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CZECH REPUBLIC

Goalkeepers Petr Cech (Chelsea), Jan Lastuvka (Dnepropetrovsk), Jaroslav Drobny (Hamburg).

Defenders Roman Hubnik (Hertha Berlin), Tomas Sivok (Besiktas), Michal Kadlec (Bayer Leverkusen), Theodor Gebre Selassie (Slovan Liberec), David Limbersky (Viktoria Plzen), Marek Suchy (Spartak Moscow).

Midfielders Frantisek Rajtoral (Plzen), Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal), Jaroslav Plasil (Bordeaux), Daniel Kolar (Viktoria Plzen), Vladimir Darida (Viktoria Plzen), Petr Jiracek (Wolfsburg), Milan Petrzela (Viktoria Plzen), Vaclav Pilar (Viktoria Plzen), Tomas Hubschman (Shakhtar Donetsk).

Forwards Milan Baros (Galatasaray), David Lafata (Jablonec), Tomas Pekhart (Nuremberg), Tomas Necid (CSKA Moscow), Jan Rezek (Famagusta).

Fixtures June 8 v Russia, Wroclaw 7.45pm, ITV1; June 12 v Greece Wroclaw 5pm, ITV1; June 16 v Poland, Wroclaw 7.45pm, BBC1.

POLAND

Goalkeepers: Grzegorz Sandomierski (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal), Przemyslaw Tyton (PSV Eindhoven)

Defenders: Sebastian Boenisch (Werder Breman), Marcin Kaminski (Lech Poznan), Damien Perquis (Sochaux), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw), Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan).

Midfielders : Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Dariusz Dudka (Auxerre), Kamil Grosicki (Sivasspor), Adam Matuszczyk (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Adrian Mierzejewski (Trabzonspor), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Ludovic Obraniak (Bordeaux), Eugen Polanski (Mainz), Maciej Rybus (Terek Grozny), Rafal Wolski (Legia Warsaw).

Forwards: Pawel Brozek (Celtic), Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund), Artur Sobiech (Hannover).

Fixtures June 8 v Greece, Warsaw, 5pm, BBC1; June 12 v Russia, Warsaw, 7.45pm, ITV1; June 16 v Czech Republic Wroclaw, 7.45pm, BBC1.

GREECE

Goalkeepers: Costas Chalkias (PAOK), Michalis Sifakis (Aris), Alexandros Tzorvas (Palermo)

Defenders: Vasilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiakos), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Schalke), Stelios Malezas (PAOK), Jose Holebas (Olympiakos), Giorgos Tzavellas (Monaco), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Werder Bremen)

Midfielders: Grigoris Makos (AEK), Giannis Maniatis (Olympiakos), Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Giorgos Fotakis (PAOK), Kostas Fortounis (Kaiserslautern), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Giannis Fetfatzidis (Olympiakos)

Forwards: Giorgos Samaras (Celtic), Dimitris Salpigidis (PAOK), Fanis Gekas (Samsunspor), Nikos Limberopoulos (AEK), Kostas Mitroglou (Atromitos).

Fixtures June 8 v Poland, Warsaw, 5pm, BBC1; June 12 v Czech Republic, Wroclaw, 5pm, ITV1; June 16 v Russia, Warsaw, 7.45pm, BBC3.

RUSSIA

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vyacheslav Malafeev (Zenit St Petersburg), Anton Shunin (Dinamo Moskva).

Defenders: Aleksandr Anyukov (Zenit St Petersburg), Aleksei Berezutski (CSKA Moscow), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Granat (Dinamo Moscow), Yuri Zhirkov (Anzhi Makhachkala), Dmitri Kombarov (Spartak Moscow), Roman Sharonov (Rubin Kazan), Kirill Nababkin (CSKA Moscow).

Midfielders: Igor Denisov (Zenit St Petersburg), Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (Zenit St Petersburg), Denis Glushakov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Igor Semshov (Dinamo Moscow), Marat Izmailov (Sporting Lisbon), Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow).

Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg), Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Zenit St Petersburg), Aleksandr Kokorin (Dinamo Moscow), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Lokomotiv Moscow), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Fulham).

Fixtures June 8 v Czech Republic, Wroclaw, 7.45pm, ITV1; June 12 v Poland, Warsaw, 7.45pm, ITV1; June 16 v Greece, Warsaw, 7.45pm, BBC3.

