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     v Portugal v Germany v Romania Qualifying    |
England have had many troubles in the past few years, especially on teh left side. At the moment in England there seems to be a shortage of left-sided players. Kevin Keegan would like to play 4-4-2 but the left-footed problem might mean this is impossible. Instead he could play a 3-5-2 formation with wing-back, like under Hoddle but again, this doesn't seem too clever. Kevin Keegan needs to sort out his formation in the friendlies leading up to Euro 200 before it is too late.
Although several of the Euro 96 players are still there, suddenly there appears to be a shortage of international quality. David Seaman, now 36, doesn't have the same stature as four years ago, Tony Adams is still a major player but may need another hernia operation, Sol Campbell was exposed by the Scots when he played at right-back, there's still no credible replacement for Graeme Le Saux on the left or Paul Gascoigne as a playmaker, and although Paul Scholes scored three goals against Poland and two against Scotland, he hasn't had the same impact since. Up front, Alan Shearer is back to his fearsome old self at Newcastle and will want to leave on a high note after announcing his international retirement, but most of his recent England goals have come against Luxembourg or from the penalty spot or both. He remains the obvious target for crosses, which may mean David Beckham staying out wide rather than trying to take on Gazza's mantle. Beckham has proved he can handle grief from the terraces and life in the goldfish bowl - he was the highest-placed European in the Footballer of the Year poll - but his fuse hasn't grown any longer: he was sent off, again, while playing in the World Club Cup. Meanwhile Emile Heskey was strong and impressive against Argentina, but England will need Steve McManaman to achieve his potential in Spain and especially Michael Owen to be fully recovered from his endless injuries. |
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