Euro 2016: England 1- 2 Iceland: 'Brexit 2.0'

Euro 2016: England 1- 2 Iceland:'Brexit 2.0'

The most shocking and embarrassing day in English Football history was confirmed as they lost in 90 minutes to Iceland in the last 16 of the 2016 Euros, with manager Roy Hodgson resigning minutes after the final whistle. A lot of fans will feel as if this reality check has been coming for along time, maybe even since we failed to reach Euro 2008, but the awful display that I saw against Iceland was a combination of a lot of factors coming together to ruin what should have been a positive tournament for England. Before I get into these factors, here are some facts between England and Iceland to summarise the contrast in expectations on paper:

- There are 4.1 million registered Footballers in England. There is just 20,000 registered Footballers in Iceland.

- England's manager, Roy Hodgson, was paid £3.5 million a year by the FA (making him the best-paid manager at the tournament). Iceland's manager is a part-time dentist.  

- The overall cost of the English squad that went to France this summer is £175 million.

- England's population is approximately 66 million people. Iceland's population is approximately 330,000 people.

With those headspinning facts there for you to read over and over, the factors that came together to cause this loss aren't that shocking when you look at them in detail. There are three factors that lead to this disaster. The first being Roy Hodgson and his 'tactics'. Now, I've written three posts about England's previous games at Euro 2016 and I've vented my frustration enough at Roy, who resigned minutes after the defeat, but the fact that he started Raheem Sterling instead of Jamie Vardy, instructed to Harry Kane to take free-kicks, didn't take Wayne Rooney off until the 86th minute and subsequently only gave Marcus Rashford four minutes to get an equalising goal. The fans could spot these mistakes as the game unfolded and yet Roy just rubbed his chin when Iceland moved closer and closer to the biggest-ever victory. On top of this, there was no concrete selection of the starting XI and therefore lead to the player's not knowing what their role was in the system, which is the opposite of all the top international teams.

The second factor being that the majority of the players didn't display a unity and passion for winning the match and ultimately didn't perform to the best of their abilities. The only players that played with any sort of passion and commitment were Jamie Vardy, Eric Dier, Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill, Adam Lallana and Chris Smalling. Joe Hart made two huge mistakes during the tournament, the second against Iceland to allow them to make it 2-1, Harry Kane looked exhausted, Dele Alli wasn't as effective as we all expected him to be. Why is this? Maybe because they care about their holidays than they do about representing their country. Yes, fitness is a factor but you could see the lack of leadership when they went down to Iceland. They all just dropped their heads down and hoped someone else would take on the role of leader.

The third and final factor that contributed to this defeat is that the overall mentality of the English FA, media and management. They seem to think that because we have good players, we should ultimately expect to have a fantastic tournament. How can we do this when we haven't had a good run at a tournament since 1990? The media should stop picking individuals' talents and talk about the squad as a whole to create a cohesive feeling within the team. I know it's a lot to ask for but that's what needs to be done in order to take a step forward from this tournament.

What's next for both teams?

England will head home and keep their heads down until the start of August, when the anticipation for the Premier League reaches unreal levels on Twitter. Iceland will head to the quarter-finals to face the hosts, France, at the Stade de France on Saturday.



Euro 2016: Slovakia 0 - 0 England: Hodgson's Changes Halts England's Momentum

Euro 2016: Slovakia 0 - 0 England: Hodgson's Changes Halts England's Momentum 

 

It didn't take long before the Media turned on Roy Hodgson and his 'genius' substitutes that had won England three points against Wales in Lens. As Roy made six changes to the Starting XI for their final group game against Slovakia in Saint-Etienne, (Jordan Henderson, Jack Wilshere, Nathaniel Clyne, Ryan Bertrand, Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge in for Dele Alli, Wayne Rooney, Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling), England's momentum was halted to such a degree that it left fans with a sense of disappointment and that we had gone backward in our selection of players.

