DANGER MAN
With respect to Craig Bellamy and Aaron Ramsey - and accepting he has been injured - Bale must be regarded as the biggest threat to England in Cardiff on Saturday.
Murmurs from inside the Wales camp suggest manager Gary Speed is pondering an Arsenal-style 4-3-3, with Bale as the left-sided striker.
Playing higher up the pitch puts him closer to England's goal but Capello may not be too discouraged as it also restricts his space. Harry Redknapp believes Bale is at his best when there is an expanse of grass into which he can gallop.
Despite using him almost exclusively as a winger this season, the Spurs boss maintains the 21-year-old will mature into a full back. 'When he picks up the ball, he carries the game,' says Redknapp. 'He takes you 60 yards up the pitch with one run and people are afraid of him.'
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Rank | Team | W/D/L | Pts |
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Cities & Stadiums
The Top 3 Teams of Previous Tournaments
Year | Winners | Runner-up | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Spain | Germany | Russia / Turkey |
2004 | Greece | Portugal | Netherlands / Czech Republic |
2000 | France | Italy | Netherlands / Portugal |
1996 | Germany | Czech Republic | France / England |
1992 | Denmark | Germany | Netherlands / Sweden |
1988 | Netherlands | Soviet Union | Italy / West Germany |
1984 | France | Spain | Denmark / Portugal |
1980 | West Germany | Belgium | Czechoslovakia |
1976 | Czechoslovakia | West Germany | Netherlands |
1972 | West Germany | Soviet Union | Belgium |
1968 | Italy | Yugoslavia | England |
1964 | Spain | Soviet Union | Hungary |
1960 | Soviet Union | Yugoslavia | Czechoslovakia |