LFC In Euro 2012 Watch: England v France

ENGLAND kicked off their EURO 2012 campaign with a dull but well deserved 1-1 draw against France in Donetsk.

Roy Hodgson’s side battled their way to a draw as they defended with great discipline and frustrated France for long periods during the game.

Laurent Blanc’s side – one of the form sides in the competition and unbeaten in 21 games – were firm favourites to take all three points against the Three Lions. But England stole a point by putting the least appealing display of football so far in the tournament.

There are obvious improvements to be made. England were poor in possession, they passed the ball backwards more than taking it forward and the attack lacked the cutting edge in absence of Wayne Rooney.

It was not the most impressive display I have ever seen by an English side, but for this team still trying to find themselves amidst the ever-changing line-up, it is something they can live with. They are still alive in the tournament, and that’s all that matters.

Liverpool have six players in the English squad however only Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson started for the Three Lions, while Henderson came on as a substitute in the later part of the game.

Here is a look at how they fared in the match.

STEVEN GERRARD – Gerrard has often been criticized for not replicating his club form with Liverpool at international level, but he led with distinction in Ukraine. Make no mistake; this was no vintage Gerrard performance. However, it was easily the most disciplined of his 93-game England career and made sure he did not neglect his defensive duties alongside Scott Parker. He resisted the urge to instigate any attacks like he does for Liverpool. He delivered consistently good set pieces, one of which led to the opening goal. Playing central midfield is not a position that comes naturally for Steven Gerrard, as he has always done his best work behind the striker at Liverpool. He has struggled to reach those heights in England’s shirt more often than not.

When the pressure was on at times during the second half as France’s technical superiority began to tell, Gerrard was an assured presence for England. His partnership and zonal coverage with Parker was key in France being forced to shoot from distance. From a defensive point of view he, can be very happy. He was negligible as an attacking threat, but that was mostly down to the Liverpool captain following his manager’s orders to the letter.

PLAYER RATING: 7/10
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GLEN JOHNSON – There was no bigger discrepancy to Roy Hodgson’s 23-man roster than leaving behind Micah Richards, who had an excellent season with Manchester City and picking Glen Johnson, who had a struggling season at Liverpool.

But Johnson paid off the faith Hodgson had in him and made Franck Ribery look like just another winger. Johnson essentially made it a push between the two and did not let Ribery take control of the game, like he always does. He even helped cover back toward the end, making a game- saving interception on the opposite side of the defense as Benzema was sent through.

There was no one on the English team who had a more consistent game and Johnson probably deserves Man of the Match honours for that display. He has had a mixed season at Liverpool, but he was assured at the back in Hodgson’s first competitive game in charge. Defensively he did almost everything right. He supported his midfield when the time was right.

If he could improve upon his distribution, he would be a fitting successor to Gary Neville.

PLAYER RATING: 7.5/10

JORDAN HENDERSON – Came in for last few minutes to replace Scott Parker and did not have enough time to settle and make an impact. In my opinion it would be harsh on me to rate him with the amount of time he got in the pitch.

PLAYER RATING: N/A

DID NOT PLAY– Andy Carroll, Martin Kelly and Stewart Downing.

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