Although Rod Stewart will not agree with his beloved Scotland departing just before the finals of Euro 2016, but I doubt if he cares too much. It was a great pity that happened because the interest with our four nations involved would have had far greater interest. England are the team who are best fancied but tonight will be their toughest task to date and Roy Hodgson will be mightily relieved that his team got the breaks at just the right times against Wales, although Joe Hart was very much at fault for Gareth Bales opener, and with the help of a half asleep linesman England equalized through Vardy, who was surely a couple or three yards offside.
And then of course Wales are a little inexperienced at this level and like that linesman fell asleep for England’s winner scored by Sturridge, and with those two scoring they might just have earned their place in tonight’s most vital match since our horrendous exit in Brazil ’14.
However, with a new contract pending on just how far England can go Roy and Ray Lewington, an old Chelsea team-mate of mine, will be praying for a good result against their most dangerous opponents to date. In my humble opinion Russia and Wales were both a little apprehensive against England and you can be certain that that will not happen tonight.
Slovakia have absolutely nothing to lose as they go into a match they’ll see as the one that they can not only win but qualify, as Wales will be waiting in the wings as they take on Russia at the same time.
England have to be prepared for a counter attacking performance from their opponents and that might be why they go with Vardy and Sturridge, and try to do the same thing with Dier and Henderson the two holding midfielders sitting in front of their back four.
However, like in the Wales match, England will start favourites and Slovakia will welcome that, and use that as their main source of encouragement as they’ll try to frustrate Hodgson and a team that looks a little lopsided and negative – relying on defensive midfielders. The two big disappointments for England Delli Ali and Raheen Sterling will sit this one out and make way for the two players I just mentioned and with no Rooney I see that as a plus for England, as he has not really set us on fire, and Jack Wilshere as a hell of a lot to prove if he is going o have a long term international future.
England will not lack confidence but what they might do is underestimate the Slovakians, who will attack at every given opportunity, once dispossessing England.
England will settle for a draw and hope that the same score applies in the Wales/Russia match, but I see that as being explosive as the Russians, like so many other nations will see this as the last throw of the dice and I can see, if Russia reproduce their latest performance (they were poor against England), them upsetting the Welsh.
All Gareth Bale has done is score two free-kicks which we both goalkeeping errors, so they will want this £80million rated forward to do a little more, because their best player to date has been a player who has been both injured and loaned out by Crystal Palace, Jonny Williams, and I felt Chris Coleman messed up by leaving him on the side-lines against England.
The best England performer has been Eric Dier whilst his Spurs team-mate Ali has been the opposite, so there is still many question marks with the England squad, who unbelievably after over three years of his reign Hodgson still does not know his best XI?
I wrote on Day 1 to fasten your seat belts, well, tonight you’ll have to tighten everything, and that includes England’s defence – and GK – who is doing more talking than goalkeeping.
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