Tuesday 1 March 2016

How Do You Solve A Problem Like England?

For years now, the English national team has been under performing and falling short on the big stage. With arguably the best league in the world and everyone in the squad playing in that league, you'd think we'd be one of the best teams about. Unfortunately, this is not the case and we look poor against good, well-organised teams. So what is going wrong with the nation's finest?

The first thing you've got to look at is the manager, Roy Hodgson. Formerly of West Brom, Liverpool and Fulham, Hodgson is respected within the game and whilst not a miracle worker, he knows what he's doing. Hodgson hasn't been in the job that long, after being appointed England manager on 1st May 2012 but has already got a major tournament under his belt. Although expectations weren't overly high for the tournament, England stunk of average in my opinion. After a rather dull 1-1 draw against France, England just shuffled past Sweden and Ukraine in the group stages before losing to finalists Italy. The score in the Italy match wasn't a fair reflection, in my opinion, they were the better team and offered a lot more going forward, we never looked threatening in attack. Whilst not very promising, is this hugely different from recent England managers that have gone before him? No is your answer. Hodgson could be forgiven for this uninspiring tournament as he hadn't been in charge long and it was his first one.




Next up the youth system. Teams such as Spain and France are known for their incredible youth players who go on to have highly successful careers. Of course, England has produced fantastic players who have gone on to become world-class talents. However, we rarely see a consistent team formed. Midfield maestros Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets have played together for years not only for Barcelona but also Spain in a number of tournaments. The problem with having a vast amount of friendlies is that the team gets disrupted and despite there being little time to gel together anyway, this doesn't help the situation. It's time Hodgson found a basis for his team and keep it.


Do we have a chance at this years Euro 2016? We believe we do. Our squad is full of talent both old and young. Players playing for top clubs who compete at the highest levels. We've put the World Cup behind us and now its time to focus on having a successful Euro tournament. 

Do you think we can achieve success? Let us know! 


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