Hodgson may exercise his youth with players such as Tom Cleverley, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere, Jonjo Shelvey and even Carl Jenkinson. Arsenal‘s Arsene Wenger has urged Hodgson to not play Jack Wilshere until he regains full fitness. Wilshere experienced 14 months on the sidelines with knee and ankle problems.

A possible line up may feature Joe Hart in goal, Glen Johnson, Ashle Cole, Joleon Lescott and Gary Cahill in defence, Steven Gerrard, Tom Cleverley, Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott in midfield with Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck up front. The bench may see several debutants such as Carl Jenkinson, Fraser Forster, Ryan Shawcross and potentially Raheem Sterling who has had a brilliant debut season for Liverpool.

England previously beat Sweden 3-2 in June in the World Cup Qualifiers with goals from Andrew Carroll, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck. England currently lie in 1st place in Group Eight of the World Cup qualifiers, Montenegro second and Poland third. England are unbeaten in 11 matches since their 3-2 loss to the Netherlands in February this year. After Sweden, England next play Brazil in February 2013 at Wembley Stadium in an International Friendly.

The game against Sweden was a total opposite to anything I can remember seeing from England at a major tournament before, take the expectation levels for a start. Nobody expected anything from this tournament, many still don’t. In pretty much every tournament England have played at since Euro 96, or maybe even since reaching the semi finals of Italia 90, the English public have expected to see the team get to the semi finals or the final, something that previous England managers and players have failed to deliver, whether the scapegoat is Gareth Southgate, David Beckham, Kevin Keegan, Phil Neville, David Seaman, Urs Meier, Sven Goran Eriksson, Rob Green – the list goes on.

This is partly down to how the team looks on paper, take the right hand side for example, in place of Gary Neville and David Beckham we now have Glen Johnson and James Milner, upfront there is no Shearer and Owen combination, instead England last night went with Carroll and Welbeck – those complaining about that before the game certainly aren’t now. However, when you look at the England bench during the “Golden Generation” you never thought there were any real options to change the game if things weren’t going well. The options pretty much relied on bringing on Peter Crouch to “see what he could do”. There were always in my opinion, six or seven players in Sven Goran Eriksson’s team that were never going to step across the white line in a competitive game at a time when it mattered.

A stark contrast to Roy Hodgson’s team. This appears to be a squad where there is genuine competition for places, and whilst on paper at least, the starting eleven does not look to have the flamboyance of previous England squads, players who start one game know they need to play well or they might not play the next one. Further to that, I believe that every player in that squad could be brought on to change a game either to protect a lead or, as was the case with Theo Walcott’s stunning impact last night, to turn a game on it’s head.

Criticism seemed to have been fired at Hodgson from every angle over the perceived negative tactics he employed in the two pre tournament friendlies and in the first game against France, there is at least some form of game plan. Ok, so sitting back and inviting pressure on whilst looking to hit on the break is not everybody’s cup of tea as far as tactics are concerned, it at least is some sort of game plan. Can anybody tell me what the plan was under previous England managers? Was it possession football? Was it long ball? I’ve already mentioned how I felt previous England teams did not have a plan B from the bench, but in all honesty there wasn’t even plan A, despite the perceived quality of the players.

England started last night’s game on the front foot and the plan of getting down the side of Sweden’s full backs and whipping in crosses for Andy Carroll and Danny Welbeck to attack looked like it would work, Scott Parker was winning the ball back for England consistently even managing a really decent effort on goal. It looked like only a matter of time before England got the breakthrough and when they did, courtesy of captain Steven Gerrard’s sublime cross on to the head of Liverpool team mate Carroll, I honestly thought that would be game over, purely because up until half time Sweden were not at the races.

Yet, Olof Mellberg of all people had another take on things, putting the Swedes level after a fortunate deflection fell to his feet. Worse was yet to come for Hodgson’s England, as Mellberg struck again soon after with a powerful header. The defending for both of Sweden’s set piece goals will concern Hodgson, but they were lapses in concentration rather than a flaw in the plan. With Sweden a goal to the good I am sure everybody was thinking along the same lines as I was – “Here we go again, same old England.”