GROUP B

DENMARK

Goalkeepers: Stephan Andersen (Évian Thonon Gaillard), Anders Lindegaard (Manchester United), Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City).

Defenders: Lars Jacobsen (Kobenhavn), Daniel Wass (Évian Thonon Gaillard), Daniel Agger (Liverpool), Simon Kjær (Roma), Andreas Bjelland (Nordsjælland), Simon Poulsen (Alkmaar), Jores Okore (Nordsjælland).

Midfielders: Christian Poulsen (Évian Thonon Gaillard), Jakob Poulsen (Midtjylland), William Kvist (Nürnberg), Niki Zimling (Bruges), Thomas Kahlenberg (Évian Thonon Gaillard), Christian Eriksen (Ajax), Michael Silberbauer (Young Boys), Lasse Schøne (Nijmegen).

Forwards: Dennis Rommedahl (Brondby), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Brondby), Tobias Mikkelsen (Nordsjælland), Nicklas Pedersen (Groningen).

Fixtures June 9 v Holland, Kharkiv, 5pm, BBC1; June 13 v Portugal, Lviv, 5pm, ITV1; June 17 v Germany, Lviv. 7.45pm, ITV4.

HOLLAND

Goalkeepers: Tim Krul (Newcastle United), Maarten Stekelenburg (Roma), Michel Vorm (Swansea City).

Defenders: Khalid Boulahrouz (VfB Stuttgart), Wilfred Bouma (PSV Eindhoven), John Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (Malaga), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax), Jetro Willems (PSV Eindhoven).

Midfielders: Mark van Bommel (AC Milan), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Stijn Schaars (Sporting Lisbon), Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan), Kevin Strootman (PSV Eindhoven), Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham Hotspur).

Forwards: Ibrahim Afellay (Barcelona), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke), Luuk de Jong (Twente), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Luciano Narsingh (Heerenveen), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich).

Fixtures June 9 v Denmark, Kharkiv, 5pm, BBC1; June 13 v Germany, Kharkiv, 7.45pm, BBC1; June 17 v Portugal, Kharkiv,7.45pm, ITV1.

GERMANY

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover).

Defenders: Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Jérôme Boateng (Bayern Munich), Benedikt Höwedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal).

Midfielders: Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Özil (Real Madrid), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Marco Reus (Borussia Mönchengladbach), André Schürrle (Bayer Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Mario Götze (Borussia Dortmund), İlkay Gündoğan (Borussia Dortmund).

Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Köln).

Fixtures June 9 v Portugal, Lviv, 7.45pm, BBC1; June 13 v Holland, Kharkiv, 7.45pm, BBC1; June 17 v Denmark, Lviv, 7.45pm, ITV4.

PORTUGAL

Goalkeepers: Eduardo (Benfica), Rui Patrício (Sporting Lisbon), Beto (Cluj).

Defenders: João Pereira (Sporting Lisbon), Fábio Coentrão (Real Madrid), Bruno Alves (Zenit St Petersburg), Rolando (Porto), Ricardo Costa (Valencia), Pepe (Real Madrid), Miguel Lopes (Braga).

Midfielders: Raúl Meireles (Chelsea), Miguel Veloso (Genoa), João Moutinho (Porto), Rúben Micael (Real Zaragoza), Carlos Martins (Granada), Custódio (Braga).

Forwards: Nani (Manchester United), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Hugo Almeida (Beşiktaş), Ricardo Quaresma (Beşiktaş), Silvestre Varela (Porto), Hélder Postiga (Real Zaragoza), Nélson Oliveira (Benfica).

Fixtures June 9 v Germany, Lviv, 7.45pm, BBC1; June 13 v Denmark, Lviv, 5pm, ITV1; June 17 v Holland, Kharkiv, 7.45pm, ITV1.

GROUP C

CROATIA

Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Rostov), Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Ivan Kelava (Dinamo Zagreb.

Defenders: Domogoj Vida (Dinamo Zagreb), Vedran Corluka (Bayer Leverkusen), Josip Simunic (Dinamo Zagreb), Gordon Schildenfeld (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ivan Strinic (Dnipro), Danijel Pranjic (Bayern Munich), Jurica Buljat (Maccabi Haifa).

Midfielders: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Tomislav Dujmovic (Real Zaragoza), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kiev), Ivan Rakitic (Seville), Luka Modric (Tottenham), Ivan Perisic (Borussia Dortmund), Niko Kranjcar (Tottenham), Milan Badelj (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivo Ilicevic (Hamburg).