 

Not that everyone played that came in played bad though.

 

Nathaniel Clyne created seven chances from the right-hand side, Jamie Vardy was alert to an opportunity to run in behind and exploit space (which unfortunately didn't happen often due to Liverpool's Martin Skrtel) and Ryan Bertrand did a decent job of creating space down the left-hand side. However, the players that didn't play well, Henderson, Sturridge and Wilshere, symbolise the controversial nature of Roy's Starting XI and one player's inclusion really gets me annoyed. That's right, Jack Wilshere. This argument is getting slightly boring to write but how can you expect a player to play well in an important international game when he's only played 144 minutes of Premier League Football over three games for Arsenal at the end of the season?? This only furthers my belief in the 'big club' bias within the England management structure.

 

Although the game was littered with chances, England having 29 shots and Slovakia having four, England couldn't get the job done and finished second in the group after Wales beat Russia 3-0 to top the group and thus cementing the hosts of the 2018 World Cup to the bottom of Group B. Credit to Slovakia for the countless frustrating blocks that they put in over the course of the 95 minutes but conclusively it's actually a shame that the selection of the team is once again the main topic of conversation following a very good performance by England but ultimately they didn't win and top the group like they really should have done.

 

What's next for both teams?

 

Slovakia will wait to find out if they have advanced as one of the four best third-placed teams in the tournament and England will play their last-16 tie against the runner-up of Group F on Monday 27th June.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Euro 2016: England 2 - 1 Wales: Vardy and Sturridge Prove Crucial In Vital England Victory

 

Euro 2016: England 2  - 1 Wales: Vardy and Sturridge Prove Crucial In Vital England Victory

 

When it came down to it, two of the players that should have been started by Roy Hodgson won England three points that they desperately needed to launch themselves to the top of Group B. Jamie Vardy scored in the 56th minute of the game to cancel out Gareth Bale's 30-yard in the 42nd minute, which Joe Hart should have easily saved, and then Daniel Sturridge played a rushed 1-2 with Dele Alli in the 92nd minute to score and gain a not only vital win but a historic win, which saw England come back to win a tournament game when losing at half-time.

 

Now, let's get one thing straight.

 

I'm so glad that England won and have a massive four points going into their final game against Slovakia on Monday. However, we mustn't go crazy with praise for Roy Hodgson for his two half-time chances (Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge for Raheem sterling and Harry Kane) as around 99 percent of England fans in the pub watching, or at home, would have said that Vardy and Sturridge needed to start, let alone by bloody involved at some point of the game. Now, the media will mill over the 'genius' of Roy Hodgson for the next few days but we have learnt that when fans' favourites such as Vardy are given an opportunity to shine, they can take it and stake a claim for the Starting XI (although Vardy should be starting ahead of Sterling).

 

In regards to Wales, it's a shame for them to concede in the last minute of the game but they most have known that trying to sustain the England pressure for ninety minutes, whilst offering little in attack could massively backfire (as it eventually did). They had clearly come with confidence from their win over Slovakia but when you have 31% possession and only two shots on target, you can expect a very, very long and hard game. However, I do think they will qualify for the last 16 along with England. 

 

What's next for both teams?

 

England head to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, in Saint-Etienne, to face Slovakia on Monday where they could earn automatic qualification with a point and Wales must beat Russia at the Stadium Municipal, in Toulouse, on Monday, at the same time, to guarantee a top-two finish.

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel Sturridge scores the winner to send England top of Group B. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Euro 2016: England 1 - 1 Russia: Poor Decisions Cost England Win

Euro 2016: England 1 - 1 Russia: Poor Decisions Cost England Win

 

It was yet again the same old story for England fans that anticipated an England win for the first game of a major tournament. Even I, one of the more spectical fans watching yesterday, felt that we definitely had the three points in the bag after Eric Dier's 73rd minute free-kick goal, from which he became the first-ever English player to score from a free-kick at the European Championships.