The introduction of Theo Walcott at a time when England had nothing to lose and his subsequent impact, scoring with almost his first touch and setting up Danny Welbeck’s winning strike in a topsy turvy encounter, will hopefully be enough to silence the Hodgson critics out there for the team being at least. It would also be further proof that everybody has a job in the squad. Let’s face it, Theo Walcott is great at getting at full backs, carrying the ball forwards on the break and getting in behind defenders, however, tracking back, defending and tackling are not his strong point, showcased by both his blistering run to step up the winner and the way he bounced off Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the closing stages of the match. After his impact, many are calling for him to start the next game however I believe starting him in front of Glen Johnson would be footballing suicide.

James Milner has to continue to start, much of the play in the early stages of the game came through him and he was able to get a number of crosses in from the right hand side whilst not forgetting about his defensive responsibilities, covering the attack minded Glen Johnson and helping to maintain a balance on the right. Starting Walcott and Johnson down the right would be akin to giving the opposition a free run down the right hand side. Some are saying that Glen Johnson was our best defender last night, noting a number of eye catching “recovery tackles” he made, yet to make a recovery tackle you have to be caught out of position in the first place, something that happened against France with Ribery almost getting in behind and again last night. My worry is that with Theo in front of Johnson, Johnson would either find himself restricted to a more defensive role to allow the Arsenal man to push forward or find himself getting having to make these “recovery tackles” more and more often.

Interestingly, when Theo Walcott scored his famous hat trick for England in Croatia, he was playing in front of a right back in the shape of Wes Brown, a player who is significantly more defensive than Johnson, allowing Theo Walcott to freedom to roam forward and not have to worry about covering the full back. To maintain the same system of play that Hodgson has employed with success in his first four games and play Theo Walcott from the start is not as straightforward as some people may think. In the last twenty minutes the game really opened up with both teams searching for a winner, an open game might suit us for for the last twenty minutes against Sweden, but if England were to have such an open game against a top nation like Spain or Germany, the consequences would be dire and I for one hope Hodgson recognises this.

The reason we saw the best from Theo last night was because he could go for it, with 30 minutes to go and England trailing a match they needed to win, he could get forward and not worry about defensive tasks. Playing both him and Johnson from the first whistle would be counter productive in my opinion, leaving England with little balance on the right and neither player getting the best out of one another. Johnson continues to look dangerous when overlapping the winger, but lets face it, Walcott is too fast to keep up with let alone overlap!

Roy Hodgson has always maintained that Walcott would have a part to play in this tournament, and it looks very much like the part he will be playing is England’s go-to guy on the bench for situations where a goal is required.

I was really pleased to see Hodgson make the decisive substitution as early as the sixty minute make, when previous England managers would have waited a lot longer, hoping that the “Golden Generation” would produce something, leaving it until the 75th or 80th minute to change things. Sweden went 2-1 up and Hodgson responded immediately, and im starting to believe in England once again, but for different reasons.

The players might not be as box office as they once were, but Roy Hodgson has a set of tools at his disposal that seemingly he knows how to use. If the France result was a solid start, the result last night shows that England at last have the spirit to turn things around when the game seems to be slipping away, and a manager who for a change has a plan B up his sleeve. It probably won’t be enough to see England win the tournament, but this could be a tournament that see’s Hodgson lay down some solid foundations for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Tension is building; expectations are realistic with key players getting injured in the build up, a new manager and a relatively mediocre squad compared to the likes of Spain, Holland, Germany and Italy.

Roy Hodgson’s England team are likely to play a robust variation of four four two, with two holding midfielders (Parker and Gerrard) and three creative midfielders looking to support the striker (Welbeck or Carroll)

England is looking defensively sound, as stated previously, but may struggle to get goals.

England’s star man Wayne Rooney is suspended for the first two games against France and Sweden. But is back for what could be a crucial group decider verses joint hosts Ukraine.

What is in England’s favour and will help them do well in the European championships. Is a wise manager, with experience of managing three national teams. A world class left back in Ashley Cole, a quality goalkeeper not seen since Peter Shilton in Joe Hart and Captain Seven Gerrard.

My prediction for the tournament is that England will go to the quarterfinals of the Euros and be knocked out by either Spain or Italy.

