Roy Hodgson has warned that it will be a mistake to view Wales as a one-man team when England come up against Gareth Bale and Co at Euro 2016 in June following Saturday’s finals draw in Paris.
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World Cup holders Germany head Group C and will take on Poland, Northern Ireland and Ukraine.
The road to France has not been an easy one for Loew and the German side. The team picked up their finest results. In France, even if the Sweden game ends in defeat, Ireland could possibly still be alive going into the final game whatever happens against Belgium. Germany’s friendly against the Netherlands had to be cancelled after a security alert.
“We are very pleased Wales have done so well, and whichever of the teams we got in that pot, it would be tough”.
The draw ceremony for the biggest European Championship in history featured can-can dancers and applause from the delegates in the audience when images appeared on screen of banned UEFA president Michel Platini. “It’ll be a great atmosphere in Marseille”, said Hodgson, before downplaying concerns over disappointing England performances at recent major tournaments.
“You have to take each team individually and not look at the group as a whole as each team in the group has different strengths and weaknesses”.
“A hard but great group for Belgium”, said Manchester City and Belgium skipper Vincent Kompany on Twitter. As Gareth Bale underlined while recently recounting the story of how the English FA tried to poach him for the Three Lions, pulling on the red jersey means everything to the world’s most expensive player.
England manager Roy Hodgson told BBC Sport; “I feel good about it. There was always a very good chance we would meet one of the home nations”.
The German squad will begin preparations at their Swiss training camp in Ascona on May 21. Loew want to play strong opponents before travelling to the European Championship base camp in Evian-les-Bains on the banks of Lake Geneva.
Italy fans will also remember the last time they came up against Sweden in the tournament.
Two sides from each of the six groups alongside the top four third-placed teams are to advance from the group stage.
‘I don’t think they wanted to draw us either, ‘ said Coleman, whose side open their group campaign against Slovakia in Bordeaux and close it versus Russian Federation in Toulouse.
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The draw also pitted England and Wales in Group B. The British nations, who never met on global stage, will clash each other at Lens on June 16 in the group that also features Russian Federation and Slovakia.
