England may seek to take a leaf out of Chelsea’s Champions League-winning book as they fine-tune a gameplan based on counter-attack for Monday’s Euro 2012 opener against France. Injuries and Wayne Rooney’s suspension have sharply reduced Roy Hodgson’s tactical options heading into the tournament, where many feel England’s best hope lies in attempting to stifle technically superior opponents. Chelsea’s improbable march to the Champions League title has already provided a template of sorts for England, who beat world champions Spain 1-0 in a friendly last November by adopting similar tactics. England’s final warm-up matches for Euro 2012 were won with goals scored following swift counter-attacks, with Ashley Young scoring in a 1-0 win over Norway before setting up Danny Welbeck’s winner in the 1-0 defeat of Belgium. England midfielder Stewart Downing, who is expected to start against the French at the Donbass Arena, acknowledged that Hodgson had encouraged his players to look for openings on the counter.