 

Then the 'old England' turned up.

 

With about a minute to go to the final whistle, Russia's Vasili Berezutski headed home to earn his country a point that they barely deserved. Now, you can't blame Russia for coming back and getting a point when they spend the majority of the second half as the dominate team, even though they only had two shots on target and was their first shot since the 17th minute. In contrast with England's 15 shots, five of which were on target, and the fault doesn't fall onto the players but the manager, Roy Hodgson. 

 

The three problems I have with Roy Hodgson in regards to this match was the fact that Raheem Sterling was picked over Jamie Vardy in the starting XI, Wayne Rooney was taken off for Jack Wilshere in the 78th minute and James Milner coming on for Raheem Sterling in the 87th minute. How do you justify Sterling ahead of Vardy?? Jamie Vardy scored 24 league goals in 36 league games, were as Sterling scored only 6 league goals in 31 league games. Yet Sterling starts? BBC Sport Journalist Phil McNulty said in April 2015 that Sterling was "very good with the potential to be outstanding" but it truly baffles me that Roy can start Sterling over one of the best finishers that the Premier League has to offer. Then Rooney, who had an awesome game with a 86 percent success rate from 55 passes, was taken off for Jack Whilshere. Although Jack did do okay, the choice to take off Rooney when he was playing his best game for England in a long time is quite baffling. The final nail in the coffin for me with regards to poor decisions was when James 'Boring' Milner came on in the 87th minute. Milner? This just makes the fact that Vardy didn't get on the pitch at all that little bit more annoying.   

 

Anyway, the positives from the game was that England played excellent in the first half and created a big array of chances but ultimately poor decisions cost England the three points they deserved.

 

What's next for both teams?

 

Russia face Slovakia on Wednesday 15th June at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villieneuve-d'Ascq and England face Wales on Thursday 16th June at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens.

 

 

 

 



 

England still haven't won their opening game at the European Championship. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

Euro 2016 Preview: My 5 Teams Who Could Win The 2016 Euros

Euro 2016 Preview: My 5 Teams Who Could Win The 2016 Euros

Heading into the 2016 European Championship, which will take place between 10th June till 10th July, there will be many fans who are quite optimistic due to the huge development of European talent across a number of countries. England will be one of the nations with high hopes due to the new generation of players, such as Jamie Vardy, Delle Alli and Ross Barkley to name just a few but there are quite a few countries that could potentially win the Euros and in this post, I will be detailing the five countries that could win the 2016 Euros, ranked from fifth to first.


A remainder of the Groups:

Group A: France, Romania, Albania and Switzerland.

Group B: England, Russia, Wales and Slovakia.

Group C: Germany, Ukraine, Poland and Northern Ireland.

Group D: Spain, Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia.

Group E: Belgium, Italy, Republic of Ireland and Sweden.

Group F: Portugal, Iceland, Austria and Hungary.
 

 

 

5, England

Now this is a more optimistic choice than a deadly serious choice. Ultimately, it seems that England always get their fans hopes up when they get to a tournament and then subsequently fail to put in a good enough performance (see the 2014 World Cup for evidence). However, with the recent influx of fresher and bolder players that are hungry to restore pride into the English Football team's name, such as Kane, Vardy, Drinkwater and Rashford. Even with doubts over the current manager, Roy Hodgson, and his ability to motivate the next wave of English talent, the possibility of England winning a major trophy since 1966 is a thing (even if it's not a massive possibility).

Final Squad:

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Tom Heaton (Burnley).


Defenders: Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Everton), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur), Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool).


Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Ross Barkley (Everton), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), James Milner (Liverpool), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal).


Strikers: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United).

 

 

Key Player: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur).



