England open their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign against tiny Andorra.
McClaren: Cole is focused on England game
1st September 2006
Just one game has been played in England's group so far. Macedonia beat Estonia 1-0. The teams who finish first and second in each group qualify for Euro 2008.
England are the favourites to win Euro 2008 and Holland are second-favourites. World Champs Italy are third-favourites and so are France.
Team................Points
FYR Macedonia.. 3
ENGLAND ........0
Israel ......... ...0
Russia ........... 0
Andorra ...... ...0
Croatia ....... ...0
Estonia ..........0
Euro 2008 Qualifying Group E Fixtures
Following England's favourable qualifying draw, the bookies are making England favourites to win the competition, closely followed by Holland, France and Italy
England manager McClaren believes being with the England camp will have helped Ashley Cole to stay focused on football after his transfer to Chelsea was completed just before the midnight deadline last night.
The England manager is unconcerned with his two first-choice left-backs both being at Chelsea, following Cole's deadline-day move to join Wayne Bridge at Stamford Bridge.
On Cole's move, McClaren said: "He has joined up with England now and it's a different mentality. It's a relief for the players to get away from everything revolving around the clubs and they're coming to a different environment.
"The players have been fantastic this week when we've had them in training, and I think it's a relief for them to get away from that atmosphere of the transfer deadline and to work with England.
"I saw the relief on his face when he knew it was a possibility and I'm sure we'll see that in training again and in the game.
"They're at a top club and will play a lot of games, so they will get games - there's a lot of competition at every level. I know on transfer-deadline day it can be hectic and when it's over it's a relief."
McClaren wants his side to build on his opening match, which resulted in a convincing 4-0 win over Greece.
"What we're looking for is a consistent performance like against Greece," said McClaren.
"We're looking for the performance - I said before Greece that we are not as good as we think we are, we need to go up the ladder again after improving against Greece. We need to become a great team, we're not that at the moment."
McClaren is pleased with the options he has in attack, with Andrew Johnson starting the season well with Everton, and Peter Crouch in a rich vein of form at international level.
"Peter Crouch's record is phenomenal at international level and he provides something different," he added.
"When he's come on as a substitute he's impressed and when he's played he's scored the goals. He played well with Jermain Defoe.
"When you look at the camp before Greece people were worried about the strikers but Andrew Johnson has started well, and we have Darren Bent, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe."
England supporters will flock to Old Trafford tomorrow expecting a feast of goals against Andorra.
McClaren's men host the tiny principality team ranked 132nd in the world in what is the new coach's first competitive game in charge.
Their winning margin for their opening Euro 2008 qualifier will be the main item of interest for fans who have yet to fully digest the team's World Cup exit.
England's 4-0 destruction of Greece in McClaren's first game has whetted the appetites of supporters and led to betting connoisseurs rubbing their hands together in anticipation.
International matches involving England are guaranteed to spark a betting frenzy and tomorrow's clash will be no different.
New skipper John Terry is available at 14-1 to open the scoring, which seems an absolute steal given the Chelsea man's recent rich run of form in front of goal.
Not only did he score the opener in McClaren's first game in charge against Greece last month, but he also got the ball rolling for Chelsea in their 3-0 win against Manchester City.
Terry took the England captaincy with aplomb against the Greeks and his typically brave header epitomised his desire to win the ball at all costs.
Given his aerial prowess, Terry could quite conceivably score 10 goals this season for club and country. And the minnows of Andorra should provide rich pickings for the East Ender.
The delivery from set-pieces of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard should provide ammunition for Terry to at least get a glimpse of goal - and he's worth backing to find the net.
Meanwhile, there is also a few bob to be made north of the border as Scotland begin their own Euro 2008 qualifying campaign by playing host to the Faroe Islands, the team that the hapless Scots managed only a 2-2 draw with in 2002 during the World Cup Qualifiers.
Some facts about Andorra, England's opponents in the Euro 2008 qualifiers
1) Andorra is TINY, one of the smallest countries in the world. It is just 468 square kilometres in size - just one third the area of London.
2) It's population is 70,000 - that means the whole population of Andorra can fit inside the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, where Saturday's game is being played.
3) Andorra has been ruled over the centuries by both Spain and France, the two countries that it is sandwiched between. Now it is an independent nation.
4) Andorra's national dish is rabbit meat in tomato sauce.
5) It's official language is Catalan, with some Andorrans also speaking Spanish and French.
6) It's capital is called Andorra la Vella.
7) Tourism accounts for 80% of Andorra's tiny economy. Most tourists go there to ski.
8 ) Andorra are ranked 132nd in the world. England are ranked 5th.
