Tuesday 7 June 2016 06:37, UK
England flew to France on Monday ahead of Euro 2016 with expectations dampened despite having won all three of their warm-up games and boasting a 100 per cent record in qualifying.
Roy Hodgson has lost just seven of his 52 games in charge of the Three Lions, but the 68-year-old arrives at his third major tournament under pressure after a disastrous World Cup in 2014, when England finished bottom of Group D with a solitary point.
Hodgson's 23-man squad make the journey to their Chantilly training base amid uncertainty over how they will approach their Group B opener with Russia in Marseille, with the former Liverpool boss torn between two formations, his favoured 4-2-3-1 and a midfield diamond, accommodating Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy.
All three started for the first time against Portugal at Wembley last Thursday, but after a drab 78 minutes the trio were promptly hooked.
Chris Smalling's glancing header four minutes from time was enough to spare their blushes, but the exercise seemingly raised more questions than answers. Substitute Raheem Sterling provided an inch-perfect cross for the Manchester United defender and it was his introduction alongside Jack Wilshere and Adam Lallana that flickered England into life underneath the arch.
Lallana will be hoping to register his first international goal in France after receiving his new PUMA evoSPEED II SL Leather Tricks boots for the tournament on Friday morning in his hotel room, which was walking distance from a cloudy Bournemouth sea front.
"It's always exciting wearing two different coloured boots," he said. "It might not be everybody's cup of tea but it's something different and I can't wait to start wearing them."
"We've had three great results," said Lallana. "You want to get in the winning habit and have a winning mentality.
"In every game we feel we could have played better, but it's not always about performance. Against Russia I'll take a bad performance and a win."
It will be Lallana's first appearance at a European Championships after making his international debut in 2013 in a 2-0 defeat to Chile, and he has been highlighted by former Barcelona playmaker Xavi as the key player if England are to go all the way to the final.
The winger began his career with Southampton after being spotted playing for Bournemouth's centre of excellence but regularly returns to his hometown on the south coast to visit his family. Accompanied by his three-year-old son, Arthur, who was busy kicking a football at the wall and running up and down the corridors dressed in a full England kit, Lallana insisted the squad will be ready come June 11.
"All the team's focus will be on Russia now," he told Sky Sports News HQ.
"It's the first game, you don't want to lose your first match and it's important we get off to a good start and build from there. I think it's important to treat it as much of a normal game as you can.
"There's always going to be hype but if we concentrate on our football and don't get too caught up in the emotion and what comes with it then I'm sure we'll be fine.
"There are three games and I'm sure six or seven points will definitely get you qualified. I think you just have to take it a game at a time.
"Obviously there is going to be a lot of hype and expectation about England doing well but as a player you just have to keep focused on the job in hand."
It will be England's youngest squad at a European Championships and second youngest at a major tournament after the 1958 World Cup, with an average age of just 25.8 years. On that occasion, Sir Walter Winterbottom's young side suffered an early exit after a 1-0 defeat to the Soviet Union saw England eliminated following three consecutive draws.
While Hodgson has been criticised for selecting three central defenders in his squad, with Tottenham's Eric Dier likely to fill in at the back if required, Lallana insists it's not a case of square pegs in round holes.
"We've got the balance of a young, fearless team with a good blend of experience as well," he said. "It's great to be versatile and we've got different options or plans that we can switch to.
"I think it's good there is an element of surprise so the opposition don't know what we're doing. I think that's a massive positive going into the tournament.
"We're not just going to have 11 players that are going to feature, if we are going to do well then you need the whole 23.
"The manager stressed that, so regardless of what team he picks for each game and what happens, suspension and injury-wise, you could find yourself not playing a minute in the first three games and playing in a big match towards the end of the tournament.
"Whatever team the manager selects, everyone will be behind him and behind the team to keep doing well."
Hodgson's squad announcement was met with scepticism from some, particularly the omission of midfielder Danny Drinkwater, who was instrumental in Leicester's charge to a first Premier League title.
In-form Newcastle winger Andros Townsend also missed out alongside Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph, as Hodgson opted for reinforcements in attack, with Manchester United youngster Marcus Rashford favoured alongside Daniel Sturridge, Vardy, Kane and Rooney.
"Roy has stressed that it wasn't an easy decision for him and the lads have taken it very well and wished us all the best and I'm sure that anyone who missed out would have done the same," said Lallana.
"We're a team and we knew throughout the course of the season there will be players playing, like Fabian [Delph] for example, who didn't make the squad but had a big impact in qualification so it's part and parcel of football."
Following the emergence of Vardy this season - who fired Leicester to the Premier League title with 24 goals - it remains unclear what formation Hodgson will choose against Russia.
Vardy has been utilised on the left on the international stage, at Lallana's expense of late, and the addition of 18-year-old striker Rashford alongside Sturridge will give Hodgson plenty of ammunition in France.
"It's remarkable to think three or four months ago he hadn't played a minute in the first team," said the Liverpool winger of Rashford.
"He looks at home with us training day-in day-out, he looks as if he has been there for years.
"It doesn't seem to have affected him and he's got such a mature head on such young shoulders and I think that's a big reason Roy selected him."
Rashford only made his United debut in February but went on to register eight goals in 18 appearances before scoring after just three minutes of his international bow in a dream debut against Australia at the Stadium of Light.
"It brings an element of freshness to the squad, it's very exciting," Lallana added.
"We've got a blend of young lads with experience that are fearless and haven't played at a major tournament like Dele Alli and Rashford.
"A lot of players are playing off the back of a great season, look at Vardy and Kane and all the goals they have scored. It's very exciting a Roy has got a lot of options."
At 28, Lallana is one of the senior members of the England set-up and made a total of 48 appearances for Jurgen Klopp's side, scoring eight goals.
It was a campaign of mixed emotion for the German during his first season on Merseyside, finishing eighth in the Premier League and suffering penalty heartache to Manchester City in the Capital One Cup final, plus defeat in the Europa League final to Sevilla.
"I've enjoyed the season," said Lallana. "There have been plenty of good moments and a couple of disappointing ones in losing two cup finals. But I feel like I've learned a lot and hopefully I can take that into the Euros.
Lallana is one of five Liverpool players in the squad alongside Nathaniel Clyne, James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Sturridge.
"We've played for England together on numerous occasions so it's quite easy to switch from club mode to international mode," he added.
"Sometimes it's what you need, you want a change of scenery and personnel and that's what you get in international football, which can be a good thing."
Sturridge has only featured for his country for 58 minutes since September 2014, but his inclusion was cemented after he proved his fitness after a calf injury, and Lallana is confident his team-mate can play an integral role.
"Sturridge was hitting great form towards the end of the season and scored some vital goals for us," said Lallana.
"He was always going to make the squad if he was fit; he brings something nobody else has got. He can change the game with a moment of class and I'm really excited he is fit and raring to go."
It remains to be seen whether Hodgson will unleash his dynamic young squad or assume a more pragmatic approach.
Either way, Lallana will be hoping to announce his arrival on the international scene after a bittersweet season at Anfield.
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