Euro 2004

[pigeon]

Still a few weeks to go yet, but the provisional England squad is announced today. Should be interesting to see who he picks. As a Liverpool fan, I'm hoping to see Carragher in there. Owen and Gerrard should be automatic. Speaking of Gerrard, here's an article from today's Guardian:

All praise Gerrard the secret weapon against France

Dominic Fifield at Anfield

Monday May 17, 2004

The Guardian

It took a Frenchman with divided loyalties to offer the sceptics, hypnotised by a season of Gallic glory at Highbury, hope for the summer ahead. "There are areas in which I think England will be superior to France," said Gérard Houllier. "Do you see anyone in world football better than Steven Gerrard at the moment?"

The Liverpool manager offered Patrick Vieira at his most imposing as the answer to his own question but, when England venture into Lisbon's Estadio da Luz in less than four weeks to take on the European champions in Group B, they will have in the 23-year-old Anfield captain a man even France will fear.

Gerrard, with socks rolled to his ankles and his baby daughter in his arms, trudged through the lap of honour on Saturday exhausted by a season of frustration. Yet he has emerged immense from Liverpool's otherwise fetid campaign. Denied a place in the 2002 World Cup by a series of niggling injuries he has since overcome, the summer will offer a chance to add to the 29 minutes of football he has amassed in major finals to date.

That came courtesy of a substitute's appearance in the 1-0 victory over Germany at Euro 2000, though it leaves the midfielder - for all that the French players at Arsenal and Manchester United are aware of his threat - as something of a secret weapon.

"He will handle France's midfield, no question," said Sir Bobby Robson, whose Newcastle side survived his leggy onslaught, though only just. "I wish he'd gone home at half-time because he was trying to kill us out there.

"I love him, just love him. He's poetry in motion. He has the early vision of the pass, the dribbling and running ability with the ball, and his final ball is great, always penetrating.

"When he goes wide you think, as an opposition manager, he is so dangerous and wish he was in the middle. When he's in the middle you wish he was out wide. He can make an impact at any level."

Where that impact will be most telling is for Sven-Goran Eriksson to decide. The England coach names his squad this afternoon having earmarked Gerrard for the left of his diamond midfield. "If we start like that we can play our best four midfielders," said the Swede, who has watched Gerrard play for Liverpool nine times this season.

Gerrard himself craves a central berth, though both Eriksson and his assistant Tord Grip suspect he lacks the self-control to combine defensive duties with marauding runs, their opinions forged by flashes of indiscipline in the 2-2 draw with Macedonia in 2002. Yet marooning Gerrard on the left, with Nicky Butt - not even a regular at club level - or Frank Lampard playing centrally, hardly seems the logical solution.

"He is awesome on the right and can play in central midfield," said Houllier. "I don't think he enjoys playing on the left, but sometimes you have to do that for the national team. I think the evolution of his game will be to grow like a Vieira or a [Claude] Makelele, somebody who holds the anchor position. But, with us, he has freedom to bomb forward."

Gerrard did plenty of that here, though mainly in the second half when he roused himself to spark a recovery. At one stage he made a saving tackle on Darren Ambrose in the left-back position. It was his incisive cross which prompted Michael Owen's volleyed equaliser. "I think I'd play him down the middle where he would get more of the ball, but he wouldn't be wasted on the left," added Robson. "He's such an athlete - I hated him."

Admiration has even filtered down the M62. "If you were looking for the player you would replace [Roy] Keane with, it's Gerrard without question," said Sir Alex Ferguson. "He has become the most influential player in England, bar none. Gerrard is Keane; he is now where Keane was when Roy came to us in 1994.

"He's got that unbelievable engine, desire, determination. You can see Gerrard rising and rising. He could be a very big player for England at the European Championship."

There is little chance of Gerrard swapping Anfield for Old Trafford but there is every chance he will make a difference in Portugal.

It's taken a while, but Stevie is finally getting the recognition he deserves.

