Hodgson already in war against the English media
England, as usual, will have to play under immense pressure from the English media. News sources from this British country are often accused of blowing issues out of proportion. The racial case involving Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez as well as the Wayne Rooney affair scandal are a few examples of how well the English media can convert an incident into a top headline over a long period.
Currently, new coach Roy Hodgson is facing criticism over his UEFA Euro 2012 squad choices. Serious injuries to key player Frank Lampard and defender Gary Cahill have put the former Liverpool boss into an awkward position. Eventually, debates over Rio Ferdinand and Micah Richard’s omission from the England Euro 2012 roster are making big noise in football forums.
Roy Hodgson and his players will be under the media’s microscope during Euro 2012. The Three Lions traditionally under-perform in major tournaments. In their 7 Euro appearances, they suffered a group stage exit 4 times.
Their last European Championship campaign happened 8 years ago. Led by skipper David Beckham, England succumbed to a penalty shoot-out loss against host nation Portugal. The English did not even qualify for the UEFA Euro 2008 finals. They therefore came under more pressure to perform at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. However, high expectations and WAGs gossip resulted in a total fiasco.
At UEFA Euro 2012, Roy Hodgson will be the main man to praise or blame. After resisting criticism from the media over his Euro 2012 squad choices, Hodgson is expected to prove doubters wrong during the tournament. However, in France, Sweden and Ukraine, he faces an uphill task.
Two games without Wayne Rooney?
On paper, England are arguably the best in Group D but the absence of Wayne Rooney for the first two matches is a big blow. For Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck and Liverpool’s Andy Carroll, the France and Sweden games will come as glorious opportunities to shine. 
Filling the boots of Rooney is a big task and if the Three Lions manage to secure positive results in their first couple of games without the Red Devil striker, they will instantly experience a boost in confidence. In fact, England will need to overcome distraction from the media and focus on shining on the big stage at last.
France in positive mode with Laurent Blanc
The French have beaten the Three Lions before; that was in November 2010 as goals from Karim Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena silenced the Wembley crowd.
Many things have changed between these two European giants. For example, Fabio Capello is not in charge of the English national team anymore. Meanwhile, coach Laurent Blanc is still on his transition project with Les Bleus.
The days of Zinedine Zidane - where French fans witnessed success at the 1998 World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 - are long gone. However, the combination of Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri could inspire Les Bleus to achieve great things in Poland and Ukraine.
France have the potential to top Group D – even with 9 points. A point to note is that France enter UEFA Euro 2012 with a 20-match unbeaten record. Will any team at Euro 2012 finally break this run?
Pressure not on Ukraine
Ukraine have a lot to prove to the world. Euro 2012 represents their first ever participation in the tournament. The good thing for the co-hosts is that they have nothing to lose.
Meanwhile, in his last tournament for the Ukrainian national team, veteran striker Andriy Schevchenko could profit of the low amount of pressure to increase his 46-goal tally at international level.
Even if Ukraine exit in the first round of UEFA Euro 2012, they may drag one of Group D’s giants with them. The Ukrainians’ last group game is against England, remember. If the latter are not confirmed quarter-finalists by then, watch out for an upset.
Sweden – are they old or gold?
If there is one country that could force England into a stiff contest in Group D, it should be Sweden. The Three Lions will be without Wayne Rooney when both teams will meet in their second game. This sounds as good news to AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Thankfully for coach Erik Hamrek, there is more to Sweden than Ibra. The average age of the Swedish national team is 28.30 and sometimes, old is gold. England, France and Ukraine each have a younger squad.
Group D teams previous UEFA Euro record
England: 7 appearances; 1968 (third place), 1980 (group stage), 1988 (group stage), 1992 (group stage), 1996 (semi-final), 2000 (group stage), 2004 (quarter-final)
France: 7 appearances; 1960 (fourth place), 1984 (champions), 1992 (group stage), 1996 (semi-final), 2000 (champions), 2004 (quarter-final), 2008 (group stage)
Ukraine: None
Sweden: 4 appearances; 1992 (semi-final), 2000 (group stage), 2004 (quarter-final), 2008 (group stage)
Group D matches schedule
June 11, 2012: France vs England
June 11, 2012: Ukraine vs Sweden
June 15, 2012: Ukraine vs France
June 15, 2012: Sweden vs England
June 19, 2012: England vs Ukraine
June 19, 2012: Sweden vs France
Prediction
• Group D seems even. It will come as a little surprise should France qualify into the quarter-finals as group winners.
