Euro 2016 Review: 6 Things We've Learnt

Euro 2016 Review: 6 Things We've Learnt

As Portugal win the 2016 Euros by beating hosts France 1-0 after extra-time, and gained the global headlines, it's the lessons that don't appear as obvious that I like to look at and in this post I will be detailing the things that have been apparent thanks to 2016 Euros.

6, England are a Joke

I have covered this in my reviews of England's games during the 2016 Euros but it was a massive realisation that despite all the great players that were in the England team, we lost to Iceland 2-1. Many would have thought that England were already a joke under Roy Hodgson but the humiliation of losing to the smallest nation at the Euros in the first knockout round is unbelievable on so many levels and thus England fans have officially (hopefully) given up with England for the foreseeable future.

5, Smaller nations provided passion and dire

In contrast to the failing expectations of England's tournament, two small nations have captured the fans' respect across the continent. Those nations are of course Iceland and Wales. Iceland may have gone out to France in the quarter-finals, losing 5-2, but the connection to their fans is unreal, that Viking clap is awesome, and reminds Premier League fans of the underdog mentality that lead Leicester City to the Premier League title. Wales went even further and were 90 minutes away from the final but lost 2-0 to Portugal in the semi-final. I mean to get to the semi-final of their first tournament in 58 years is an achievement that speaks volumes about the unity within the Welsh national side that England fans can only dream of.      

4, It's all about getting through

It's the name of the game in tournament football and there has been one team that has remind everyone that you don't need to play great to get through. That team is of course Portugal. Having drew all three group games, but still managing to knock-out Croatia, Poland and Wales, Portugal have been the nation that neutrals have willed to go out but have won the tournament and subsequently remained fans that it's not all about winning in 90 minutes by a decent goal margin, it's about getting through to the next round.

3, Some nations heavily unperformed

Whilst nations such as Italy, Portugal and Wales have had great tournaments, in regards to their expectations prior to the start of the tournament on 10th June, there have been several nations that have heavily unperformed. The three nations that spring to mind are Germany, Belgium and Spain. Although Germany reached the semi-finals, and lost to France, their performances this tournament haven't been as dominating as they were in the 2014 World Cup (just ask any Brazilian for confirmation of that). They were unlucky to have Mario Gomez be ruled out for the rest of the tournament after their quarter-final game against Italy but they really should have had a back-up striker to take the heat off the 'cursed' Thomas Muller.

Belgium went out to Wales in the quarter-finals and has thus continued their reputation as the World's most underperforming country. They have fantastic individual players, such as Lukaku and Hazard, but they can never link together to fulfil their potential. Spain, the ex-European Champions, were knocked out by dark-horses Italy in the last 16 and it is the second tournament in a row that the former World Champions have been sent home from earlier then they expected. It is yet again a lack of tactical advancement by a nation that you would expect to get to at least the semi-finals and concludes the theme of certain nations heavily underperforming at this Euros.

2, A Contrast of Reviews

In the aftermath of Euro 2016, there will be a lot of posts that will review the tournament as a whole and how it has left European Football before the new season starts again in August. What makes me write this point in my own review of Euro 2016 is BBC commentator John Motson's thoughts on the tournament. He has details that he thinks Wales were the stars of the show and that France are now Europe's best team but he said that the standard of Football was lacking in certain group games and have only been forgotten thanks to the late, late goals that seen fans in scenes of joy or sorrow. Now, I can understand what Motty is saying, and God only knows he has the experience to be able to draw this conclusion from the tournament, but it is clear that there are a contrast of reviews to be written and published, whether they be written to promote a certain nation's performance, undermine the desire and passion of another or to call for the number of teams to be reduced.  

1, Antoine Griezmann is the Real Deal 

The build-up to the tournament for France saw one of their prolific striker, Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, ruled out from selection from the national team due to a court case involving the striker using an alleged sex-tape as leverage over Lyon's Mathieu Valbuena. Ultimately, it seemed that Antoine Griezmann would have to step up to finish off the chances provided by Dimitri Payet and co.

And he bloody did.

The Atletico Madrid striker scored six goals and provided two assists as France finished runner-ups and became my favourite player from the 2016 Euros. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few clubs looking to sign Griezmann after his performances in France this summer. Will he go if he's approached? Who knows but he will have earned the move as he is the second highest goalscorer in European Championship History with his six goals, second only to Michel Platini's nine goals from 1984 in France.   

