Euro 2016 Group B representatives (from left) Slovakia assistant coach Stefan Tarkovic, England coach Roy Hodgson, Russia coach Leonid Slutski and Wales coach Chris Coleman pose after the draw ceremony in Paris on Saturday. (AFP)

AFP/London


England coach Roy Hodgson welcomed Saturday’s draw for Euro 2016 made in Paris that threw up three unfamiliar opponents for the much-travelled Three Lions boss.
England, who have twice reached the semi-finals of the European Championship in 1968 and 1996, were placed in Group B alongside Russia, Slovakia and fellow home nation Wales.
“Despite having coached over 100 matches at this level with three teams (Finland, Switzerland and England), I have never come up against Russia, Slovakia or Wales,” said Hodgson.
“I’m looking forward to having new acquaintances. I’m quite happy not to be coming up against the same faces which has happened to me in qualifications.
“We hope we can do better, definitely than we did in 2014 (at the World Cup),” he added, referring to England’s dismal group-stage exit when they finished with just a single point from three matches.
Undoubtedly, the group’s standout fixture is England’s June 16 clash with tournament debutants Wales in the northern French city of Lens.
“We understand the hype but we’re just as excited about playing Russia and Slovakia,” said Hodgson. “(It was) half-expected to draw a home nation with three of the six teams in pot four.”
Wales coach Chris Coleman had previously admitted he would prefer not to be placed in the same group as England, citing fears that a “Battle of Britain” could act as a distraction, but remained confident his players would rise to the challenge.
“It was more to do with the hype surrounding the game. There are three games to play and we can’t get caught up with just playing England,” Coleman explained.
“We’ve been waiting for this moment and whatever group we were in, and I’m not being flippant, I think we can beat any team on our day.”
Wales, whose only previous major tournament appearance came at the 1958 World Cup, face Slovakia in their opening match before locking horns with England, marking the 112th meeting between the two countries.
“It suits both teams not to play each other first up. It’ll be nice to get a bit of time on the pitch before the England game,” said Coleman. “It’ll be two British teams going at it and it will be an exciting game. I just hope there’s no fear.”
Before that England will begin their finals campaign against Russia on June 11, with Hodgson full of praise for his Russian counterpart.
“(Leonid) Slutsky has done extremely well since taking over and has got them winning again. It’ll be a great atmosphere in Marseille,” said Hodgson, before downplaying concerns over disappointing England performances at recent major tournaments.
“The past is the past and if the players continue to perform like they have over the past 18 months... our form is quite good and there are good players coming through.
“(However), our tournament experience is not quite so good. Whatever we say or do, once the referee’s whistle goes it’ll come down to what those 22 players can do out on the pitch.”
Hodgson added that Slovakia, who England will meet in their final group game on June 20 in Saint-Etienne, could not afford to be underestimated either, especially after a “fantastic qualifying and spectacular opening” with victories over defending European champions Spain and Ukraine setting the tone for a successful campaign.  
He also suggested being a top seed wasn’t overly beneficial, saying: “There’s no advantage being in pot one other than avoiding teams like Spain and Germany.”
However, Slutsky singled out the English as the team to beat in what he labelled as a fairly balanced group.
“It’s a very interesting group with the two other teams. England are the favourites, but any of the teams have a chance of going through.
“We’re certainly looking forward to playing England,” Slutsky added, before admitting he didn’t know too much about the Welsh side.


Hodgson, Coleman ready for friendly rivalry at Euro 2016


By Owen Gibson in Paris/The Observer


As soon as Wales manager, Chris Coleman, said on the eve of the draw that he would prefer to avoid Roy Hodgson’s England, perhaps the die was cast.
The two teams will duly meet in Lens, an hour from Calais, in Group B on June 16. The locations of England’s three matches—Lens, Marseille and St Etienne—will stir memories of their France 98 World Cup campaign among fans.
For England, exiting at the second round stage as they did then would be a grave disappointment.
That England and Wales share a group with Russia and Slovakia, who beat Spain 2-1 in qualifying, gives both a chance of progressing.
“Chris Coleman and I have been friends for a long time and whatever happens we’ll be friends after the game as well,” said Hodgson after the draw.
“Slovakia and Russia are interesting. I’ve not come across either of those two teams in my international career—which is unusual given how many matches we play,” Hodgson added.
Coleman said: “We are in with Russia and Slovakia as well, so we are in good company. It’s an interesting group and some good games will come out of it. It’s become very real.”
Slovakia coach, Jan Kozak, added: “In our last 18 games, we’ve won 14 of them and beaten Spain so we don’t fear anyone. England will be favourites. We play them last so we do think we will have a good chance of getting out of the group.”
It was the Republic of Ireland manager, Martin O’Neill, and his assistant, Roy Keane, who were left cursing their luck after being drawn alongside Belgium, Italy and Sweden Group E. Their opening match against Sweden in Saint-Denis on 13 June will thus assume huge importance.
For Northern Ireland—drawn with world champions German, Ukraine and Poland in Group C—progress will be tough but not inconceivable.
“We will go there and try to do our best. You look at Ukraine as a game to win. No pressure though,” said their striker Jamie Ward.
“We’ve got a chance to go and play against some of the best players in the world. Hopefully, our spirit can carry us through,” Ward added.
The draw took place under tight security at Le Palais des Congrès de Paris, with armed guards outside and airport-style security scanners in operation.
But Jacques Lambert, the president of Euro 2016, said that following the “terror and anguish” of the attacks that claimed the lives of 130 victims, “Paris and France have risen, are standing strong, are looking to the future with courage and remain committed to welcoming Euro 2016”.
The official travel company for England’s fans insisted that the security situation would not put fans off from watching their team in France.
“Since the nations’ qualified and in the build-up to the draw this week, we’ve seen a huge interest in packages and our pre-registration figures show that fans are as eager to travel officially to enjoy the tournament as ever before,” said Nathan Wilson, the group sales and marketing director at TUI.