By Colin J Smith

FRANCE

Qualification and Tournament Build-Up: France were strong in the qualification phase, only losing once (at home to Belarus) and finishing top of their group, however it did rest on their last game against Bosnia and Herzegovina which ended in a draw meaning they finished 1st by a single point. They have also won their last four friendlies in the build up to the tournament, including a victory against Germany in Bremen in February.

Manager: World Cup winner Laurent Blanc. After suspending all 23 of the World Cup squad for his first game in charge, he has manager to breathe new life into the French side and turned the French farce from 2010 into a French force ready to reintroduce themselves at Euro 2012.

Key Men: France have an abundance of flair players including Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery and Manchester City‘s Samir Nasri. Arsenal target Yann M’Vila is widely regarded as a hot prospect and made 8 appearances at the heart of midfield in the qualification phase. Real Madrid centre-forward Karim Benzema is likely to lead the line for France after scoring 32 goals in all competitions last season.

Prediction: I think France have a good enough squad and are in good enough form to pip England to 1st in group D. In terms of the rest of the tournament, my prediction would be a semi-final defeat for France which would mark a large improvement from their group stage exit from the World Cup in 2010.

UKRAINE

Qualification and Tournament Build-Up: Ukraine qualified as co-hosts and have been inconsistent in the build up to Euro 2012. They were unbeaten in their last six friendlies prior to defeats against Austria and Turkey in the last 5 days. They did manage a 3-3 draw with Germany in November 2011, easily their most impressive result in the last year or so.

Manager: Former prolific Soviet striker Oleh Blohkin who is in his second spell as Ukraine manager, the first saw him lead Ukraine to the World Cup quarter-finals in Germany where they were defeated 3-0 by eventual champions Italy.

Key Men: Ukraine’s most well-known player is 2004 Ballon d’Or winner Andriy Shevchenko and despite the knocking his reputation took during his disastrous time at Stamford Bridge, he still has what it takes to score goals at the highest level. Shevchenko’s Dynamo Kyiv teammate Artem Milevskiy may also prove a threat. Bayern Munich midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk is probably Ukraine’s next most highly-rated player and will prove a battling opponent to any midfielder in Group D.

Prediction: Although Ukraine will have home support, I feel they do not have enough to offer on the pitch and have by far the weakest squad in the group. 4th place in the group will be Ukraine’s final position, in my opinion.

SWEDEN

Qualification: Sweden finished second in a difficult qualification group with the Netherlands, winning eight (including the final game against the Netherlands) and losing just two. They have won their last four friendlies with Serbia and Croatia their most notable scalps.

Manager: Former Rosenborg coach Erik Hamren. He replaced Lars Lagerback in time for the start of the qualification campaign and led them to a successful second place in a tough group. He is a well respected manager who never played to a very high level but has been much more useful as a coach winning Danish football manager of the year in 2008, followed by Norwegian football manager of the year in 2009.

Key Men: The obvious name that springs to mind when you think of great Swedish players is Zlatan Ibrahimovic,  love him or hate him, he is a good player and, on his day, he can hurt anyone, including England. Other notable presences in the Swedish squad are Lyon midfielder Kim Kallstrom, Former Bolton centre-forward Johan Elmander, Sunderland‘s Sebastian Larsson who had an impressive season and highly-rated PSV Eindhoven forward Ola Toivonen, all of whom have the ability to power Sweden through the group.

Prediction: Sweden will be a tough nut to crack as the Netherlands will agree and I can see them being in with a chance before the final round of group matches. I think England will just pip them to second place leaving them in 3rd place in Group D and facing an early exit from the tournament.

England have a much tougher ask than many fans think and I think all will be decided in the final round of group fixtures when England face Ukraine and France play Sweden. Group D could turn out to be one of the closest and personally, I am relishing seeing how the group unfolds.