4, Belgium

For a while, Belgium were always the team that had a lot of good talent but never really the structure of a really good team, leading to them becoming the Internet's favourite team or 'dark horse' team. However, the names of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Axel Wistel, as well as many others, have become famous through their fantastic performances, leading to many people realising how many awesome players Belgium have at their disposal. I know that Belgium haven't shown anything that makes them look unbelievable but I seriously think that this is the tournament where they will finally announce themselves to not just Europe but the World. They might not win it necessarily but they don't have to win the tournament for their best players to shine through (possibly even Hazard??...).

Final Squad:


Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Jean-Francois Gillet (Mechelen).


Defenders: Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur), Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact), Jason Denayer (Galatasaray), Thomas Meunier (Club Brugge), Jordan Lukaku (Oostende), Christian Kabasele (Genk).


Midfielders: Marouane Felliani (Manchester United), Axel Wistel (Zenit Saint Petersburg), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur), Radja Nainggolan (Roma).


Strikers: Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Christian Benteke (Liverpool), Divock Origi (Liverpool), Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Michy Batshuayi (Marseille).    

Key Player: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City).



3, Spain

Don't get me wrong Spain are still a good team but their performance in the 2014 World Cup was extremely underwhelming to say the least. For a nation that has amazing coming out of their ears, you would think that they would storm this tournament but it is now common knowledge that the tiki-tika style of Football is not as popular among International teams as it first was when Spain won the 2008 Euros in Austria and Switzerland. International teams now want to have an alternative ready for a difficult opponent, such as the counter-attack that Real Madrid model their play on or the tiki-tackle philosophy that Pep Guardiola implemented during his tenure at Bayern Munich. The defending champions will have a good tournament, better than most expect, but I don't think they'll retain their European Champions status on 10th June.

Final Squad:

 

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Porto), David De Gea (Spain), Sergio Rico (Sevilla).


Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Marc Barta (Barcelona), Hector Bellerin (Arsenal), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Mikel San Jose (Athletic Bilbao), Jordi Alba (Barcelona).


Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea), Thiago (Bayern Munich), Bruno Soriano, David Silva (Manchester City).


Forwards: Alvaro Morata (Juventus), Lucas Vazquez (Real Madrid), Pedro (Chelsea), Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao).


Key Player: Andres Iniesta (Barcelona).



2, Germany

The current World Champions will be looking to add the European Championship to their trophy cabinet for the first time since 1996 and when you look at their squad, they have every chance to do just that. Marco Reus being left out of the squad for the second tournament in a row, on his 27th Birthday as well, has left a bitter taste about the announcement of the German squad but they will have a good tournament never-the-less.

 

Final Squad:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona).


Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Emre Can (Liverpool), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia), Antonio Ruediger (Roma).


Midfielders: Julian Draxler (VfL Wolfsburg), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray), Andre Schurrle (VfL Wolfsburg), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United), Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund).


Forwards: Mario Gomez (Besiktas), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Schalke 04).


Key Player: Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich).
 

 

1, France
If I was a betting man, I would bet on France to win the Euros. 100 percent. It's not just because they're the host nation and will be riding through on a wave of pride and nationalism, due to the Paris terrorist attacks on 13th November 2015. It's because they have the best squad heading into the tournament and have some of the best young players at their disposal, such as Kingsley Coman, Paul Pogba and everyone's favourite box-to-box midfielder, N'Golo Kante. I think the final will either be France vs Germany or France vs Spain and France will become three-time European champions and re-establish themselves on the World stage.


Final Squad:

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Steve Mandanda (Marsellie), Benoit Costil (Rennes).

Defenders: Christophe Jallet (Lyon), Patrice Evra (Juventus), Adil Rami (Sevilla), Eliaquim Mangala (Manchester City), Lucas Digne (Roma), Bacary Sagna (Manchester City), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Samuel Umtiti (Lyon).


Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Leicester City), Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace), Dimitri Payet (West Ham), Morgan Schneiderlin (Manchester United), Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich).


Forwards: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Tigres UANL), Anthony Martial (Manchester United).


Key Player: Paul Pogba (Juventus).