The European Championships 2012 are drawing closer and closer and it’s about that time when preliminary squads start to be announced. With the new boss now at the helm, Roy Hodgson, rumours are rife as to who’s going to make the cut. At the minute, nobody knows Hodgson’s strategy, is he a form guy? Or more of a reputation based manager? Will he go with more able players? Or ones who he believes fit a system? His track record suggests that he’s a man of systems over individuals but this is THE England job, a supposed poisoned chalice that would send any totally normal man insane with the pressure. Sometimes, outer influences do infiltrate the big man’s brain.

So going off such little evidence, I’m going to take some wild stabs in the dark as to who Roy will be choosing, starting with the defensive positions…

Now, in my mind, the goalkeeper part of this is already sorted. Joe Hart is comfortably the safest pair of hands in the country and he’s pretty much a guaranteed starter as long as injury doesn’t strike. This is one position that the 3 lions can really be proud of in all honesty, Hart’s one of the best around. In terms of his back up? Robinson’s out of the equation but I’m thinking the 2 spots are between Carson, Green and Foster. The latter is definitely a dark horse for this going by recent squads but this a new bloke in charge. My picks for reserves keeps are: Carson and Foster.

On to the next line of formation, defence. One guy that had no luck with Capello was Micah Richards and I think Roy’s going to draft him in. He was included in Pearce’s last picking, showing he is rated but what will Hodgson do? Going off form, the Manchester City right back has had a good year, his team are close to the top of the table and the young full back has played some part in that success. In terms of cover for defence, there’s not a huge array of specialised talent, only Glen Johnson really fits the mould but he’s a perhaps unwanted member of the old guard. One thing the English do have in their current crop, is versatility and both Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have shown they can do good jobs in those roles.

Moving over to the 2 centre back positions and here comes one of the big questions that’s seemingly been answered. The new manager has stated his intention to get Rio Ferdinand and John Terry on good terms again, showing he wants them in Poland/Ukraine this summer. Lescott seems a likely candidate to take a cover spot, as does Cahill, they are the next best things in all honesty but I’m expecting Jones and Smalling to be named too.

At left back it’s all about Leighton Baines and Ashley Cole, they have that fully covered in my opinion, unless there’s an injury of course.

So that’s who I think is going to be named in the defensive part of the squad for England in the lead up to Euro 2012, stay tuned to see who I think’s going to make it in attack.