9) Andorra didn't even have a national football team until 1996. They have scored just one goal in the last 12 months or so - that came in an 8-1 defeat against the Czech Republic.
dailymail.co.uk
McClaren: Cole is focused on England game
1st September 2006
Just one game has been played in England's group so far. Macedonia beat Estonia 1-0. The teams who finish first and second in each group qualify for Euro 2008.
England are the favourites to win Euro 2008 and Holland are second-favourites. World Champs Italy are third-favourites and so are France.
Team................Points
FYR Macedonia.. 3
ENGLAND ........0
Israel ......... ...0
Russia ........... 0
Andorra ...... ...0
Croatia ....... ...0
Estonia ..........0
Euro 2008 Qualifying Group E Fixtures
Following England's favourable qualifying draw, the bookies are making England favourites to win the competition, closely followed by Holland, France and Italy
England manager McClaren believes being with the England camp will have helped Ashley Cole to stay focused on football after his transfer to Chelsea was completed just before the midnight deadline last night.
The England manager is unconcerned with his two first-choice left-backs both being at Chelsea, following Cole's deadline-day move to join Wayne Bridge at Stamford Bridge.
On Cole's move, McClaren said: "He has joined up with England now and it's a different mentality. It's a relief for the players to get away from everything revolving around the clubs and they're coming to a different environment.
"The players have been fantastic this week when we've had them in training, and I think it's a relief for them to get away from that atmosphere of the transfer deadline and to work with England.
"I saw the relief on his face when he knew it was a possibility and I'm sure we'll see that in training again and in the game.
"They're at a top club and will play a lot of games, so they will get games - there's a lot of competition at every level. I know on transfer-deadline day it can be hectic and when it's over it's a relief."
McClaren wants his side to build on his opening match, which resulted in a convincing 4-0 win over Greece.
"What we're looking for is a consistent performance like against Greece," said McClaren.
"We're looking for the performance - I said before Greece that we are not as good as we think we are, we need to go up the ladder again after improving against Greece. We need to become a great team, we're not that at the moment."
McClaren is pleased with the options he has in attack, with Andrew Johnson starting the season well with Everton, and Peter Crouch in a rich vein of form at international level.
"Peter Crouch's record is phenomenal at international level and he provides something different," he added.
"When he's come on as a substitute he's impressed and when he's played he's scored the goals. He played well with Jermain Defoe.
"When you look at the camp before Greece people were worried about the strikers but Andrew Johnson has started well, and we have Darren Bent, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe."
England supporters will flock to Old Trafford tomorrow expecting a feast of goals against Andorra.
McClaren's men host the tiny principality team ranked 132nd in the world in what is the new coach's first competitive game in charge.
Their winning margin for their opening Euro 2008 qualifier will be the main item of interest for fans who have yet to fully digest the team's World Cup exit.
England's 4-0 destruction of Greece in McClaren's first game has whetted the appetites of supporters and led to betting connoisseurs rubbing their hands together in anticipation.
International matches involving England are guaranteed to spark a betting frenzy and tomorrow's clash will be no different.
New skipper John Terry is available at 14-1 to open the scoring, which seems an absolute steal given the Chelsea man's recent rich run of form in front of goal.
Not only did he score the opener in McClaren's first game in charge against Greece last month, but he also got the ball rolling for Chelsea in their 3-0 win against Manchester City.
Terry took the England captaincy with aplomb against the Greeks and his typically brave header epitomised his desire to win the ball at all costs.
Given his aerial prowess, Terry could quite conceivably score 10 goals this season for club and country. And the minnows of Andorra should provide rich pickings for the East Ender.
The delivery from set-pieces of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard should provide ammunition for Terry to at least get a glimpse of goal - and he's worth backing to find the net.
Meanwhile, there is also a few bob to be made north of the border as Scotland begin their own Euro 2008 qualifying campaign by playing host to the Faroe Islands, the team that the hapless Scots managed only a 2-2 draw with in 2002 during the World Cup Qualifiers.
Some facts about Andorra, England's opponents in the Euro 2008 qualifiers
1) Andorra is TINY, one of the smallest countries in the world. It is just 468 square kilometres in size - just one third the area of London.
2) It's population is 70,000 - that means the whole population of Andorra can fit inside the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, where Saturday's game is being played.
3) Andorra has been ruled over the centuries by both Spain and France, the two countries that it is sandwiched between. Now it is an independent nation.
4) Andorra's national dish is rabbit meat in tomato sauce.
5) It's official language is Catalan, with some Andorrans also speaking Spanish and French.
6) It's capital is called Andorra la Vella.
7) Tourism accounts for 80% of Andorra's tiny economy. Most tourists go there to ski.
8 ) Andorra are ranked 132nd in the world. England are ranked 5th.
9) Andorra didn't even have a national football team until 1996. They have scored just one goal in the last 12 months or so - that came in an 8-1 defeat against the Czech Republic.
dailymail.co.uk