Forwards: Ivica Olic (Bayern Munich), Nikica Jelavic (Everton), Mario Mandzukic (Wolfsburg), Eduardo da Silva (Shakhtar Donetsk).

Fixtures June 10 v Rep of Ireland, Poznan, 7.45pm, ITV1; June 14 v Italy, Poznan, 5pm, BBC1; June 18 v Spain, Gdansk, 7.45pm, BBC3.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

Goalkeepers: Shay Given (Aston Villa), Keiren Westwood (Sunderland), David Forde (Millwall)

Defenders: John O’Shea (Sunderland), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Sean St Ledger (Leicester City), Stephen Ward (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Paul McShane (Hull City), Stephen Kelly (Fulham), Darren O’Dea (Celtic)

Midfielders: Keith Andrews (West Bromwich Albion), Glenn Whelan (Stoke City), Darron Gibson (Everton), Damien Duff (Fulham), Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow), Stephen Hunt (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Paul Green (Derby County) James McClean (Sunderland)

Forwards: Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy), Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Simon Cox (West Bromwich Albion), Jonathan Walters (Stoke City), Shane Long (West Bromwich Albion).

Fixtures June 10 v Croatia, Poznan,7.45pm, ITV1; June 14 v Spain, Gdansk, 7.45pm, ITV; June 18 v Italy, Poznan, 7.45pm, BBC1.

ITALY

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris St Germain)

Defenders: Ignazio Abate (AC Milan), Federico Balzaretti (Palermo), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Angelo Ogbonna (Torino)

Midfielders: Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Alessandro Diamanti (Bologna), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Paris St Germain), Antonio Nocerino (AC Milan), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)

Forwards: Mario Balotelli (Manchester City), Fabio Borini (Roma), Antonio Cassano (AC Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Sebastian Giovinco (Parma)

Fixtures June 10 v Spain, Gdansk, 5pm, ITV1; June 14 v Croatia, Poznan, 5pm, BBC1; June 18 v Rep of Ireland, Poznan, 7.45pm, BBC1.

SPAIN

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Jose Reina (Liverpool), Victor Valdés (Barcelona).

Defenders: Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa, Raul Albiol, Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Jordi Alba (Valencia), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao).

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Santiago Cazorla (Malaga), Xavi Hernandez, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets (all Barcelona).

Forwards: David Silva (Manchester City), Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo (both Sevilla), Fernando Torres, Juan Mata (both Chelsea), Pedro Rodríguez (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao).

Fixtures June 10 v Italy, Gdansk, 5pm, ITV1; June 14 v Rep of Ireland, Gdansk, 7.45pm, ITV1; June 18 v Croatia, Gdansk,7.45pm, BBC3.

GROUP D

ENGLAND

Joe Hart (Man City), Rob Green (West Ham), Jack Butland (Birmingham)

Defenders: Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Man United), John Terry (Chelsea), Joleon Lescott (Man City), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Leighton Baines (Everton), Phil Jagielka (Everton)

Midfielders: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool),Scott Parker (Tottenham), Ashley Young (Man United), James Milner (Man City)

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Man United), Danny Welbeck (Man United), Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)

Fixtures June 11 v France, Donetsk, 5pm, ITV1: June 15 v Sweden, Kiev, 7.45pm, BBC1; June 19 v Ukraine, Donetsk, 7.45pm, ITV1.

FRANCE

Goalkeepers: Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)

Defenders: Gael Clichy (Manchester City), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Philippe Mexes (AC Milan), Adil Rami (Valencia), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon)

Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United), Alou Diarra (Marseille), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Marvin Martin (Sochaux), Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain), Yann M’Vila (Rennes), Samir Nasri (Manchester City)

Forwards: Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Montpellier), Jeremy Menez (Paris Saint-Germain), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).

Fixtures June 11 v England, Donetsk, 5pm, ITV1; June 15 v Ukraine, Donetsk, 5pm, ITV1; June 19 v Sweden, Kiev, 7.45pm, ITV4.

SWEDEN

Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (PSV Eindhoven), Johan Wiland (Copenhagen), Pär Hansson (Helsingborgs).