Rio Ferdinand must have been disappointed enough to be left in the wilderness after the initial squad was announced but when Roy Hodgson chose to replace a centre-back, Gary Cahill with Martin Kelly, a right back with 2 minutes of international experience, this must have really irked Rio for him to tweet ‘What reasons?????!!!’ to nearly 3 million followers, 2,999,999 of whom would probably have known straight away that Rio was reacting angrily to the announcement from the England camp. It is clear that Hodgson’s ‘footballing reasons’ are that Rio can’t play football on the same team as John Terry rather than anything actually football related and if Hodgson feels that Ferdinand is no longer equipped to play for England, I would have to disagree with Hodgson because if Sir Alex Ferguson feels he is good enough to play 38 times for Manchester United last season in all competitions, I would argue that qualifies him to play centre-half for England over Martin Kelly who made 12 league appearances for Liverpool at right-back, although he can play in the middle of defence. I admit, Martin Kelly has a lot of potential and he has impressed me ever since his first Liverpool start against Lyon in the Champions League in 2009 but I can’t justify Roy’s decision. Ferdinand has tournament experience rivaled only by Steven Gerrard and for this reason, I feel that his inclusion in exchange for Cahill would have been a case of ‘better late than never’. England are now left with a delicate John Terry, Joleon Lescott and inexperienced Phil Jagielka and Phil Jones.

Looking to the future is obviously one of Hodgson philosophies going into Euro 2012 but it is difficult to see how Phil Jagielka is England’s future as he is 30 in August and therefore, that argument is flawed with regard to Rio’s exclusion. Rio Ferdinand is absent from the England squad for reasons beyond football and it is obvious to every single England fan. I think this has taken some integrity away from Roy Hodgson as he is now going to be seen as cold and disrespectful as it is not just Rio Ferdinand but Micah Richards, also. I believe John Terry is, by far, England’s best centre-back but it is not Rio Ferdinand who has done anything wrong. If John Terry is found guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand and that saga really was the issue with Ferdinand’s omission, Terry’s inclusion ahead of Ferdinand is going to look completely unfair and disgraceful. Ferdinand’s agent, Jamie Moralee, may have spoken out of turn, in the eyes of some pundits, but his key ‘lack of respect’ argument is completely fair. Rio Ferdinand has done so much for England and Manchester United throughout the last 10 years of his career and, the missed drugs test fiasco aside, he has been a model professional and to be cast out by Roy Hodgson in favour of John Terry who, in many respects, is the antithesis of Ferdinand  is unjust. I am not saying that Ferdinand is still in his prime or isn’t prone to injury from time to time but what I am saying and the reason I wrote this piece is Ferdinand has been one of England’s most reliable central defenders over the last few decades and to be treated with such a lack of respect and to be left in the cold after 81 caps, I am questioning Roy Hodgson’s logic.

Who is to say whether this will affect England in Poland and Ukraine, I certainly hope not but if it does then i am sure the many England fans who love to refer to hindsight will be citing Rio Ferdinand’s exclusion as a factor. Who knows whether England will be forced to use one of their ample full-back options as a make-shift centre-half or whether Terry will lead England to glory, I really, really don’t but for now I feel that Ferdinand should have been included in the squad. I sympathise with a man who was put his body on the line for England in the past. As I said at the beginning of this piece, small incidents can have massive repercussions and one more prime example of this may prove to be that words forming in John Terry’s mouth in the heat of the moment last October could lead to England’s football team not achieving what they have the potential to achieve, yet again. Ferdinand wouldn’t have started if I were England manager, Terry and Lescott would have, but he would, without question, warrant a place in my squad.

Hodgson’s squad caused a lot of unnecessary controversy with #hodgsonout briefly trending on twitter before dying down due to slightly less dramatic and somewhat less moronic fans defending the new man and his choice of players to lead England into battle in just over a week in Donetsk. regarding the ‘Terry/Ferdinand’ debate, I am definitely in agreement with Hodgson. There is no doubting that Rio Ferdinand is a top-class player but John Terry epitomises what it means to play for England. He puts his body on the line in every game and although he let himself down in Barcelona and has well-documented flaws off the pitch, he is dependable, brave and the man that I would want to play alongside if I were Gary Cahill or Joleon Lescott. Terry’s passion for England reminds me of the infamous Terry Butcher bloodbath against Sweden and I believe that if that were a player in the current England squad, it would be Terry. So, for me, there was no decision to make, if it was a case of Terry or Ferdinand, Hodgson made the right call. Also, Hodgson was criticised for the inclusions of Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll and although I agree neither have hit the ground running at Liverpool, Carroll has shown real signs of improvement towards the end of the season and Downing has shown in the past at Middlesbrough and Aston Villa that he has a lot of ability and so their inclusions are relatively justified. Adam Johnson, I admit, was unlucky to miss out to Downing but his first-team opportunities at Manchester City have been limited to say the least and I think his time will come in future tournaments. Downing and Carroll will probably not be starters if England progress past the group as Wayne Rooney will have returned from suspension and England have wingers in abundance with Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, Ashley Young, Theo Walcott and James Milner all in contention to play in the wide areas. I feel strongly that players such as Joe Hart, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney (when available) are good enough to beat anyone on their day and so I find the complaints at the inclusions of players who will play merely a bit-part role in the tournament excessively negative and pedantic.

