Euro 2012: England's Industrious Midfield Gives Hope for Remaining Group Games

England's unfancied squad started their Euro 2012 campaign with a well-deserved draw against a French side that many see as a dark horse for the tournament.

Before the match, Laurent Blanc had stated that he believed England would "drop back, have a bank of four with some quick players, and try and hit us on the break." The French coach was not disappointed.

Much has been made in recent tournaments about the lack of balance in the English midfield, but on the basis of Monday's game, Roy Hodgson looks to have found a good formula.

While France proved that they were a better team technically and dominated possession in the second half, England refused to let their shape change and limited the French to few clear chances.

In the centre of midfield, Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard looked strong and dependable and successfully shut down the creativity of France's attacking players. The effects of a long season showed towards the end of the game. Parker in particular looked extremely tired.

They were solid and well organised, and Parker will need to play in a similarly committed fashion to counteract Zlatan Ibrahimovic when England play Sweden on Friday.

A criticism of Parker and Gerrard was that, at times, they were guilty of sitting too deep. Faced with the triple threat of Benzema, Nasri and Ribery, this is understandable, but they will need to play farther up the pitch against Sweden and Ukraine.

France were constantly harrying the English midfield, but when the French had the ball, England looked far too happy to sit back and wait.

The shocking inclusion of Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain proved many wrong who thought that Hodgson would prove to be a conservative manager in terms of selection.

The 18-year-old repaid his manager with a mature performance which contained flashes of real class. Playing on the left, he chased down every ball in the stifling heat and looked like he could be an important player for England for years to come.

In contrast to Stewart Downing—who was expected to play instead—Oxlade-Chamberlain always looked to take on and beat his man, and his inclusion bodes well for the Roy Hodgson era.

On the other side of the pitch, James Milner put in the kind of performance that is expected of him. With Glen Johnson scampering up and down the wing, Milner provided good balance and looked dangerous when he got into the final third.

England needed to get more bodies in the box, as many of the crosses from Milner had no one looking to get on the end of them. The introduction of Andy Carroll could have possibly remedied this.

The goal changed the course of the game. England allowed themselves to get deeper and deeper and let France dominate the possession.

This trend meant that, as the game wore on, Ashley Young saw less and less of the ball. However, when the Manchester United player was on the ball, he looked very positive. The ball he played into James Milner in the first half was of the highest class and should have been put away.

England's next game will pit them against Sweden on Friday, and following their game with the Ukraine, there are definitely weaknesses to exploit.

In the centre of defence, Andreas Granqvist seemed unsure Monday, and the pace of Ashley Young and Oxlade-Chamberlain breaking from midfield could cause him big problems. Ukraine's Andriy Voronin was able to break through from deep on a number of occasions, and Granqvist looked uncomfortable.

Blackburn's Martin Olsson looked like he could be dangerous when going forward and whipping in crosses, but he looked suspect positionally at times, leaving a lot of space behind him. Glen Johnson and Milner could thrive on that.

Markus Rosenberg cut a lonely figure up front for the Swedes. It seems unlikely—on the back of that performance—that he will start against England, but if the Swedes play the same system, the lone striker should not be a problem, as the midfield played very deep.

This should take some of the pressure off of Gerrard, who should be able to play more positively as a result.

Likewise, when England play Ukraine on June 19th, there will be opportunities for England's midfield to cause them problems.

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk stayed very close to Ibrahimovic all game and would likely do the same to Ashley Young. If Young can drift towards the left against Ukraine, then it could open up space for the likes of Gerrard and Milner to break into the box.

The Ukrainian defence also looked uncertain at times. When clearing their lines, the ball often went straight back to the Swedish midfield. While Ukraine were impressive Monday, England should have the quality to beat the hosts.

The result did little to suggest that England have a chance of winning the competition, but following the first game, progressing out of the group is looking like a far more likely prospect.