[Krazy_K]

France will win. If not France then England

Edited May 17, 2004 by Krazy_K

[Different Cloud]

England seem to expect to win every competition they are in, I'll give you it that you have a lot of good players but I still dont know if your as strong as the likes of France, Italy, Portugal and there are a few underated teams going who could beat you.

[Jook]

If the starting XI is not this, then England have no chance:

James

G.Neville

Campbell

Terry

Cole

Beckham

Gerrard

Scholes

Lampard

Owen

Rooney

[R.W.]

They can't keep picking Scholes on past reputation - he has done absolutely nothing for the England team in nearly two years, and he's done close to nothing for Man U this year. Play Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard and someone else (Parker, Ashley Cole, Dyer, Jenas etc) on the left.

[Summers]

I wonder how many calamaties James will have. :\

[Jook]

They can't keep picking Scholes on past reputation - he has done absolutely nothing for the England team in nearly two years, and he's done close to nothing for Man U this year. Play Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard and someone else (Parker, Ashley Cole, Dyer, Jenas etc) on the left.

←

Owen's hardly had a great year but he's still gonna be in the squad. Scholes has actually had quite a decent season anyway.

[Herr Matzat]

i have the funny feeling greec will pull a major suprise

[MDK]

I dont see France winning it. The fucked up at the world cup and I know that they have a different team now, but back in world cup '98 and Euro 2000 they seemed to win it in a flukey way by golden goals and penalties etc. I dont see them retaining at all. Portugal, Italy and England have a better chance in my opinion. Also, c'mon Latvia!

And as for england, I belive that we should be playing Ashley Cole on the left wing and Wayne Bridge at left back. Cole gets caught out of posistion far too much for my liking, so stick him on the wing because of his natural left foot. And drop Scholes, and have the centre of midfield as Lampard and Gerrard.

[pigeon]

England Squad:

Goalkeepers: David James, Paul Robinson, Ian Walker

Defenders: Wayne Bridge, Sol Campbell, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Ledley King, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, John Terry

Midfielders: David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Joe Cole, Kieron Dyer, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, Owen Hargreaves

Attackers: Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Darius Vassell.

On standby: Southgate, Upson, Parker, Defoe, Smith, Wright.

[TheArsenal]

Looking at the names there, if I was to swap any people around, it would be Defoe and Smith into the squad and Vassell and Heskey on stand-by.

Other than that it's a pretty good squad.

[King Ellis]

I'm not to happy with Vassell in. Also do we really need 3 keepers in? I suppose we could drop one but then we'd end up with 1 of the 2 getting injured knowing our luck

[R.W.]

Owen's hardly had a great year but he's still gonna be in the squad. Scholes has actually had quite a decent season anyway.

←

But Owen plays well for England, and scores vital goals. Scholes doesn't.

[Summers]

Yeah, because Vassell has never proven himself to be a quality player for England, who plays his heart out and can get goals, not to mention, he's not at all experienced, fast, skilled, or calm on the ball, is he?

I would have prefered Smith over Heskey, but that would leave Owen, Rooney, Vassell and Smith.. all of whom are very smiliar players, Heskey brings a different level to the strike force.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

They should take Defoe or Smith, heck both off them IMO.

Seeings though I have Italian blood in me, I am basically supporting them over England, yet obviously I also support England seeings though I like have lived here all my life and also have like three quatres of English in me, or whatever. I still have my money on England Vs Italy final, but when I mention it people seem to think England would just destroy us.

[G-O-D]

My heart says England will win, but my head says France will win.

[9 to 5]

I will be fully behind England, but I reckon we will bomb out at the semi's and Italy will win the whole thing.

[lazy_arse]

I'm dissapointed that Defoe wasn't selected because he is a real live wire and can cause defences problems, more so that Vassell and Heskey.

[TheArsenal]

I'm not to happy with Vassell in. Also do we really need 3 keepers in? I suppose we could drop one but then we'd end up with 1 of the 2 getting injured knowing our luck

←

Yes we do. If one gets injured you still need one on the pitch and one on the bench. Think about it.

[9 to 5]

Some teams take 2 keepers as injury to one or both is very unlikely. But I myself would never take that risk.