England and a major international tournament, what could possibly go wrong? The draw for Euro 2016 has been quite kind to Roy Hodgson’s men, as they meet Russia, Wales and Slovakia in Group B of the tournament. While the Wales game will be significant, due to the fact it’s a derby match, both Russia and Slovakia are beatable teams.
However, having finished bottom of a World Cup group featuring Costa Rica, never underestimate the potential for England to bow out of the tournament early. That being said, with the opportunity for three teams to progress from a group, in to the round of 16, there really is no excuse.
The first match, is against a Russian team, who having been rocked by the loss of Alan Dzagoev and Igor Denisov, look there for the taking. Three points from the first match, will put England in a great position to qualify from the group and they are 37/40 with BetVictor to defeat Russia. A win from this match, will reduce the importance of the Wales match and even a point against the Welsh, will be sufficient. The draw can be backed at 13/5 with Ladbrokes. Finally, Slovakia, another team who cannot be underestimated but in a qualification campaign, would surely be defeated. England are 4/6 with PaddyPower, to defeat Slovakia.
It’s easy on paper, to state England should finish top of their group but they do have the squad with the most talent. That being said, the formation and tactics is something which is a topic of much debate. Should Hodgson play one up-front, opt for a diamond midfield or go with a 4-3-3? Where does Wayne Rooney fit in to the team? Is the defence good enough to stop the threat of Gareth Bale?
PaddyPower are offering 20/1 for England to win all of their group games, which is tempting. However, as always, there is that nagging fear, something will go wrong. A total of 7 points is perhaps more realistic and allows for a slight slip-up. This points total can be backed at 3/1 with SkyBet.
If England do progress to the Round of 16, the way the draw forms could have a huge bearing on how far the team will go. Winning the group would mean a meeting a meeting with a third place nation, which could be on of a number of teams. Finishing second in Group B, will probably mean a meeting with Portugal or Austria, which is a tough match, whichever team it turns out to be. If it’s Portugal, that could easily be the end of the tournament right there because mentally, facing Ronaldo and company just doesn’t sit well. Austria, well that’s winnable.
Moving in to the quarter-finals and this is where the tournament gets serious. Expect to see names like Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain all waiting in the last eight. Can England progress at the expense of any of these teams? The answer has to be no.
Bet 365 offer 5/2 for England to exit at the Round of 16 and PaddyPower 11/4, for England to be eliminated at the quarter-final stage.
Then there’s the dreaded penalty shoot-out, which is almost guaranteed to crop up for England in the knockout stages. England to exit, thanks to a penalty shoot-out defeat, is 5/1 with SkyBet.
If Roy Hodgson allowed his players to go out and express themselves, without the burden of defensive tactics in the back of their mind, anything could happen. The threat is there in midfield and attack, to cause any team problems in this tournament. However, history shows Hodgson not to be an England manager who is happy to take risks and really open up in tournaments.
Expect England to reach the knockout stages but anything more than a quarter-final place, will be a surprise.
Although stranger things have happened and England are 9/1 with Coral to win Euro 2016!
