Will they or won’t they? Five reasons why England will and will not win Euro 2016
Can the Three Lions end years of hurt and finally achieve success at a major tournament?
England beat Germany 3-2 on their own turf - their best performance since thrashing the same opponents 5-1 in Munich in 2001.
And already they are being billed as potential Euro 2016 winners.
But how will they get on in the cauldron of pressure that is sure to envelope them in France?
Here, an Englishman tells you why England will win the Euros - and a Welshman why they won't.
TOBY GANNON’S five reasons England WILL win Euro 2016:
1
THE Three Lions have been let out from their cage.
Roy Hodgson’s young team played with energy, passion, and most importantly, without fear.
England have often set up not to lose, but last night showed they can afford to go for it against the best.
2
HARRY KANE is firing on all cylinders.
The Tottenham striker is the first Englishman to exceed 20 Premier League goals this season (21), and he carried that form into the national team by netting against Germany.
Kane looks hungry for goals and wants to prove himself at the highest level.
3
THIS young team Hodgson has assembled have proven they have spirit where it matters most.
England have never been the best technically, but we have thrived on our never-say-die attitude.
Coming back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in half an hour against Germany took heart.
4
ENGLAND can thrive on momentum.
We are pitted against Russia, Slovakia and, of course, Wales. Without a giant in the group, Hodgson’s team can afford to grow into the occasion and get more confident with each game.
The likes of Kane, Jamie Vardy, Dele Alli and Eric Dier have all proven this season — for title contenders Leicester and Tottenham — they have only gotten better.
5
HODGSON is armed with a full-strength squad.
Wayne Rooney, Raheem Sterling, Joe Hart, Luke Shaw and Jack Wilshere are all set to return from injury before June.
While arguably some of these names could be fighting for a place in the team, it goes without saying their experienced heads and presences will serve only to boost morale within the camp.
Here are ALEX TERRELL’s five reasons why they will NOT lift the trophy in France from the perspective of a Welshman:
1
CHOKERS: ENGLAND always manage to screw it up at major tournaments.
There is no other way to put it — 1966 aside, when have England ever been the best team in a summer competition? Remember the ‘best’ team does not always lift the trophy.
Italia 90, maybe, Euro 96, possibly, but they didn’t win either of those.
2
WAYNE ROONEY - There is no way he should start for Manchester United, let alone England.
But Roy Hodgson will surely try and wedge the overpaid, overrated forward into his line-up.
Nothing would bust the myth of the ‘Golden Generation’ more than dropping a player who is years past his best.
Harry Kane is surely a shoo-in for a starting place if fit, buy Roy will most likely foolishly try and build his team around Rooney.
3
PENALTIES. They will inevitably come into the fold at some point — and England will lose on them.
That is if England even make it out of the group stage, which would be an achievement.
Who will be the next Gareth Southgate, Stuart Pearce and David Batty?
4
TEAM PLAY. How often have you seen England players on their heels, walking around the pitch like it’s a pre-season friendly?
Watching players who dominate the Premier League on a regular basis fail to pass the ball to a player five yards away is embarrassing.
But this happens to England players all too often at major tournaments. Brazil 2014 was a case-in-point.
Lions in Autumn, lambs by summer. Don’t expect France to be any different.
Owen Hargreaves was the last England player to step-up at a major tournament — and that was ten years ago.
5
HYPE. WE in the media are partly responsible for this — but the media is often only a reflection of the views of its readers.
The furore around England’s team selection echoes far too loud.
Chris Coleman must be loving the fact that England won last night — that heaps the pressure on them ahead of the Lens clash on June 16.
It means Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Ashley Williams can play with zero expectation.
Their win in Berlin means they SHOULD be among the favourites in the Euros, how they deal with that is anyone’s guess.