Defenders: Mikael Antonsson (Bologna), Andreas Granqvist (Genoa), Olof Mellberg (Olympiakos), Jonas Olsson (West Bromwich Albion), Martin Olsson (Blackburn Rovers), Behrang Safari (Anderlecht), Mikael Lustig (Celtic).

Midfielders: Emir Bajrami (Twente), Rasmus Elm (Alkmaar), Samuel Holmén (İstanbul BB), Kim Källström (Lyon), Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Pontus Wernbloom (CSKA Moscow), Christian Wilhelmsson (Al-Hilal).

Forwards: Johan Elmander (Galatasaray), Tobias Hysén (Göteborg), Zlatan Ibrahimović (AC Milan), Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen), Ola Toivonen (PSV Eindhoven).

Fixtures June 11 v Ukraine, Kiev, 7.45pm, BBC1; June 15 v England, Kiev, 7.45pm, BBC1; June 19 v France, Kiev,7.45pm, ITV4.

UKRAINE

Goalkeepers: Andriy Pyatov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Olexandr Horyainov (Metalist Kharkiv), Maxym Koval (Dynamo Kiev).

Defenders: Olexandr Kucher (Shakhtar Donetsk), Yaroslav Rakitskiy (Shakhtar Donetsk), Vyacheslav Shevchuk (Shakhtar Donetsk), Evhen Khacheridi (Dynamo Kiev), Taras Mykhalyk (Dynamo Kiev), Evhen Selin (Vorskla), Bogdan Butko (Illichivets).

Midfielders: Olexandr Aliev (Dynamo Kiev), Denys Garmash (Dynamo Kiev), Oleh Gusiev (Dynamo Kiev), Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kiev), Evhen Konoplyanka (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Ruslan Rotan (Dnipro), Serhiy Nazarenko (Tavriya), Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (Bayern Munich).

Forwards: Artem Milevskiy (Dynamo Kiev), Andrei Shevchenko (Dynamo Kiev), Marco Devic (Metalist Kharkiv), Andriy Voronin (Dynamo Moscow), Evhen Seleznyov (Shakhtar Donetsk).

Fixtures June 11 v Sweden, Kiev, 7.45pm, BBC1; June 15 v France, Donetsk, 5pm, ITV1; June 19 v England, Donetsk, 7.45pm, ITV1.

It brings to an end weeks of speculation following the sacking of Kenny Dalglish by American owners Fenway Sports Group.

Rodgers originally ruled himself out of the running a fortnight ago.

Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry had flown into Britain to attend a Premier League meeting and speaking to Rodgers was high on his agenda.

The 39-year-old Ulsterman fits his profile as a young, up-and-coming manager to slot into the new coaching structure at Anfield. He now faces the immense task of re-inventing a heavily depleted squad.

Transforming Liverpool’s Football Philosophy

By succeeding Kenny Dalglish, Rodgers has taken on a dream job that could very quickly turn into a nightmare. By taking on the task of rebuilding Liverpool into an outfit regularly finishing in the top four and challenging (if not winning) for League titles and domestic cups he has inherited a task monumental in size.

The Liverpool squad currently has potential but is still in need of recovery from last summer’s spending spree that saw £114m on players who largely failed to live up to their transfer fees.

Stewart Downing failed to contribute neither a goal nor an assist in the League all season, Jordan Henderson seemed to be swamped by the pressure of playing for Liverpool, Charlie Adam contributed little after a promising start and Andy Carroll performed awfully following his huge transfer from Newcastle. Jose Enrique and Craig Bellamy were perhaps the only current worthwhile signings from last summer. But, of course one season is not enough to judge these players.

Dalglish and Rodgers have completely different philosophies and tactictally are poles apart. If the finances are provided, I’d expect Brendan Rodgers to bring a number of players to Anfield that will suit the style of football he loves his teams to play. His short passing, high pressing game, the sort Spain and Barca have used to wreak havoc on their rivals in recent years has been successful as Swansea but didn’t work so well at Watford and Reading.

At Liverpool he’ll have to make fairly radical changes to the playing style the team has utilised for the past decade if he wishes to implement his own philosophy on the squad. However, this will not be an impossible task as Rodgers will have a number of talented players at his disposal, for example, Suarez, Gerrard and, the up and coming, Lucas.

Regardless, Liverpool is a great club with great history and great potential. But it’s been a distinctly mediocre club the last three season and a manager with verve, great man-management skills, tactical awareness and the ability to win over fans and people in the boardroom is necessary.