Top Goalscorer: Antoine Griezmann (France) (6 goals).

My Team of the Tournament: 4-3-3 Formation.

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) (Goalkeeper).

Jermone Boateng (Germany). (Centre-Back).

Ashley Williams (Wales). (Right-Back).

Darjio Srna (Croatia). (Left-Back).

Giorgio Chiellini (Italy). (Centre-Back).

Mesut Ozil (Germany). (Midfielder).

Paul Pogba (France). (Midfielder).

Dimitri Payet (France). (Midfielder).

Gareth Bale (Wales). (Right-Wing).

Antoine Griezmann (France). (Striker).

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal). (Left-Wing).

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo lifts Portugal's first-ever major trophy. 



My 10 Favourite WWE Matches

My 10 Favourite WWE Matches

In recent weeks, WhatCulture's Wrestling YouTube channel, WhatCulture Wrestling, have been publishing videos in which some of their staff have detailed their 10 favourite WWE matches. Now, I know I'm jumping on a bandwagon here but I'm just going to get into this list anyway and here are my 10 favourite WWE matches.   

 

DISCLAIMER: There aren't any Women's matches on this list as WWE haven't got a great track record when it comes to Women's Wrestling since I've been watching WWE, except from Lita and Trish Stratus' feud. 

10, Randy Orton vs John Cena vs Edge vs Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship (Backlash 2007)

This match isn't brilliant, I accept that, but what I love the tension that Edge and Randy Orton display, with them both splitting up just a few weeks before the PPV, as they ultimately made John Cena look fairly decent. Obviously taking nothing away from Shawn Michaels, who was hands down the best performer. The finish is slightly annoying, with Michaels super-kicking Cena onto Orton and Cena subsequently retaining the Championship, but the performances of Edge, Orton and HBK make this my favourite fatal-four way and number 10 on this list.

Full Match: https://youtu.be/S6IIsATfkl0

9, Undertaker, John Cena, Shawn Michaels and Triple H vs Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase Jr, CM Punk and Randy Orton (10th Anniversary of SMACKDOWN- 2nd October 2009)

 

This match on SMACKDOWN was two days before the Hell In A Cell 2009 PPV and I admit that although it was quite unbalanced in terms of ring-time within developing the storylines at the time. CM Punk looked weak in contrast to the Undertaker, especially when he tags himself out when he see the Undertaker coming in, and it wasn't a surprise that he lost the title to Taker two days later. Legacy were very good, Cody Rhodes in particular displaying a good heel offensive style, but the team of Undertaker, Cena, Shawn Michaels and Triple H being together is something eleven year-old me dreamed about. The final moment of the match came when Orton was surrounded by Taker, Cena and DX, ending with a Tombstone from the Deadman, is a fantastic spot and perfectly rounded off the 10th Anniversary episode of SMACKDOWN.   

 

 

 

Full Match: https://youtu.be/z3HdtZ5DMvY 

8, Randy Orton vs Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship(Wrestlemania 22)

Watching this match, I can't help but feel that Rey Mysterio wouldn't have been in this Wrestlemania match if Eddie Guerrero's death were still fresh in the minds of WWE and their fans. Anyway, this triple threat match is great as all three men really kept the fans on the edge of their seats with many false finishes and Mysterio selling the underdog babyface gimmick that WWE were riding in order to gain the most money from their audience (they are a business after all!). However, it is a fantastic finish to the match as Rey wins the gold and thus completing a fitting tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero.



Ending of the Match: https://youtu.be/SmalWq894dk



7, Undertaker vs Triple H, with Shawn Michaels as Special Guest Referee (Hell In A Cell - Wrestlemania 28)

 

This match was a heck of a lot of nostalgia for myself as these three men had practically defined my Wrestling childhood and I really didn't know what I wanted to come out of this match. There were some awesome moments, such as the three men watching the cell lowering down to the ring, DX trying to screw the Undertaker out of his undefeated streak and fittingly all three men walking to the ramp after Undertaker pinned Hunter to continue his streak to 20-0. It really was the 'end of an era' in terms of a certain growing up, maybe not me, as wrestlers such as Triple H were going to be giving young wrestlers more of a chance, at least in theory that this. But this was genuinely a fantastic match in which the nostalgia factor certainly pushed it up this list.



