Goldilocks: Something always seems to be 'wrong' for England at tournaments

Basically, the consensus is that the weakest England team in competition history will take on 21-game unbeaten France beset by low expectations in a Ukrainian furnace.

Verdict: no chance. And, while France must be favourites and a draw considered a creditable performance in Hodgson’s first competitive game, Gerrard did not entirely accept the chance to join the ranks of the gloom-laden.

‘I think the idea that we’re weak comes more from under-performing in tournaments,’ he said. ‘We’ve gone out on penalties at the quarter-finals and, if we hadn’t done, perceptions would have been a lot different.

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