Attack must prove best form of defence for green England team

Since lifting the World Cup in 1966, England fans have suffered seeing their country stumble and collapse at major tournaments. Drawn in Group B with Russia, Slovakia and Wales, will they be able mark this special anniversary with a golden summer at Euro 2016? Setting aside his patriotic feelings, our tactics guru Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) weighs up his own country’s prospects ...

Squad:

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

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

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

Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester)

How they qualified: Topped Group E with a perfect 10 wins from 10 matches

Euros record:

1980 - Group stage

1988 - Group stage

1992 - Group stage

1996 - Semi-finals

2000 - Group stage

2004- Quarter-finals

2012 - Quarter-finals

STAR MAN: HARRY KANE

Kane watched the last European Championships as a teenager wondering if he’d ever make the grade at Tottenham Hotspur. Four years on, he’s the proud owner of the Premier League Golden Boot, and his country’s main man.

I’m a huge fan. The Spurs forward has terrific movement, power and pace, a trick in his locker, and he’s capable of scoring any type of goal you can imagine. Mentally, there’s also fortitude in his make-up.

The best all-round centre-forward England have produced since Alan Shearer? Yes. And at 22, he can become even better.

TOP PROSPECT: DELE ALLI

If his stunning performances against France and Germany are anything to go by, England have unearthed a gem who was born to play international football. Strutting his stuff like the stage had been his for years, Alli bossed those contests in a way that made you double check he was really just 20.

Hodgson must find a system that extracts the best from him. If he does, Alli will influence England enormously with his creative edge and eye for goal.

The only concern is a fragile temperament, but if he keeps that under control, the Spurs kid can be one of Euro 2016’s star turns.

CHIEF INFLUENCE: JACK WILSHERE

Having missed almost the whole 2015-16 season through injury, Wilshere’s place in the starting XI is far from guaranteed, but he’s England’s most talented central midfielder by a mile. No one else can control matches and dictate with as much class as he can. Seeing passes quicker than teammates, his ability to inject urgency into the team is a precious commodity.

Is he fit enough? I think so, and because he’s so fresh, I can envisage Wilshere growing into the tournament. Very few of Hodgson’s men are good enough to mix it in truly elite company, but the Arsenal midfielder is definitely one of them. Leaving him on the bench would be criminal.

STYLE:

What does a traditionally cautious coach do when he is in control of a squad that is distinctly top heavy with attacking prowess? We’re about to find out.

Breezing through the easiest of qualifying groups, realistic pointers were hard to find. Roy Hodgson tended to favour 4-3-3, but with strikers Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy in such scintillating form, he has also flirted with a more audacious 4-4-2 diamond in recent games.

His great challenge is to fit captain Wayne Rooney into the side alongside the pair, without harming the balance of the team.

Without the ball, England will retreat and stay compact, but inside the middle third, you can expect them to press opponents as a matter of course. Winning turnovers and profiting from transitions will form part of their game plan.

In possession they’ll be patient. However, to fulfil their potential, it is imperative they don’t pass and move too slowly. By shifting the ball at pace, they stand a better chance of getting Alli, Kane and Vardy into the game.

Watch out for both fullbacks bombing forward at will to supply the width, too. How they fare in both halves of the pitch could determine England’s chances.

STRENGTHS

Youth is England’s most potent weapon. Unscarred by previous failures, and so green around the gills that nerves will be the last thing on their minds, Hodgson’s group should play with more liberation than past generations.

Attack will be the best form of defence. Provided the Three Lions get the ball into forward areas quickly, they have the skill, speed and confidence to score plenty of goals.

Last but not least, with the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Marcus Rashford waiting to be unleashed from the bench, England also have game-changing options up their sleeve.

WEAKNESSES

Hodgson didn’t pick a central defender who is happy performing on the left-hand side of a pair, so that is a problem waiting to happen. Will this unease have an impact on performance? It is a worry.

Putting aside the fact he has selected only three centre-backs, none has been in brilliant form either.

Chris Smalling’s displays have tailed off, Gary Cahill endured a difficult campaign, and John Stones has plenty to learn. In fairness to the Everton youngster, he has looked more assured in recent outings.

The entire back four is a concern for fans, as is the lack of a clear philosophy. What is Hodgson’s best XI? No one seems to know.

FORM

Defeats to Spain (0-2) and the Netherlands (1-2) aside, results have been excellent. Victories over fellow finalists Portugal (1-0), Turkey (2-1), Germany (3-2), France (2-0) and Switzerland (2-0) in the past 12 months inspire confidence, even if some of the performances have been a touch stodgy.

This England unit has a winning mentality, landing three points in every single qualifier.

THE BOSS: ROY HODGSON

I could easily have listed the boss as one of England’s “weaknesses”. Although a polite, knowledgeable football man, he lacks the dynamism and bravery we’ll see from other managers at Euro 2016.

In the last warm-up game, he asked Kane and Vardy to track Portugal’s fullbacks, which, although effective in a defensive capacity, wasted their energies in a goalscoring sense. It was a good example of the circumspect outlook he holds.

This England side was born to “go for it”, but will he allow them? We will see.

PREDICTION: SEMI FINALISTS

England have only ever won one knockout match at the European Championship Finals (a penalty shoot-out triumph over Spain in 1996) so I’m being inexplicably bold in tipping them for the last four.

Providing they aren’t too tentative, I believe a kind-ish draw, invigorated by youth, will get them to the later stages. But up against one of the tournament’s true heavyweights I suspect their lack of quality at the back will be exposed.

Former Arsenal midfielder Adrian Clarke, who now writes for TODAY and a number of major football websites, is our resident analyst for Euro 2016. Follow him @adrianjclarke