Euro 2012: Steely England keep France at bay

June in London and one could be mistaken for thinking the European Championships aren’t happening this year. Perhaps the crisis in the Eurozone has left the defending champions, Spain, with insufficient funds to pay for their hotel bill or the host nations, Poland and Ukraine, have finally watched Panorama and decided to postpone the tournament because of fascists in their midst. In London, the excitement that accompanies the eve of a major championship – usually signaled by the sudden proliferation of the St George’s Cross fluttering above the windshields of white vans – has been rather mute this year. Instead it has been replaced by the Union Jack in the gardens and windows of suburban homes conveying the buzz that surrounded the Jubilee weekend and the upcoming Olympics but also the unusually low expectations for the English national team in Euro 2012. A new manager only 6 weeks into his job, a host of injuries as well as the two-game suspension of England’s most talented outfield player, Wayne Rooney has left little room for optimism. Indeed England fans can be forgiven for thinking…If the ‘Golden Generation’ of Becks, Lampard, and a younger Stevie G couldn’t muster up a successful World Cup or Euro campaign then how can we expect this new mob to do any better?

And yet, if the first game is anything to go by, the uncharacteristically low-key build up to the tournament seems to have benefitted Roy Hodgson and the England team. While fans across the country still have to listen to the annoying mutterings of Adrian Chiles on ITV1, gone are the days when the pre-match coverage of an England game was filled with clips of Victoria Beckham and the WAGs enjoying shopping trips in Baden-Baden. Instead of Sven’s over-indulgence of England’s galacticos, Steve McClaren’s umbrellagate and Fabio Capello’s uncanny resemblance to Pinocchio, England now seem to have a manager in Hodgson who is realistic in his ambitions for the tournament and simple in his approach. This may not be England’s most talented team but on the evidence of its first performance against France, it is a team in which every individual knows his role and is willing to give everything for team and country.

Against a strong French team whose attacking triumvirate of Nasri, Ribéry and Benzema has the ability to out-fox any defence, not to mention one missing the Champions League winner Gary Cahill through injury, Hodgson’s team rose to the occasion. In a cagey affair that showed flashes of brilliance from France – notably Samir Nasri’s snapshot on 38 minutes that beat England goalkeeper and City teammate Joe Hart at his near post, as well as some neat overlapping from France’s Mathieu Debuchy on the right flank – England were able to contain France with relative ease. While England could only hold the lead, courtesy of a thumping header from Jolene Lescott, for just under 10 minutes, the England team wasn’t too threatened by a France team unable to turn their clear hold of possession into a decisive second goal. In a conservative, sturdy rather than exhilarating style that Hodgson has instilled in teams ranging from Fulham to West Brom and which left him open to criticism and eventual dismissal at Liverpool after only 31 games in charge, England were dogged and hard to break down. France, only able to muster long-range efforts from Cabaye and Benzema at the end, faced stiff resistance from an England team who in Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard threw themselves at every ball. Even Danny Welbeck and the exciting new prospect, Alex ‘the Ox’ Oxlade Chamberlain, were willing to engage in the nitty gritty of defending as a collective unit, something that perhaps comes unnaturally to these nimble footed outfield players.

It was a dogged and tireless performance from an England team that is still learning Hodgson’s style of football and which will look forward to the return of Wayne Rooney whose combination play with Manchester United teammate, Ashley Young could add some much needed spark and penetration to this resilient defensive unit. It may not be the most exciting nor the most talented England team but as Chelsea so brilliantly showed against both Barcelona and Bayern Munich in this year’s Champions League, it is not always the team that plays the best football that wins in tournament football. After all, the magical ‘Total Football’ of Johan Cruyff was famously halted by the steely determination of Franz Beckenbauer’s West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final. Without wishing to compare Scott Parker to Franz Beckenbauer, maybe, just maybe, England without the unrealistic expectations of yesteryear can beat teams of higher quality. We might not win it but with some competitive spirit, flashes of brilliance from Rooney, Young and the Ox, not to mention some good fortune, England might actually fulfill the nation’s now more modest expectations.

 Photo: © Ian Walton/ bleacherreport.com