In terms of opposition, England have a tougher group than it would appear. France were in disarray at the 2010 World Cup but they have world-class players in Evra, Ribery, Nasri and co. and will be capable of beating England in Donetsk if they play to their potential and England fall short of theirs. Ukraine as hosts will play in a stadium dominated by their own fans cheering them on and as has been well documented, due to Sky Sports News’ Special Report and the BBC’s panorama, the Ukrainian fans are not always friendly, especially to black players and who knows how it could affect England’s black players if a racist crowd give them a hostile reception? England also have a relatively poor record against Sweden having faced them in the group-stages of World Cup 2002 & 2006 and after only achieving a draw on both occasions, the omens are not good for England against the Swedes. Despite all of that, I am optimistic about England’s chances. I believe the group will be very tight with all four teams taking points from each other. If England are to lose to France in the opening group game, I would not panic too much. Ukraine and Sweden are two teams who England are more than capable of beating but on their day are more than capable of beating France. I emphasise the need for them to beat France because winning Group D is key to progressing further than the quarter-final stage and presuming that England and France were to qualify, the gulf between opposition in the quarter finals could be vast. One would expect Spain to finish Group C as winners meaning the runner up in Group D would face them. England, although beating them in a friendly, would find the Spanish a tougher proposition in competition mode. Contrast this to the winner of Group D who will play a very beatable Italy or one of the underdogs Croatia or the Republic of Ireland and there lies the importance of winning Group D. That said, we all know how unpredictable football can be and therefore, it is impossible to say that England have any less chance of beating Spain than they do of Italy, Croatia or the Republic of Ireland.

One thing that I think has definitely helped England is the lack of expectation in the media up to this point. Newspapers such as the Sun which would normally print headlines along the lines of ‘England Expects’ have been vastly more lowkey this year. As I have always been of the impression that the expectation on the shoulders of the England team, all cranked up tenfold by the tabloid press, has hampered England in major tournaments, I could not be happier with the lack of enthusiasm about England’s chances in Euro 2012. England’s two most successful tournaments since 1966 have been Italia ’90 and Euro ’96 when pre-tournament, the press had focused on England’s weaknesses both on and off the pitch and I believe that England teams respond to criticism by playing out of their skin and I just wonder whether Euro 2012 could be another example of this. Personally, I am confident and I can’t help but think that Euro 2012 could be the year that England don’t lose on penalties, it could be the year that the key player doesn’t get sent off at the decisive moment and it could be the year that the cross which shaves the boot of the sliding centre-forward finally gets enough on it to guide it home. For once, I am quietly confident in England going into the tournament, I believe that they might just prove everybody wrong and with the slice of luck that they are well overdue and with the quality that they clearly posess, England could maybe, just maybe, finally, after 46 barren years, bring football home.

The England Squad:

Goalkeepers: Hart, Green, Butland

Defenders: Lescott, Terry, Baines, Cahill, A Cole, Johnson, Jagielka, Jones

Midfielders: Gerrard (C), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Milner, Downing, Parker, Young, Henderson

Forwards: Rooney, Carroll, Defoe, Welbeck

Fixtures:

June 11: France, 5pm, Donetsk

June 15: Sweden, 7.45pm, Kiev

June 19th: Ukraine, 7.45pm, Donetsk

The incisive passing and tactical understanding of Spain and Germany embarrassed us. The recent unveiling of the controversial EPPP (Elite Player Performance Plan) sees the Premier League and F.A. taking radical steps to revolutionise the way young English players are developed, in the hope of closing the gap to world leaders, Spain. Whilst current focus is fixed firmly on these plans, an underlying change in the philosophy adopted by youth football coaches in England has taken place in recent years, which may ultimately play the starring role in bringing English fans the success that they crave.