Full Match: https://youtu.be/2PFSn2iMzbg



6, John Cena vs Rob Van Dam for the WWE Championship (ECW One Night Stand 2006)

With John Cena as the designated heel for this match at the Hammersmith Arena in Pittsburgh, Rob Van Dam and ECW had the opportunity to upset the predictions of Wrestling fans. The match had several Referee run-ins, due to the brand split between RAW and SMACKDOWN, causing Cena to 'heel' it up for this match. However, with Edge's help, Rob van Dam became the first and only man in history to hold both the WWE and ECW Championships at the same time and give ECW their greatest-ever moment.


Ending of the Match: https://youtu.be/02WUftADD28



5, Eddie Guerrero vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship (No Way Out 2004)

When you talk about underdogs in Professional Wrestling, Eddie Guerrero is the absolute pinnacle. Coming back from losing his family due to massive drug and drink addiction, caused by his endless travelling across the World, Eddie came back against all odds to climb to the Wrestling mountaintop and win the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar and become the champion heading into Wrestlemania 20. This match wasn't a huge in-ring classic that you would expect from Eddie but it was more the emotional significance that pushes it up this list to the number five spot.


Ending of the Match: https://youtu.be/dkx-p_JpYyk



4, The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship (Wrestlemania X-Seven)

This match saw two of the biggest Wrestlers of the late 90's and early 00's main event the best Wrestlemania in history and it also saw the end of the WWF's Attitude Era. The match had some of the best theatrics that WWF had to offer, such as The Rock flipping around like a octopus on crack when taking a stunner from Austin. The near-falls were great but the shocking alliance between Austin and arch-enemy Vince McMahon for Austin to win the WWF Championship was an iconic moment that truly capped off the best Wrestlemania ever produced.




Full Match: https://youtu.be/hOQwtzGIaGc



3, Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker (Wrestlemania 25)

Now this is often regards as the best Wrestlemania match of all-time. 30 minutes, two legends, countless false-finishes, Undertaker flying into a cameraman, it's bloody awesome. It's a shame that this wasn't the main event of Wrestlemania 25, which it really should have been when you watch the slow and boring WWE title match between Triple H vs Randy Orton. Anyway, this match reminds of why Wrestling can so great when two of favourite Wrestlers come together for a legendary match.



Full Match: https://youtu.be/7MRz4yrPjTM



2, Edge vs Eddie Guerrero (No Disqualification - SMACKDOWN - 26th September 2002) 

You might be surprised by this entry but this match is one of my favourites because it has excellent in-ring psychology between the recently returned Eddie Guerrero and the recently-new singles competitor Edge. The spot when Eddie sunset flips Edge from the top of the ladder is fantastic but ultimately Edge winning with the Edgecution from the side of the ladder was the right booking decision to cap off a very fresh feud on the newly-branded SMACKDOWN. As Eddie says in his book, 'He left me laying in the ring, and when I picked myself up the fans gave me a standing O.' Much deserved, Eddie, much deserved.



Full Match: https://youtu.be/gPasZ90HRog

1, John Cena vs CM Punk for the WWE Championship (Money in the Bank 2011)

My favourite ever WWE match and it involves one of, if not my favourite Wrestler, CM Punk. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer gave it five stars in his review of the match (so you know it's a reasonable choice). This match has everything (as you'd expect in anyone's favourite Wrestling match). The atmosphere is electric from Punk's home crowd in Chicago, Cena and Punk put on an fantastic match and the moment when Punk leaves the arena with the WWE title after blowing a kiss to Vince McMahon. This moment broke the barrier between storyline and reality in a way that will never be replicated again, which is proven even more when Punk turned up to ComicCon in Chicago a few days later with the belt, as well as an independent Wrestling show in his hometown. Even though Punk never got the Wrestlemania main event that he deserved, this surely is something that he could consider the greatest moment of his career and is certainly my favourite WWE match of all-time.


Full Match: https://youtu.be/ojd1DIn0kgE

 

 

CM Punk during his entrance at Money In The Bank 2011.

 

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).