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Jamie Redknapp big match preview: Welbeck feeling at home

/li> 13 comments I hear that the player who is catching the eye on the England training ground is Danny Welbeck. International football is about breaking through, growing into it and then your best form comes when you are feeling at home. Danny is taking baby steps towards that and a giant stride will come with his first tournament goal. It seems a little like he is looking over his shoulder, waiting to see where Wayne Rooney will come in next time. Get that out of your mind, Danny. Play so well against Sweden that Rooney is playing with you, not instead of you. Caught the eye: England's Danny Welbeck STOP IBRA Zlatan Ibrahimovic is an enigma. Will we get the football superstar who has been on a tour of Europe's powerhouse clubs? Or the player who goes through the motions and will offer no threat to England? I'm backing our two centre backs and the shield in front, consisting of Parker and Gerrard. Enigma: Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic NO

Jamie Redknapp: Danny Welbeck looked right at home

/li> 6 comments I wrote on Friday how much I was hoping Danny Welbeck would score and feel at home. He looked at home on Friday night, didn't he? His goal was quality and he should have his Manchester United pal Wayne Rooney alongside him next time. Comfort zone: Danny Welbeck (right) grabbed the winner and looked right at home Walcott's impact I've been feeling sorry for Theo Walcott, but he didn't feel sorry for himself. He was aggressive and direct and he made such a difference. He's had to take his place in the pecking order and he's the young player everyone wants to criticise. I hope this impact performance gives him belief.  Take that: Theo Walcott bangs home the second goal to put England level Hard night's work Sweden needed to win to stay in the tournament and they weren't going to go down without a fight. It was like a Premier League game. They didn't keep the ball well enough again and invited

Euro 2012: England expects from Wayne Rooney - Jamie Redknapp

/li> 8 comments ROONEY’S RETURN The two central midfielders will be pleased to see Wayne Rooney back. You can lend him the ball and trust you will get it back. I hope he doesn’t get too tense. People say he plays better angry but I don’t agree. He must not put too much pressure on himself. He should come in and enjoy himself. The Ukraine team will fear him but they will try to expose his weakness and wind him up. He doesn’t need to prove anything, although I expect him to struggle for fitness having missed so much football. Relaxed: Wayne Rooney at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk on Monday STAY YOUNG Ashley Young hasn’t really got going yet but I’d stick with him - and in his favourite position, wide on the left and cutting in on to his favoured right foot. He will enjoy having Wayne Rooney back and will link up with him. His pre-tournament form suggests he has a performance in him and this might be it. At ease: Ashley Young (centre) jokes around with Jermain

Euro 2012: Jamie Redknapp - Steven Gerrard stands out

/li> 12 comments The stand-out performer was the magnificent Steven Gerrard. It makes you wonder, with all the debate there has been about the captaincy, why it wasn’t given to him years ago. He is thriving with the responsibility, playing with confidence and flair and reproducing his club form for his country. He gave his international form ‘6 or 7 out of 10’ before the tournament, but this was much higher. He’s a humble man, a fabulous footballer and now I’m glad people are getting to see how good he is. Inspiration: Gerrard has been outstanding for England   No ordinary Jo I played against Joleon Lescott when he was at Wolves: the question then was ‘is he mobile enough’. He’s come a long way since. He has a title medal for Manchester City and now he has been England’s best defender in the tournament. He reacted quickly to danger on Tuesday night and, while he might yet be caught out by quick movement, he plays with great heart and desire. He is likely t

Euro 2012: Jamie Redknapp: ALL England players belted out National Anthem

/li> 61 comments Every England player sang the National Anthem before victory against Ukraine. All the way along the line, every one of them. Can you remember the last time that happened? Something has changed. It may be the influence of an English manager, Roy Hodgson, after 11 years under the direction of Sven Goran Eriksson, a Swede, and the Italian Fabio Capello, when being English did not seem to count for much. It looks to me like Roy has got into their heads and reminded the players that playing for their country means something. Victorious, happy and glorious: (from left) John Terry, Scott Parker, Glen Johnson, Joe Hart and captain Steven Gerrard look in harmony as they sing the National Anthem before beating Ukraine You might ask what difference does singing the anthem make. It won’t help England keep the ball better or help them to advance further in this thoroughly enjoyable tournament. England could go out on Sunday, after all, when they face the danger

Euro 2012: Wayne Rooney must turn up against Italy - Jamie Redknapp

/li> 30 comments This is a 50-50 game. Both teams came to the competition with low expectations, but England are in slightly better shape - all fit and free of bans. I didn't expect much from Wayne Rooney against Ukraine, but I'm expecting more here. He should be fitter, sharper and with a better touch. Rooney needs to make his mark, England can't keep relying on Steven Gerrard. Wayne's world: England can't keep relying on Gerrard   Leaving a big hole You want your big players fit for these games and Italy will miss Giorgio Chiellini. Their best defender, he's old-school Italian with all the tricks and plays for Juventus, who went the whole Serie A season unbeaten as Italy's Invincibles. He's a huge loss for them and his absence is a mighty boost for England. Italy are without their main defensive warrior. Let's see how they cope without him. Formation dancing I do like my formations and it's been fascinating

England need an Andrea Pirlo - Jamie Redknapp

/li> 40 comments I couldn’t get off the phone on Sunday night with people calling, saying: ‘Where’s our Pirlo, why can’t we play like Pirlo, why can’t we get near him?’ It was one of the best midfield performances I have ever seen. But we have our own version, he is just recovering from injury and we must hope he gets well soon. He is Jack Wilshere of Arsenal. Untouchable: Andre Pirlo ran rings round England He can pass like that, in the quarterback position, in a central midfield three. But it has to be a three. This competition showed you can’t play two midfielders, especially when the opponents have three in there. England asked too much of Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker. I wrote it after the first game and it didn’t change. Last night, Parker came off exhausted and Gerrard suffered cramp. They had too much to do. Ineffective: Rooney was tired out from chasing after Pirlo Tired Rooney You might ask why Wayne Rooney looked so tired, but he was chasing shadow