Luke Shaw was in training yesterday but can England sort out the left side, Elliott Jackson wonders (Image: PA)
seen England: Elliott Jackson It wouldn’t be England at a major tournament if there wasn’t an over-the-top meltdown, right?
Don’t get me wrong, I was as uninspired as the rest of the country watching Friday’s snoozefest, which ended in a 1-0 defeat to Iceland at Wembley. Not exactly the ‘broadcast’ everyone was looking for.
But the reality is that those matches mean very little in terms of the final score. What carries more weight is the performance, which was admittedly tepid at best.
For a team blessed with so much goal-scoring talent, England could have played all night without scoring. It was one of those games that Gareth Southgate knows they can’t afford in Germany.
That said, England could have easily won. Harry Kane would convert Cole Palmer’s cross nine times out of ten, but made the wrong choice. The Chelsea playmaker had a similar big chance in the second half, which he usually puts away with ease, on the evidence of this season.
Despite the breakdowns in attack, the main concern of the English fans is the back door. It has always been the weakest part of the team and that is why Southgate has switched between a four and a five during his tenure.
With Harry Maguire, who may finally be getting the recognition he deserves in his absence, out of the squad, Marc Guehi looks set to partner John Stones. Or so we thought, except that the Barnsley Academy graduate would miss practice on Tuesday due to illness.
Stones returned and all 26 men in the squad completed training on Wednesday. So he’s a bit hesitant, but maybe it will work out after all.
The balance of the defense is a concern, with Kieran Trippier being naturally right-footed. He collects the ball and turns naturally upfield, passing squarely to the centre-back or midfielder.
It looks like Phil Foden will take a hit on the left wing, but he will move into central pace. It means England will be missing a lot of width or driving down that flank, which strengthens the case for Anthony Gordon.
That worries me much more than the two centre-backs in these early games. It is important to remember that England will dominate the ball in the group matches, especially against Serbia and Slovenia, with their task being to break a low block.
Without sounding arrogant, Stones and Guehi, or even Ezri Konsa, Joe Gomez or Lewis Dunk, if the former is not fit, are more than capable of dealing with the attacking threat of their group opponents.
Certainly, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Benjamin Sesko are dangerous. But they are also attackers who depend on the quality of their teammates to create opportunities for them. They are not Kylian Mbappé types, progressive types, who can create something from nothing.
Whether you think this is the strongest group of centre-backs, which it isn’t, or not, they are more than capable of dealing with the threats they face. They are all Premier League regulars and key cogs in their defensive unit.
The bigger dilemma for Southgate is finding the right balance on the left and directly in front of them, rather than worrying about the centre-backs themselves.
Now that we’ve gotten past the group stages and reached the knockout rounds, I’d be more concerned about the quality of the England backline. But Luke Shaw should be fit by then and Stones will hopefully have more rhythm after a less than ideal end to the season at Manchester City.
The message is: let’s not think about this too much. Yes, England’s defense is weaker than we would like, but should still have more than enough to deal with what the group stage throws at them.
Furthermore, no one knows what the country will look like in 15/16 days.
Keep an eye on Scotland’s John McGinn, says Dan Barnes (Image: PA)
Eurovision: Dan Barnes
Scotland are off to a tough start against Germany, but Steve Clarke’s side have what it takes to pull off a few surprises this summer.
The Scots were impressive in their qualifying campaign, recording a shock victory against three-time winners Spain.
There is a lot to like about the Scotland squad. Andy Robertson is an obvious starting point, having played at the top of the club game with Liverpool.
The full-back has failed to reach his previous standards this season, but there is no denying his ability to change games.
John McGinn is another player to keep an eye on. The midfielder’s talent often flies under the radar compared to more ‘fashionable’ names, but he should not be underestimated.
Not so long ago I would have been ridiculed for suggesting that Scott McTominay could be a major source of goals, but the Manchester United man proved his doubters wrong last season, finding the back of the net 12 times.
There is plenty of talent elsewhere in the squad, looking at the likes of Kieran Tierney, Billy Gilmour and Ryan Christie, although beating the Germans is a difficult task, but most fans will probably agree that it is best to get that game out of the way first. .
The Scots also have games against Switzerland and Hungary on the agenda and on paper this is a good chance to finally get past the group stage. I think this is the year they do it.
It’s great to see Graeme Souness mentioned in the ITV pundits for this summer’s Euros (Image: PA)
TV display: Marc Iles
THE battle of the experts begins tonight – and there are a few new names to love or hate at half-time.
ITV has the first assignments with the Germany-Scotland match and the presenting duties will be shared between two good operators: Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods.
As usual, they’ve plundered the Sky Sports squad with the additions of Gary Neville and Roy Keane, and I’m glad to see Graeme Souness back to provide some insight.
Eni Aluko and Karen Carney have decent experience and we also have American referee Christina Unkel to provide some insight into the officials, which I hope is better than the Mike Rileys or Peter Waltons of this world.
Ange Postecoglu should be an interesting guy – as long as he can avoid calling everyone ‘mate’ – and Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl is a budget wildcard.
We’ll have to wait until Saturday night to see the Beeb’s first line-up, and it’s no surprise that Gary Lineker will be starring in his 25th year. Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman and Alex Scott will be the alternates.
Now that Alan Shearer has moved to co-communication, the options for experts are quite wide. The ubiquitous Micah Richards will be grinning his way through the tournament, along with regulars like Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Williams, Ellen White and Cesc Fabregas.
I don’t know what we’ll get from Scot Rachel Corsie, nor Brentford boss Thomas Frank, but I have a good feeling about Joe Hart, who has recently retired and is keen to get into the media spotlight.
David Moyes is out of a job, so back on the carousel, and new Plymouth boss Wayne Rooney is also working on a reboot of his character. Finally, we can only hope that Frank Lampard treats us to the old funny joke/serious point-switcheroo we’ve come to know and love.
In recent years the stuff ITV does in the studio at major tournaments has really improved, even if the commercial breaks make it difficult to get any real debate going. Their line-up has more of an edge, but Keane, Neville and old vet Souness will do the heavy lifting.