Neville Wells- 25 June 2012 By finishing top of the group, the team has already exceeded my expectations and the expectations of most England supporters.

The England national team has not performed well in recent years with a few notable exceptions (the 4-1 win against Croatia in Zagreb in qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup springs to mind) so getting to a quarter-final is not a reason to celebrate but it is cause of satisfaction and cautious optimism.

The squad of players is becoming a team and that has not happened for a while. As well as lots of positive statements from the players, the body language has been excellent.  They are playing for and supporting each other on and off the field. The team may be on its way home after Sunday night’s game but there is definitely something to build upon for the World Cup 2014 qualifiers.

In the competition so far England have scored 5 goals and all goals have been scored by different players. Of course one reason is that Rooney was banned for the first two games, but it is still a reason to be happy. It shows a level of confidence among the other players that has not been seen for a long time. Of course, your confidence is only as good as your last result, but I think Hodgson has built up a good enough rapport to pick up the players if things go horribly wrong against Italy or Germany in the semi-finals.

Steven Gerrard is without a doubt England’s player of the tournament so far. Nobody has ever doubted his talent but he has not always been able to reproduce his club form for the national side.  It might also be something to do with the absence of Lampard and Gerrard taking over the captaincy of the team. Whatever the reason it seems that England have a world class player and first class captain to take the team to 2014.

In Roy Hodgson England have a manager with a proven track record who is able to get the most out of his players. At the moment the team is not playing attractive football but neither were they under Capello. Hodgson is trying, at the moment successfully, to make England a well-organised team which is difficult to beat. He did the same thing at Fulham and West Brom and before long both teams began to play attractive football. Hodgon’s failure at Liverpool should not be ignored but could things have ended any other way? 

England have some very good young players who are certain to form the backbone of the 2014 team. Hodgson gave 18-year-old Oxlade-Chamberlain his international debut in a warm-up game against Norway last month. After Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen he is the 3^rd youngest England international of all time.  If he continues to develop his game he could be a vital part of the 2014 team. Other notable youngsters in the squad include goalkeeper Joe Hart (aged 25), strikers Andy Carroll (23) and Danny Wellbeck (21). We should also mention Arsenal’s Jack Wilshire (20) who looked certain for a place in the Euro 2012 team until he got injured in the middle of last season. Finally, let’s not forget even Rooney will only be 28 years old at Brazil 2014!

The old guard of Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard have both probably played their last games for England. However their absence could be looked upon as an opportunity rather than a loss. Although both players have served their country well over the years, it is time for a younger generation to take their place. Let’s hope that this generation is better able to consistently repeat club form internationally.

Whatever happens to the team in Euro 2012 is an unexpected bonus, what England supporters should be celebrating is the gradual emergence of a team that really can compete in the next World Cup rather than being perpetual under-achievers. {jcomments on}  

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