Paul Merson also discusses Thursday's England squad announcement, predicting that Gareth Southgate will go with his tried and tested; Merse also talks title race and how Aston Villa still have huge hope in their bid for a top-four finish
Thursday 14 March 2024 15:33, UK
Paul Merson says he will be stunned if England do not win the Euros, suggesting only Virgil van Dijk and Kylian Mbappe would get into England's best XI of all European players.
England win the Euros. I'll be shocked, amazed, if we didn't win it.
Who can beat us? Maybe France. But when we played last time it was a close game with Harry Kane missing a penalty. If he scored that, there would have been only one winner.
Germany? No.
Portugal? No, they're an ageing team.
England have had a huge amount of experience with ups and downs. They're ready.
No team can live with England over a month of football. We'll have players on the bench that would walk into any other team. I couldn't name a European national team that the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish wouldn't walk into.
If I could pick players from across Europe to put in England's team, I'm only picking Kylian Mbappe and Virgil van Dijk.
Ahead of Thursday's squad announcement, I think Gareth Southgate has a lot of trust in his players, he doesn't want too much change. In terms of the squad, it's harder to get out, than to get in. I don't think there'll be any surprises.
Kalvin Phillips hasn't played too much football but always gets in. The problem is now he keeps playing football and keeps getting subbed - that puts Southgate under pressure. But I'd be shocked if he and Jordan Henderson aren't in.
It's not the time nor place to put youngsters in the squad. I like Kobbie Mainoo, he's played well at a massive football club but I can't see him getting in front of Phillips or Henderson. Go and play for the U21s and get some experience.
That's the key - experience.
That's why Rashford will get in. There is no chance of Rashford getting dropped. He'll be one of the first names down. He doesn't let Southgate down. He knows him. Every player has a dip in form, and although his has been over a longer period when he's hot he's hot. They'll take him as he's a game-changer. You don't have to be hot all season, you only need to be hot for the summer.
Cole Palmer is a very good player but I don't see anyone sneaking in. There might be a spot if Grealish isn't fit.
We've nearly won every tournament so the players haven't done much wrong.
It's a dangerous game to be leaving players out for form. It'll be tried and tested for this tournament.
I just can't see Arsenal winning at Manchester City.
Even if they drew there they've still got to play Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa.
It's an unbelievable title race but it can change very quickly. If Arsenal didn't score vs Brentford then they could've been out of the race. If Liverpool didn't score against Forest, then all of a sudden they're out of it. It can change so quickly.
A draw or two and you're gone. Even Man City struggled to score against Brentford and Everton. There will be a dodgy result in there, maybe against Tottenham? They've all got to play them all.
But they'll want to play Spurs as they give you chances. Big teams want to play teams that will have a go instead of playing against 11 behind the ball. Those games can turn into 60-minute games with all the slowing down and time wasting - it's not a long time to try and score. Anything can happen. There will be twists and turns.
It's an amazing race.
That Tottenham game was one of Aston Villa's biggest games in years. And they got blown away.
I've seen two teams destroy them in the last two weeks, Newcastle and Tottenham. All they did was press high and suffocate them. Under that sort of pressure they haven't had a clue or a different plan. That's worrying.
But you'd take this situation if you were a Villa fan. It's amazing. They're dreaming but it's football and we're allowed to dream. They're still in it. Spurs still have to play Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City. If they get three points out of those games they've had a result. A Villa win at West Ham puts them back in a strong position.
