predictions, especially in regards to selection where there are still a number of spots in the side to fill.
Most notable of these is at the back where, following the injury to Gary Cahill on Saturday, it remains in the balance who will partner John Terry during the opening match against France next Monday (France 6/4, draw 11/5, England 7/4).
The obvious choice would be Joleon Lescott who was magnificent in Manchester City’s march to the title this season. However, the 29-year-old is left footed, meaning Terry would have to slide across from his favoured left centre-back position into the right side of the defence.
This appears trivial but Terry has been caught out on a number of occasions while playing on the right side of the two, most notably in the Three Lions’ defeat to Germany at the 2010 World Cup.
With Terry being arguably the country’s best defender, this could pave the way for Phil Jagielka to step into the breach and the Everton man’s versatility and pace would certainly suit playing alongside Terry.
Elsewhere the full-backs and the two central midfielders pick themselves but, further up the field, Hodgson still faces a number of dilemmas.
After James Milner and Stewart Downing produced decidedly average performances in last week’s win against Norway, Saturday presented Arsenal duo Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with the perfect opportunity to stake their claim for a place in the starting side, but they both disappointed, meaning it’s still up in the air as to who will start out wide in Donetsk.
However, the most pressing issue is who will lead the line alongside Ashley Young as that could dictate how England play.
With Wayne Rooney out for the first two games, there is still a huge question-mark over who will start in attack with both Andy Carroll (40/1 Euro 2012 top goalscorer) and Danny Welbeck impressing in the warm-up games.
The pair have contrasting but equally devastating qualities with Carroll’s height allowing him to intimidate and dominate defenders in the air while Welbeck’s pace and movement allows him to slip in behind the opposition almost at will.
Both have done themselves no harm but the decision as to who to start with could make or break England’s campaign, especially if they’re still in with a chance of qualifying when Rooney returns for the final group game against Ukraine (England evens, draw 9/4, Ukraine 9/4).
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