England's Fall - Onwards To Brazil 2014

England's demonizing defeat at the hands of Italy on Sunday was a heartbreaking way to end what has, ultimately, been a promising start to Roy Hodgson's reign in charge. Undoubtedly they deserved to go out, but having topped a tough group there is certainly something to look back on with some form of pride. But, with some ageing stars, and some younger talent coming through, how will England be looking to line up in the next major tournament, the World Cup in Brazil in two years time? TacticalBet here takes a look at who might be coming onto the scene, and who can aim to keep their place from these European Championships.

Goalkeeper 

Joe Hart, provided he stays fit, can look forward to an extended spell as the country's number one and is even perhaps a future captain. A good showing in all four games, he can leave Ukraine and Poland with his head held high and look forward to focusing on the next tournament, and hopefully those beyond it.

Defence

Going from right to left, Glen Johnson did enjoy a relatively successful tournament performance wise, but will find himself under serious threat from Kyle Walker, who got injured in the build up to the tournament. Johnson is suspect, and always has been defensively, so in terms of the next World Cup, you'd have to think Walker will be lining up as first choice right-back. In the middle, John Terry, despite everything, was undoubtedly England's best player in the defeat to Italy, and excelled throughout. However, he is now already 31, and with his up and coming trial for allegedly being racist to Anton Ferdinand, it looks like that will be it for Terry. Moving forward, Lescott also turned in a series of dependable performances, so for England it looks like the way forward could well be a Lescott and Cahill axis in the middle of defence. Phil Jones and Chris Smalling can apply competition, and might even be able to force themselves ahead of either Lescott or Cahill. Left back will remain Ashley Cole's position, and nobody else in the country is anywhere near his level. Yes, his penalty was extremely poor, but he should not be held accountable for England's exit in any way. Kieran Gibbs can be his understudy, but in 2014 Cole will still be around.

TB's Pick - Walker, Cahill, Lescott, Cole

Midfield

Theo Walcott showed more than enough in his cameo appearances this tournament to suggest that he should be given the chance to nail down that right midfield slot for England. Milner worked hard, but in the end was sub-standard, and was lucky to retain his place for the quarter-final. In the centre of midfield, Steven Gerrard was another of England's impressive performers, and will surely continue to captain the side up to Brazil at least. However, at times he was running a one man show, as Scott Parker is simply too defensive minded to operate in a four man midfield. It is all well and good blocking shots and throwing your body on the line, but the truth is Parker must take a large share of the blame for England's failure to keep the ball in the midfield, when in possession he simply went missing. Jack Wilshere will be around the squad, provided he is fit, from now on and he could have that position his own. Gareth Barry and Michael Carrick will also be touted for the role of partnering Gerrard, but the oppotunity seems Wilshere's to make it his own. On the left, Ashley Young certainly underperformed, but has shown at Manchester United that he has talent and should continue in the role in the immediate future. However, Arsenal star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be applied serious pressure, having shown promise. In terms of the rest of the squad, string alongs like Stuart Downing are going to have to work exceptionally hard to play a part in the England future, and at the moment Jordan Henderson is simply nowhere near the standard needed. Jack Rodwell is one who could come in, and maybe even Tom Cleverly.

TB's Pick - Walcott, Gerrard, Wilshere, Young

Attack

Wayne Rooney, despite his under-performing against Italy and lax display in possession against Ukraine, is England's best option going forward and is the future. Danny Welbeck impressed and can expect to continue in his berth as the furthest forward man. There are many other options in this current day and age, with players like Daniel Sturridge who didn't even make the squad pushing. Andy Carroll, despite a goal against Sweden, just is not good enough at this level at the moment. He will need to start turning in consistent performances at club level for Liverpool, and in all honesty shouldn't have even been in this squad. Jermaine Defoe was limited to a minor role with personal tragedy hindering him, but if he continues to score at a domestic level he can expect to still have a role to play. Perhaps he may need to move away from Tottenham in order to get a better run of starts.

TB's Pick - Rooney, Welbeck

Roy Hodgson has many issues to address in the light of England's exit, but the fans must not be disheartened. With a relatively straight-forward qualifying group, there is room for great optimism ahead of a surge to Brazil 2014, and the next World Cup.

HA

Euro 2012 - The Knockout Stages

Tonight marks the start or the knockout stages of the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine, and the tournament has already produced some cracking games and a fair few shocks along the way. For Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, England, France and Italy the dreams of glory remain, but for the host nations and the other sides who failed to qualify, it is over for another four years. TacticalBet assess the tournament so far, and what might go on to happen.

Team Of The Group Stages (4-4-2)

Casillas (Spain)
Srna (Croatia) Hummels (Germany) Lescott (England) Alba (Spain)
Modric (Croatia) Iniesta (Spain) Jiracek (Czech Republic) Dzagoev (Russia)
Gomez (Germany) Bendtner (Denmark)

Game Of The Group Stages

Portugal 3-2 Denmark

A superb first half display from the under-fire Portuguese looked set to hand them all three points, before an equally brilliant one from the Danes in the second half hauled them level, with two Nicklas Bendtner strikes. In a final twist, however, and this is what makes the game of football so special, substitute Varela sealed the win for Bento's men, and set them on their way to the quarter-finals.