I wish Brendan Rodgers the best of luck at Liverpool. He’s going to need it.

There have been some fantastic achievements from many, not just at the top of the league.

But, taking into consideration domestic cup competitions and European tournaments, as well as league success, here are my top 5.

5) Paul Lambert

Since moving from Colchester United in 2009, Paul Lambert has been a fantastic appointment for Norwich City guiding the club through successive promotions and into the Premier League.

But many experts and bookmakers alike saw this year as a step too far for the Canaries after a distinct lack of transfer activity going into the season.

How wrong they were; City not only avoided relegation, they finished mid-table and were unlucky not to make a Top 10 spot.

Wins over Spurs and Newcastle were the highlights as the likes of Grant Holt and John Ruddy continued to produce stunning performances at the highest level.

With more television money on its way thanks to a second Premier League season, Lambert will be keen to add to his squad before preseason begins.

Lambert is now a target for Aston Villa, but Norwich will be wise to hold onto arguably their most valuable asset.

4) Brendan Rodgers

Like Norwich, Swansea were expected to return to the Championship with a whimper.

The likes of Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer who fared so well in the second tier should have found the rigours of the EPL a bit too much—they didn’t.

Add to that the excellent addition of Danny Graham and the sensation that was Michel Vorm and you had a Welsh team that upset many of England’s finest.

Rogers did not abandon the direct-passing style of play that served him so well in their promotion; they were a pleasure to watch.

And with Gylfi Sigurdsson now a permanent signing, Rodgers will be looking to build on the 11^th placed finish last season.

3) David Moyes

Moyes has had an excellent season with Everton. Following several inspired January signings, including the likes of Piennar and Jelavic, the Toffees have leapfrogged city rivals Liverpool.

Moyes might have a few doubters amongst the Everton faithful but his success cannot be denied this time round. He is a manager who works wonders with very little at his disposal.

Once again, with an almost non-existent transfer budget (lower than almost every other team in the Premiership) he has delivered a top-eight finish and put together a decent cup run.

Everton’s FA cup progress simply added to Moyes’ success this season, only defeat against Liverpool, in the semi’s, prevented his team from challenging Chelsea in May’s final.

2) Alan Pardew

Despite being tipped to struggle following the sale of key players, Pardew has turned the Magpies’ fortunes around during a remarkable campaign which has exceeded all expectation.

The Toon finished in fifth place in the league, qualifying for the Europa league next season in the process. This has been the club’s highest league position since 2003-04 when they came third under Sir Bobby Robson.

His league success has already been acknowledged having won the LMA Manager of the season award. However, Newcastle’s cup progression wasn’t anything worth shouting about.

The biggest challenge now for Pardew, will be keeping his star players that have brought so much success this year. The likes of Cabaye, Ba and Cisse are now wanted by Europe’s biggest teams after proving themselves at the top-level in English football.

1) Roberto Di Matteo

Not even di Matteo himself could have envisaged what happened to himself and Chelsea over the last few months.

After the surprise sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, the Italian was given the caretaker role until the end of the season when a new manager could be targeted.

Not only did he dramatically improve their Premier League form, he also led the Blues to an impressive FA Cup final win over a resurgent Liverpool.

But his most stunning achievement was of course beating Barcelona and then Bayern Munich against all the odds to secure the club’s first Champions League title.

The 42-year-old is now favourite to be named permanent manager at Stamford Bridge, and Roman Abramovic would be foolish not to reward Di Matteo with a well-deserved contract

Goalkeepers: 1. Joe Hart (Manchester City), 13. Robert Green (West Ham), 23. Jack Butland (Birmingham City).

Defenders: 12. Leighton Baines (Everton), 5. Gary Cahill (Chelsea), 3. Ashley Cole (Chelsea), 2. Glen Johnson (Liverpool), 14. Phil Jones (Manchester United), 15. Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), 6. John Terry (Chelsea), 18. Phil Jagielka (Everton).

Midfielders: 19. Stewart Downing (Liverpool), 4. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), 8. Frank Lampard (Chelsea), 16. James Milner (Manchester City), 20. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), 17. Scott Parker (Tottenham), 7. Theo Walcott (Arsenal), 11. Ashley Young (Manchester United).

Forwards: 9. Andy Carroll (Liverpool), 21. Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), 10. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), 22. Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)

Both Danny Welbeck and Glen Johnson are surprise inclusions considering that both players have been nursing injuries.

