This year, it's the European Championships. Despite having, in what is my opinion, the worst England 23-man squad I've ever seen in my life (Before you comment on that, just take a moment to think about Downing, Henderson, Carroll... and pretty much the rest of the hapless Liverpool players Hodgson has selected), that feeling is still as prominent as ever. We have already lost Lampard and Gary Cahill, two extremely influential players when looking at their influence on the rest of the team. This, combined with the fact that Wayne Rooney is missing the first two games, does not leave us in a particularly good situation. I mean, let's be honest shall we, there is no way Roy Hodgson honestly believes that we can challenge the likes of Germany when we bring players like Oxlade-Chamberlain to a major international tournament.
However, despite having a squad worthy of a team managed by Alex McLeish, I cannot shake that feeling. After one of the most unpredictable, peculiar football seasons there has ever been, it was the underdogs that emerged champions in the end. Just look at Chelsea. A group of dominating players, lingering in Fifth, 3-1 down to an overachieving Napoli side in the last 16 of the Champions League, and having just sacked a 34 year old manager who, 8 months previously, they had been willing to pay £13 million. It was bad, especially for a squad who should have comfortably been challenging the two Manchester clubs, let alone even competing with Spurs and Arsenal. Nonetheless, that group of players, along with magnificent and passionate back room team of Roberto Di Matteo and Eddie Newton, pulled together and won the FA Cup and Champions League Double; beating Barcelona and Bayern Munich on the way. How did they do this? Through a flawless combination of sheer determination, passion, outstanding tactical discipline and that all important ingredient needed by every great team; a sprinkling of luck.
Taking this format into an international competition, though as I continually stress with a hugely disappointing and inferior group of players, I see no reason why England cannot try and emulate this. During those few months at the end of the season, the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge was electric, with the 'Us against the World' attitude playing a huge part in the players approach to each game (it was also a justified approach, as more or less every journalist and pundit wrote Chelsea off the moment they drew Barcelona in the Semis). For as far I can remember, there has never been a less hyped and expected of England side. Like Chelsea, they have been written off, with the vast majority favouring Spain, Holland or Germany. This is completely understandable, and only a fool would argue that we have a better chance going into this tournament than any of those mentioned. Nonetheless, what Chelsea proved is that the team who plays the prettiest football won't always necessarily win, and that a group of underachieving, yet talented, players with a will to fight can go a long way.
With the likes of John Terry, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole, Joe Hart and, eventually, Wayne Rooney, England do still have a hardcore of truly World-Class players. What these players also posses, which is equally important as their technical ability, is a sense of passion and belief. These men are champions, and it is impossible to overstate how important they will be, should England achieve anything this summer.
Every four years I get this feeling, and unfortunately, every four years my heart gets broken as England crash out yet again. Euro 2012 kicks off tomorrow, and despite what my head is telling me, I've still got that feeling. If we are going to do it, it isn't going to be pretty, but lets hope England take a leaf from the Chelsea book of doing things and give it every thing they've got. I mean, for once, what have we got to lose?
