England

JakeHarrison92This is how I believe England should play for the forthcoming EURO 2012 Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland. Johnson and Walcott, as well as attacking full backs Gibbs and Cole, will give England great width, which is something that has been from the England set-up for a while now. The wingers that both opponents have included in their squads should not pose that much of a threat, but Gareth Barry will be there to help out in defence if England are outnumbered. Although Gerrard is playing off Rooney, something which both players seem to enjoy, the Liverpool man will not be given a free-role as such, because then the side loses its balance. Gerrard should play as an attacking midfielder mixed in with a supporting striker. Joe Hart has established himself as England's number one and, with John Terry and Rio Ferdinand both out, England will need to test out a new centre-back pairing. Matthew Upson has followed on from last season's imperfect defensive displays by having a nervous start to this campaign, while Michael Dawson and Phil Jagielka both look solid for their respective clubs. Kieran Gibbs looked very impressive on his debut for England against Hungary recently and should play at right-back, as Glen Johnson, for all his attacking potential, has not had a strong start to the season. Althought he Arsenal man is actually a left-back, in would be interesting to see whether Gibbs could handle playing in this position, seen as though it has become somewhat of a problem-position in the last few months. James Milner should play in front of Barry and, although playing a more conservative role than Gerrard, should push forward on occasions. Bulgaria and Switzerland are good sides but should not cause England any problems, although, as England fans, we've encountered a lot worse.

01.09.2010

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