Goal Of The Group Stages

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden 2-0 France)

They might already be on their way home, but by God does Zlatan Ibrahimovic know how to go out in style. A spectacular scissor kick from 18 yards showed just why he is so feared.

So, with that all wrapped up it is onto the last eight, starting with Czech Republic facing Portugal tonight. While these games are so hard to predict, as we've seen anything can happen in the knockout rounds, we'll give it a go!

Czech Republic 0-2 Portugal
Germany 3-0 Greece
Spain 1-0 France
England 1-1 Italy (England win on penalties)

Portugal 0-1 Spain
Germany 2-0 England

Spain 0-0 Germany (Germany win on penalties)

What do you think will happen in the remaining games? Who's been your star of the show so far? Get in touch with the debate on Twitter, by searching for @TacticalBet and using the #Euro2012 hash-tag.

HA

Yohan Cabaye - The Stats

Just How Good Is Yohan Cabaye?

After a breakthrough season in the Barclays Premiership this season, Yohan Cabaye has drawn numerous plaudits for his slick passing game, tough tackling and an eye for goal. As he starts for France in the European Championship this Summer, we take a look at just how good Cabaye is, taking into account all the performance stats this season for the Magpies.

Appearances 38*

Goals 4

Assists 6

Yellow Cards 7

Shots Per Game 2.8

Pass Success 86%

Aerial Duels Won Per Game 0.1

Man of the Match 4

*In all competitions

It is clear from looking at the above stats that one of his great strengths is his renowned passing game, whether this be short passes in the midfield or looking further afield to set either Ba or Cisse away. Perhaps the best example was a spectacular through ball to the latter against Stoke, splitting the defence in half and setting Papiss Cisse up for another goal. That said, six assists is a decent tally but far from superb, yet maybe this reflects his deeper role by where he was more often than not starting the move, as opposed to making the key final ball. The high assist makers in the league normally slot in either in the wide areas, or just off the striker, but from a pitch map of Cabaye’s average position, we can see it was just off the centre circle. Therefore, his high pass success rate is even more impressive, and perhaps this is what shows him to be so good.

So, his high quality passing game isn’t up for debate. However, there is more of a cloud over his tackling and defensive game. On the stats, he did make a good amount of tackles and interceptions, showing him to be a good contributor to the team and a hard working individual. Yet, 7 yellow cards this season, all obtained in the Premier League, isn’t ideal. There was also a petulant incident involving a Brighton player in the FA Cup which resulted in a three match ban for the Frenchman, something he simply must cut out of his game. He only missed four games in the League all season, and with most of these due to this ban it is imperative he learns to keep his temper more. Aside from that, Cabaye has tended to make too many fouls this season, a case in point seen from the France-England game in the European Championships on Monday, where he made three or four blatant fouls. While maybe this can be attributed to the change in domestic league in terms of his ill-discipline, it is again something which he must work on if he is to push on and become one of the best in the division at his role and position.

Possessing a powerful long range shot, shown against Stoke and particularly in the superb win over Manchester United, Cabaye is a talented footballer technique wise, undoubtedly. Now, he must push on at strengthing other aspects of his game, such as his work off the ball and his discipline. If he can up those two areas, Newcastle could have one of the best central midfielders playing in the Premier League on their books.

What’s your view on Cabaye? Will one of the bigger clubs come in for him this Summer? Get in touch!

HA

Newcastle's Latest Coup

Graham Carr’s New Contract

Today brought the news that Graham Carr, life-long Newcastle supporter, had been handed a bumper new contract by the club, which will see him remain in his role as head-scout for another eight years. Contracts of such length are almost un-heard of in the world of sport, which delivers a message of great faith and belief in Carr’s ability, as well as spreading a message of continuity about the football club.

Carr has undoubtedly played a huge role in Newcastle’s recent success in the transfer market, uncovering numerous players in the last two seasons, since he joined the club in February 2010. Players like Hatem Ben Arfa, Yohan Cayabe and Sylvain Marveaux  joined from the French league, and Cheick Tiote and Papiss Cisse followed suit from other European leagues. These captures provided a fascinating insight into the ever changing transfer policy which Newcastle have began creating, moving away from the signings of English players such as Alan Smith, Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan and prospering in the foreign markets. Newcastle’s managing director Derek Llambias had this to say on the news earlier today : ‘He (Graham Carr) has been instrumental in helping us bring in some truly exceptional players. He has deservedly built a reputation as one of the best in the business.’ High praise, and truly deserved for the man who has had previous spells at Tottenham and Manchester City.

