Euro 2016: Daniel Sturridge should start against Wales, England could really do with his pace

IT looks as though England will play the same team as they did against Russia but I think Roy Hodgson is missing a trick.

He should be starting Daniel Sturridge rather than Adam Lallana.

I always prefer to play a fast player out wide and Sturridge is much quicker than Lallana.

Pace is so essential and especially in this game, as England need to get behind the Welsh defensive line on the flanks.

Wales play with five in the middle at the back — not just the three central defenders but also the central midfielders, who I assume will be Joe Allen and Joe Ledley.

The big chance to hurt them is out wide, running in behind wing-backs Chris Gunter and Neil Taylor and delivering crosses.

Hodgson feels Lallana is more disciplined and that would mean Sturridge is an option if England have to alter things in the second half.

The England coach should also switch Wayne Rooney and Dele Alli.

Against Russia, Rooney played behind Alli and I didn’t like it.

It should be Alli feeding Rooney, not the other way round.

I know Rooney might be happy to play deeper but he is England’s top scorer of all-time for a reason. So while he can spray the ball wide, he needs to be up there in the right place when it comes in from the flanks.

Even if England score early, not too much will change.

Wales will stick to their gameplan — banking on discipline, heart, passion. . . and Gareth Bale.

And what is important for England is that Hodgson manages his substitutions better than he did in the 1-1 draw with Russia.

By sending  James Milner on for Raheem Sterling he told the Russians that they didn’t have anything to worry about defensively any more and that England were just looking to hold on to their one-goal lead.

England still had Sturridge, Jamie Vardy and Ross Barkley on the bench. They are all quick players and they needed at least one of them on the pitch so that the Russians would be anxious and threatened by a counter-attack at pace.

Hodgson MUST keep a threat on the field.

And England must make sure they don’t panic. The problem — and danger — for them is that they have to win.

If they don’t, they will REALLY feel the pressure from everybody and that will be tough.

Beating Wales will make it a lot easier because they will know a draw against Slovakia guarantees them a place in the last 16.

England are a team of young players at great clubs but this is another issue and situation to deal with.

Pressure makes it difficult. You can become blocked psychologically and if that happens you will not see the England that played with so much freedom in Berlin a few months ago.

Suddenly it is as if they are walking out wearing backpacks over their shoulders, filled with 100kg of weight pushing them down.  Controlling that pressure is so hard.

So this is a very difficult game for them.

England have the better players but Wales will work so hard and have that Bale factor.

I think it will end up 1-1 — and then the pressure really will be on England.