Hi ,
Iceland are the smallest nation at Euro 2016 by population and based on FIFA rankings are the 22nd best team. England may have got a break in drawing them in the last 16 of the tournament but Iceland are no worse than Slovakia and Woy’s boys couldn’t score against them. Losing to a nation with 330,000 people would surely be the lowest of the low of all the lows suffered by England since Hodgson became the manager just before the last European Championship finals and over the last three tournaments.
In failing to beat Slovakia and winning the group England find themselves in the same half of the draw as Germany, Spain, Italy and France. They say to win a tournament you have to beat the best at some stage but such a tough assignment could have been avoided until the final. England should beat Iceland and set up a quarter-final with France in Paris. Don’t worry about the loyal England fans trying to get a ticket because Roy Hodgson is more clever than the rest of us. He must be clever because he gets paid millions for basically failing and making bad calls when it matters most.
One day the FA might realise that managing England is not about theories and excuses but bringing the nation some joy in tournaments every two years. England have now had a goalless draw in the last five tournaments and had more shots without scoring against Slovakia than any other team since the 1980 Euros. During Hodgson’s last two tournaments he has started more players than any England manager in the last 20 years. He has named an unchanged team three times in 55 matches. England have been superficially decent but there is no connection between staff and players.
Could anyone imagine Wayne Rooney hugging Hodgson like players hug the managers of Wales and the two Ireland’s. Even Roy Keane got in on the act after the Republic beat Italy with a warm embrace with Martin O’Neill. Hodgson is an organiser and strategist but the highest paid manager at the tournament has stunk out the place for the third major tournament in a row. Basically I don’t think the players like him because he has minus zero charisma and personality. Even the burly Russian boss who doesn’t take any nonsense had a greater bond with his players. The poor body language between the England manager and captain was worth a million words.
England play Iceland in the next round but it could easily have been Portugal. You just know Cristiano Ronaldo would have done something special and England would be heading home. Playing Iceland in the first knockout round is not a major shock in such a bloated tournament. The smaller nations who have progressed deserve their day in the sun but two thirds of the matches in the tournament were required to eliminate eight of the 24 qualifiers. The first acid test for England could be France in the quarter-finals in Paris, assuming they beat Ireland in their next match. If the totally unexpected happens and England move on it could be Germany in the semis.
Before the tournament England’s strengths were seen as lightning pace on the counter attack and a group of youngsters not bogged down by previous failures. There were doubts that the kids had the necessary experience to excel and the centre-back positions looked vulnerable. In reality the attack has failed and the middle of the defence has not been tested. Few of the exciting young payers have stood out and Wayne Rooney has now scored just two goals in four tournaments. Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy scored in the 3-2 friendly win over Germany in March but that has raised expectations and Hodgson and the players have yet again failed to deliver.
Iceland have demonstrated a superb team unity and organisation. They play in blue and look like Leicester City which these days is a huge compliment. In qualifying they were a real threat from set pieces and clearly fit after scoring on the break in the crucial final group match against Austria. However, Iceland boast very little quality outside the starting eleven and are poor in possession. England have been excellent in that respect but that won’t matter as Iceland could beat them one-nil in a match that would be a disgrace and amuse the rest of Europe.
Best Wishes,
BetFan
