Euro 2012 Results: Why England's Win Is No Reason for Fans to Get Excited

England earned a fantastic result with a come-from-behind victory against Sweden, but the team still has done nothing to prove that it can seriously threaten to reach the finals.

The team’s first match ended in a 1-1 draw against a French team that had far more talent. English coach Roy Hodgson clearly recognized this and used a defensive, unimaginative strategy. 

The team barely tried to attack and was lucky to get a goal on a set piece. This is the type of game that England will have to play in the knockout rounds against the talented teams it will face.

Against a weaker Sweden side, Hodgson allowed the game to open up. Andy Carroll opened up the scoring and justified his place in the lineup with a brilliant header via a pinpoint cross from Steven Gerrard. 

But then, the flaws in the English side became evident. The drawbacks of abandoning the defensive strategy were clearly visible when the Swedes put away two quick goals.

This defensive collapse proves that England is not capable of winning an open game against a top-class side. If it gave up goals so easily to Sweden, then Spain, Germany and possibly even Russia could tear them apart.

The team did make a remarkable comeback and scored a couple quality goals, but this was against a poor Swedish defense. The level of competition going forward will be much higher.

If England records another positive result against Ukraine and Wayne Rooney puts on a good performance in his first match back from suspension, it may enter the quarterfinals with more confidence than it should have, given the quality of its players. 

If England focuses all its energy on defense, it could repeat its performance against France and hope for a second goal off a set piece or possible a win in penalty kicks.

If the team starts believing that it can compete with the best teams in the tournament, it will lose handily. 

England has a stout defense and a quality goalkeeper, and has the ability to win ugly with a little bit of luck. Still, this team simply does not have the talent to compete against the top teams in the tournament without packing the back and hoping for the best. 

England may get a win in the quarterfinals with this strategy, but it is unlikely it will advance any farther than that.