Beyond The Pitch show

Summary: Phil and Anto are joined by Times football correspondent Oliver Kay on the main talking points facing England and Roy Hodgson in a largely hard to predict Group D past favorite France at Euro 2012. We discuss this current crop of England players to determine whether the source of low expectations is more due to missing pieces or the general perception that the young talent coming through might have been a regression over previous editions. We gauge who are the key players who will need to emerge in the absence of Wayne Rooney, agree that the opening match will most likely be a draw and consider whether the second match against Sweden might just be where fortunes will be shaped for England in this tournament. We also place focus on Steven Gerrard, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joe Hart who might just be the big wildcards given the missing players and options available. We take a look back at the Rio Ferdinand exclusion to determine if events and chronology worked against Roy Hodgson and whether that lack of time to repair the chasm within the ranks was the main reason why the Manchester United central defender was not included for this tournament. Then we turn to some key Premier League talking points of late which includes whether Chelsea and Manchester City look poised to test the limits of Financial Fair Play this summer and whether smoke signals around Harry Redknapp at Tottenham could turn into flames sooner or later given unmet contract demands.