England and their fans once again arrived at a major international tournament full of hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, after battles on, and sadly off the field, a late Russian goal denied England three points. This brought the Three Lions’ dreams back to earth – for the time being at least. Here is an England recap of Euro 2016 so far as well as a look ahead to the now crucial game against the Welsh.
Euro 2016: England Recap
England opened their campaign against Russia last Saturday in Marseille. Talk before the game centered on what team and formation manger Roy Hodgson would decide on. Harry Kane began the game up front on his own. Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling played on the flanks. Captain Wayne Rooney started in a midfield role. Once the game got underway they created plenty of chances; Liverpool’s Lallana had the best of them in the first half.
With the second half well underway, Russia were getting themselves more into the game and were creating the better openings. However, England weathered the short storm and deservedly took the lead when Eric Dier curled a superb free-kick past the Russian keeper. England were now in control and a deserved win was on the cards.
However, England tend to find a way to do things the hard way. The game ended 1-1 with Russian captain Vasili Berezutski salvaging a point in added on time to wipe out England’s lead and claim an undeserved draw.
Although England had been unlucky, several talking points came out of the game, including….
Why was Harry Kane on corner duty?
This one has left many scratching their heads. At over six feet tall, Kane would be better suited to making his presence felt in the penalty area. This is especially true when England play with just one striker. At present, he is the only striker taking corners at this year’s tournament.
Why was Jamie Vardy left on the bench?
It was understood prior to the game that Russia would defend deep, so the decision not to start Vardy was understandable. However, with Russia chasing the game late on, Vardy could well have been the ideal player to bring on to catch the tiring Russians on the break.
Was Rooney’s switch to midfield successful?
Not many fans were thrilled to hear that Wayne Rooney would be switched to a midfield role for the first game. There were even calls for the England captain to be dropped in favour of the prolific Vardy. The switch did not fail. Rooney played well, passed the ball confidently and got through a lot of work. He left the field when England were in front. Like him or not he performed well in his new role. Will he stay there? On this performance: yes.
Game Two Preview: England vs Wales
With more positives than negatives coming from the first game, England can put the disappointment of Marseille behind them when they come up against a team of players they know well. Seven of the Welsh sides starting eleven ply their trade in the English Premier League. Then there is their star man, Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale, whom many of the England side will have faced many times when he played for Tottenham.
Wales are coming into game two full of confidence after their win over Slovakia put them top of the table. However, many see the Welsh as underdogs in this game. Gareth Bale stated this week that Wales have more “passion and pride” than their English counterparts. English players may publicly ignore or sweep aside these comments. However, they could just spur them on that little bit more in private. A win against England would surely see them qualify for the next stages and give England a massive task and possibly relying on favours to progress.
England Line-Up
The England manager has a selection headache ahead of this game. Does he stick with the side that did well in the first game, but ultimately didn’t take advantage of the chances created? Or does he switch it slightly by playing both Kane and Vardy? The switch could mean Rooney switching from a central midfield role to a wider position in a 4-4-2 formation or putting 24-goal Vardy out wide. The wise money would be on Hodgson beginning with the same starting eleven he did against Russia.
This could be a fiery affair, played like an old fashioned derby. England will have to keep their heads after some of the comments aimed at them this week. They have the better team on paper. If England play as they can, then there should only be one winner. But never count out another team in a major tournament. Wales are there for a reason. If England take Bale and company lightly they could have a very bad day at the office.