I have witnessed this change, first-hand. From 2000-2004, I was a part of the West Bromwich Albion Centre of Excellence (now Academy). Released at the age of sixteen, my dreams were never realised. Seven years on, my youngest brother (15) finds himself on the books of WBA FC, a year away from the very same professional scholarship that was once my Mecca.

There is a popular view that the English are resistant to change, anchored to a blind belief that traditionally “English” characteristics, such as physical strength and aggression, remain the formula for success. This is wrong. Every time I visit the training ground to watch the boy play, I am struck by the fundamental change in philosophy since I was there. This change has left me convinced that in five years’ time, English football will see a new breed of footballers emerge, equipped with the desire, intelligence and technical proficiency of Xavi, Iniesta or even Messi.

The changes WBA have made are numerous, but a few directly address this issue. Firstly, 2 hours of each session are spent developing technical skills; adeptness of touch, quick, incisive passing, and an intelligence of movement when not in possession of the ball. This was practised when I was at Albion, but not with the regularity, detail and intensity that is shown by the current coaches and players. In 2004, a young lad would play a sweeping, diagonal ball that bounced out of play, similar to those for which Steven Gerrard is famed. My coaches would praise him for what appeared to be an adventurous attempt to switch the play. Not today. A number of sharp, accurate passes such as those administered with clinical precision by Xavi or Iniesta would have got the ball successfully to its intended target, and just as quickly. This is the modern way of playing the game, one that the coaches at WBA drill into young players from the moment they arrive through the doors.

The coaches also work relentlessly on the less glamorous, yet equally important side of the game, termed the “transition.” When Barcelona lose the ball, you will not see the guilty player standing still, bemoaning his bad luck. He knows, for he has been taught, that the seconds immediately following the loss of possession are crucial to the success of the team. As such, he will transform his anger at losing the ball into a burst of speed, quickly retreating into position so that he can help his team-mates press the ball as a single entity. It is this intelligent hard work when not in possession of the ball that makes Barca a team capable of keeping nine clean sheets in a row, and its importance is not lost on the coaches at WBA.

Whilst the focus seven years ago was on the player as an individual, young players are now being instilled with a deeper understanding of how their decisions impact upon the success of the whole team. This change in ethos will surely lead to a more collective, cohesive England team. Many people regularly remark that the English national team play like a group of “strangers”. In the years to come, I believe that this criticism will come to symbolise the failings of the past, and exemplify the success of this change in philosophy.

The final change is in attitude, not only from the coaches, but from the young boys who are the potential stars of the future. Last week, my brother returned from training armed with a two-page article on Xavi Hernandez. Photocopied by WBA and assiduously distributed to every player at the academy, the article charts Xavi’s rise to success. In it, he details the numerous people who told him that he would never succeed as a professional on account of his small stature. He explains the self-doubt that he encountered as a result, and how he overcame those hurdles to become a player who graces the international stage with balletic majesty. The moral of the story for young players is both clear and unavoidable. Do not be dissuaded by your lack of size. Practice relentlessly on your technical skills, listen to the cutting-edge knowledge of your coaches, and play the game in the modern way.

As a result of this change in philosophy, the role models for young players are the polar opposite to those that existed when I was at Albion. Back then, Beckham, Gerrard and Sol Campbell were the benchmark for aspiring players. Whilst each player deserves and commands the ultimate respect, they symbolise the old way of playing football, where extravagant long balls and individual moments of brilliance were considered enough to achieve success. With teenagers now aspiring to play like those who have led Spain to unrivalled domination of the club and international game, the future of English football looks bright.

Despite the result securing qualification, the main talking-point afterwards was the dismissal of Wayne Rooney for kicking-out at defender Miodrag Dzudovoic and how this might affect England’s chances next summer.

Rooney faces the prospect of missing the first game and maybe more for Fabio Capello’s team.

You would have thought that with all his experience, he might have learned his lesson by now but that evidently appears not to be the case.

Realistically then, what are England’s chances of being successful at the Championships?

In short, I wouldn’t hold out too much hope. There are several other sides playing excellent football currently and will take some beating. And I’m not just talking about Spain.

There’s also Holland and Germany, while Italy are an improving side as they look to rebuild after a disastrous World Cup last summer. France could prove to be a decent bet too.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though.

