England Euro 12: Why England's Hopes Ride on Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard may be past his prime and unable to do the things he once was able to do on the pitch, but he's still England's best hope for success in Euro 2012.

With the suspension of Wayne Rooney for the first two games of the group stage due to some out-of-character action during the qualifying stage, England is sincerely missing elite goal scorers and will need the best out of Gerrard in that department.

Gerrard was recently named captain of the English squad, the first time he was given the honor without getting it in place of an injured or unavailable captain. But at 32 years of age, his prime is running out, and he's going to have to shine now.

England's troubles in Euro began before they even stepped on the pitch. Key components Frank Lampard, Gary Cahill and Gareth Barry will be unavailable, and that will take much out of England's midfield.

At the hub of midfield, Gerrard will have to step up his game because of the absence of most of the teammates that he relies on to execute England's wonderful passing game. And with the arrival of Roy Hodgson, that passing game is more evident than ever.

Gerrard has had his fair share of success with the English international team, but he undoubtedly wants to be the head man on the first Three Lions squad to win the European Championship. In fact, England is the only European international team to win the World Cup and not ever win the Euro.

England's passing style will be emphasized more than ever this year, and that's just more of a reason why Gerrard's play will have to be at a premium. Without Rooney, England will have to get scoring input from the likes of Andy Carroll and Jermaine Defoe—an unlikely set of players for the Three Lions to rely on. They'll both have to be in top form for England to even have a chance.

Gerrard's free kick accuracy is impeccable, and his goal scoring abilities are still one of the best in football at this point.

With Gerrard on the pitch, England's loss of Rooney may go unnoticed if Gerrard can dominate the pitch in the form that he's used to. But if he can't, Rooney's absence will be amplified for sure.

Gerrard means more to England at this point than he ever has. The newly-named captain and the best offensive threat for England for the first time in his career, it will surely be a telling time.

Gerrard told the Daily Mail that he believes England's current roster can still beat France in their Euro 2012 opener in Group D. But only time will tell. France undoubtedly has a bad taste in its mouth from the 2010 World Cup and will want to get off to a great start against its European rival.

It's time for Gerrard to prove his worth to the Three Lions and his national team.