However, is there a negative outlook on today’s news? Carr will now be working at the club until well into his seventies, and the role he fills is an extremely taxing one, requiring him to travel all over the world looking for talent. Also, a large proportion of his role depends on the manager in charge at the club, who could possibly want more control over transfers, whereas Alan Pardew seems content to allow Carr a great deal of power over the dealings coming into the club. Will both Pardew and Carr be there in 8 years? It seems highly unlikely that they both will, given the ever changing world of football, but the message his new contract sends out is certainly a positive one.

So what now for Newcastle? They’ll already pounced for Romain Amalfitano, another star from the French leagues, who will join at the end of his contract at the beginning of next month. The Toon have also been heavily linked with Chad international Hassan Hissein, but face competition from Liverpool for his signature. There is a constant steam of speculation that Newcastle will also struggle to keep hold of their stars of last season. Ferguson chasing Tiote? Cayabe lined up as a shock target for Wenger’s Arsenal? They have allowed Guthrie, Lovenkrands and Smith to depart, and Leon Best looks set to follow suit with Celtic again sniffing around, but Carr’s role would come under greater importance if last season’s stars moved away to bigger and better things. Can he again deliver? Newcastle clearly think so, and his track record would suggest so, so watch this space as far as the Magpies are concerned in the transfer market.

HA

You Never Get Anything For Free - Or Can You?

In the current days of heady transfer fees, England's top teams have already shipped out over £50 million and the window isn't even open yet. Hazard, Marin, Podolski and Kagawa have all agreed deals to move to Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester United in big money moves. With football clubs beginning to feel the pinch, TacticalBet takes a look at the smart moves clubs could take this close-season, by pouncing on those players out of contract.

Chelsea's Forgotten Heroes

Salomon Kalou and Jose Bosingwa both started in Chelsea two finals this season, are played a big role in their success. They won't be short of offers for a new club, having been released from their contracts following Chelsea's Munich triumph. Bosingwa, a full back signed from Porto for over £15 million, has often been criticised for his defensive ability, but it cannot be denied that he offers a lot going forward and could be a good signing for a Premiership side. Forward Kalou has appeared as a substitute more times than anybody else in Chelsea's history, but excelled as a starter under Di Matteo in the latter stages of the season. Again, clubs spending big money could do a lot worse than signing the Ivorian winger on a Bosman.

Hugo Rodellega

A consistent performer over the last few campaigns for Wigan, the Colombian found his opportunities limited towards the end of the season as a January move fell through. A decent forward who can also play on the wing, he'd be another good signing if clubs are consciously watching what they spend. It was rumoured that Arsenal and Tottenham were looking in the mid-season window, could they be in again?

Danny Guthrie

Newcastle has released the Merseyside born midfielder after nearly 100 appearances for the Toon. Having filled in at a number of positions this season when Newcastle suffered injuries, proving himself to be a versatile option. He can count himself unlucky not to have been offered an extended deal, but certainly won't be short of Premiership options this season.

The Forgotten Man

Owen Hargreaves took a risk by signing for Manchester City this season, and it failed spectacularly. Despite starring in a few League Cup games, he never broke into the first team, and he needs regular football when fit to both maintain football and then get up to match fitness and sharpness. Could a side offer him this? One thing is for sure, a fit and match ready Owen Hargreaves is a fantastic player.

HA

Top Tips

It's all about to get very interesting in the world of sport, with the start of Euro 2012 at the fore-front of some exciting action coming up. Here's five top tips in relation to things coming up.

Greece To Stun Poland @ 4.6

As co-hosts Poland kick off the tournament on Friday, they'll be up against a former winner of the tournament in the shape of Greece. Under new leadership, with a fresh crop of stars, they are most certainly a team to watch. Host nations are always expected to do well in their tournaments, but we've seen Greece do it before and Poland aren't the best of sides, so we're tipping a shock here.

Cristiano Ronaldo To Miss A Penalty @ 2.1

A bit of a fun one here, but Ronaldo is yet to really shine on the biggest stage, so imagine the storm if he passed up a golden chance from 12 yards. With Portugal in the 'group of death' they will be under immense pressure, can the 2nd best footballer in the world handle it?

South Africa To Beat Tourists England @ 1.33

As England's rugby side head over to South Africa for a three Test series, expectations will be low. And rightly so, expect a home win here, it's worth sticking some money on it.

England To Draw Against West Indies @ 2.2

The series has already been sown up by England, and therefore we are backing the draw in the final Test at Edgebaston. With the weather being so bad as it has been recently, and England resting their front line bowler in James Anderson, it looks a distinct possibility. Also, West Indies will be attempting to avoid a whitewash and try to salvage some pride.

Federer To Win At Roland Garros @ 14.5

Rafa Nadal is the hot favourite, and Federer is a long way out. He's won so many tournaments before, all over the world, worth a chance?

You can keep up to date with all the action as it unfolds with TacticalBet, and we'll be giving expert analysis all through Euro 2012.

HA