England have a right to be considered among the potential winning sides mentioned above.

They’ve won their qualifying group, which although weak, is the best they could have done. OK, they haven’t got maximum points but the principal objective has been reached.

There are some promising youngsters coming through (Jones, Smalling, Young), and mixed in with the so-called ‘golden generation’ (Terry, Cole, Gerrard), 2012 could be where it all clicks together.

So there’s a reason for optimism.

Someone has to win the competition, and why can’t it be England’s turn, finally?

It would take a brave person though to put money on England winning Euro 2012, and here’s why.

The team has a horrible habit of underperforming not only in qualifiers but more importantly, Championships as well. It is widely believed that as the players play in the supposed best league in the world, they should be among the best players in the world.

However, as any football fan will tell you, 11 excellent players doesn’t necessarily equate to a top team.

The so-called ‘golden generation’ – John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard – are all now vastly experienced and have no reason to let the side down.

But in reality, they frequently do, which is why there is little cause for expectation.

Unfortunately, there is no indication that this trend will end anytime soon.

Every England match is met with initial optimism and hope, but is soon washed away with the drab reality – an underperforming side and one which you know will not win anything major anytime soon.

The team itself raises more questions than answers – here are some of my major concerns.

Aside from Joe Hart, there is very little sufficient back-up. For the time being this isn’t a concern, but as soon as he picks-up an injury, the alarm bells will start to ring. I do not class the likes of Scott Carson and Robert Green as international quality at all.

The right-back spot is up-for-grabs, as first choice Glen Johnson appears to spend more time on the treatment table as opposed to the field of play. It is now the turn of Phil Jones, Manchester United’s new recruit from Blackburn, but he will need time to get used to playing in that position. Nearly a year will hopefully be enough, you would hope.

The position of right midfielder/right winger has never been resolved in my opinion since a certain Mr Beckham retired.

Aaron Lennon is simply poor, yes he has pace but his end product is awful, which is why he has not held down the position ever since he had the chance after the 2006 World Cup.

Theo Walcott is similar, though carries a little more threat. Still, there are doubts over his defensive ability and if he can score on a regular basis.

As for up-top, aside from Wayne Rooney the strike force is looking weak too. Defoe, Crouch, Bent have all failed to secure the position and Capello seems to be forever trying out different players for the position without really knowing who is best.

Finally, discipline is generally not a problem and is certainly no worse than other sides. However, when your best player stupidly gets himself sent-off then there are problems.

Not just for himself, but he is letting the side down and that is not something he can afford to do, when England rely on him so much.

To be in with a chance of success next summer, a number of factors all need to be working for England.

Players need to perform, stay fit and keep their discipline. If these all happen then England will have a chance.

But this needs to be the case with all 11 players, which therein lies the problem.

I’m only being a realist here, judging on what has I’ve seen and what has happened in recent history.

There is a chance England can do well next year, but a lot of luck will be needed.

It might be early, but I’m going to write the side off already – I would just love to be proved wrong one day.

Rooney’s dismissal in the game against Montenegro will unquestionably cost England in the group stages of the 2012 EURO competition after the striker superlative display assisted the three lions in their qualification. After recently declaring his desire to be captain for both club and country, his superfluous kicking of Miodrag Dzudovic in the Montenegro game gave a doubt over whether Wayne was ready to change his ever troubling head as he has done for his hair. He said “I’ve captained both on one-off occasions but obviously to get the two jobs full-time would be a great honour for me.”

Claims that Wayne Rooney’s family problems might have caused his below par behaviour and that he shouldn’t have plyed in the game by the Montenegro manager is no excuse since England’s Italian manager confirmed the striker was fine to play. Rooney’s reaction after the red card and apologies through Fabio Capello might be the only positive side of his ruined international break. But for how long will the England fans be willing to forgive the ever hot head striker and back him as their potential captain?

For Rooney to succeed John Terry or the one after him as England captain, he would need more than his football mastermind –and his £300,000 hair transplant- to be a great leader.

Parken Stadium has a capacity of 38,000 and a retractable roof that will be similar to the Millennium Stadium for the players, providing an ideal preparation. The last time England played the Dane’s was back in 2005, in a warm-up game before they played Wales in a World Cup qualifier, Denmark won 4-1 on that occassion.