Hodgson got five strikers but not enough firepower to win Euro, says McAteer

England manager Roy Hodgson

Former Ireland international Jason McAteer feels England manager Roy Hodgson was under too much media pressure to keep five strikers in the squad and will struggle to find a team to win the Euro 2016 in France.
Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Jamie Vardy, Daniel Sturridge and Marcus Rashford make up England's strike force. In the friendly against Portugal, Hodgson tried three - Vardy, Rooney and Kane, but it failed to work for England.
"Yes, I think Hodgson is looking to find something. but he doesn't have a team yet. The media in England has put so much pressure on the manager to play Vardy, Kane and get Rooney in the team. maybe play Sturridge as well and then there is Rashford too. The manager just doesn't seem to know what his first team is," the Liverpool former player said during the Euro chat at the McGettigan's in Abu Dhabi.
"Also, England are in a bit of transition period. They are very weak at the back. They have lot of players in the defence who had a poor season. That could be a problem for them."
McAteer favours Belgium to take  top honours. "Belgium have loads of talent and many good players going forward. They have (Kevin) De Bruyne and (Eden) Hazard who are in fine form. Then there are two from Liverpool (Divock) Origi and (Christian) Benteke. At the back you have (Jan) Vertonghen and a great keeper in (Thibaut) Courtois. I think if they gel together and find a bit of form and confidence they will be very difficult to beat."
He was upbeat about France too. "Every time they play at home they win. They have (Olivier) Giroud, who is in terrific form. Then they have (Antoine) Griezmann, (Kingsley) Coman up front. With (Paul) Pogba in midfield, they have wealth of talent. The only problem is (Raphael) Varane is out injured. He is one of the best central-halves in the world. His absence could be a problem for France."
The former star feels Poland are the dark horses. "As outsiders, I think Poland have a good chance with (Robert) Lewandowski, who scored loads for Bayern Munich. Their experience of hosting the 2012 edition and also them being together for long time will help. If they find a bit of momentum, they will be the ones to watch out for."
On other top teams, he said: "The Germans are always strong. With Thomas Muller they have someone who can score."
On Spain, he said: "They have done it before but are on a turn now and are past maybe on winning another tournament. They don't have (Diego) Costa and do have (Alvaro) Morata but don't think he is ready for this tournament." - ashwani@khaleejtimes.com