The Manchester United striker and Liverpool full-back have both been struggling for fitness since linking up with England having been named in the initial squad earlier this month.

Hodgson had admitted concerns about the pair, but after talks with the Three Lions medical team – they have both been included.

Evertondefender Phil Jagielka and Birmingham goalkeeper Jack Butland are the two new faces coming in after the previous squad was named.

Jagielka came in for the injured Gareth Barry,ruled out on Monday, while Butland replaced John Ruddy, who broke a finger in training last week.

England also confirmed squad numbers for the tournament on Tuesday, and in a possible indicator of Hodgson’s preferences in attack, handed Liverpool striker Andy Carroll the No.9 shirt.

Carroll is expected to start for England in their opening matches against France and Sweden in the absence of the suspended Wayne Rooney.

We can now look forward to England’s final friendly against Belgium this saturday. Hopefully Hodgson has had the chance to make his mark on the team so that the three lions can go to Ukraine fully prepared and confident for their first fixture against France.

Please feel free to comment with your opinions. Or follow me on twitter for constant football updates (Link in the sidebar)

Germany squad for Euro 2012

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover);

Defenders: Jerome Boateng, Holger Badstuber, Philipp Lahm (all Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund);

Midfielders: Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira (both Real Madrid), Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, Bastian Schweinsteiger (all Bayern Munich), Marco Reus (Borussia Monchengladbach), Mario Goetze, Ilkay Gundogan (Borussia Dortmund), Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Andre Schuerrle (Bayer Leverkusen).

Forwards: Lukas Podolski (Cologne), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich) Miroslav Klose (Lazio).

Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Julian Draxler, who made their international debuts in Saturday’s 5-3 loss to Switzerland, have been cut, along with midfielder Sven Bender and striker Cacau.

The cuts mean that Manuel Neuer, Tim Wiese and Ron-Robert Zieler will be Low’sgoalkeepers, while Lars Bender has been preferred to his twin brother, Sven.

Cacau’s omission leaves Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez as the only established strikers, with Marco Reus a possible tertiary option.

Germany kick-off their Euro 2012 campaign on Saturday, June 9, against Portugal.

For 24/7  football updates, follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/chrisslinnell

Within the last 10 minutes, the former Lille player has announced the move to his fans on twitter:

Abramovich has sanctioned a £32million transfer fee with a five-year deal that will pay the in-demand Belgian star £4.8m per season, according to Mirror football. I’m sure Chelsea fans will be thrilled with this news. Hazard is undeniably one of the World’s most promising talents.

Hazard is due to stay with the Belgians until they all jet to the UK on Friday ahead of the weekend Wembley friendly with England.

He will then have his medical at Chelsea and complete the terms of his move to SW6.

The highly rated 21-year-old has been pursued by several clubs and has previously revealed interest from Manchester United, Manchester City but reports emerged this morning that the Lille midfielder had chosen to sign for Champions League winners Chelsea.

The 22-year-old forward has hinted on his Twitter account he has now made a decision on his future, with reports suggesting his choice will be revealed later on Monday.

He tweeted on Monday morning: “good afternoon guys. i made up my mind. see you later. Thanks.”

Hazard can play as a winger or an attacking midfielder but has stated he would be happier in the latter role after impressing there with Lille.

The youngster netted 20 goals for the French club this season and provided the most assists in Ligue 1

For a while we have known his preferred destination is England, however almost every day a different club becomes favorite to the youngster.

“The decision will depend on the amount of play I would see and the position where I would play.’ Hazard has stated.

However, the playmaker has also recently hinted Chelsea’s triumph in this season’s Champions League made a potential move to Stamford Bridge more attractive.

When asked about a possible move to the Blues, he was quoted as saying by France Football: “Now, yes. They won the Champions League so they will be back in that competition next season.

“It’s important for me to play in that competition. Chelsea are a great team with great players. Of course it’s a possibility.”

Hazard at Chelsea

Chelsea’s triumphant win over Bayern Munich two weeks ago looks to have more and more impact on the growth of the club. But it also could have tipped the balance of the Premier League back in the Blues’ favor.

Hazard, of course, would provide Chelsea with the dynamic wing play they lacked all season. Players like Daniel Sturridge, Salomon Kalou and Ramires were filling in on the wings out of their natural position and at times it showed.

It was their lack of decision-making over lack of skill that really hurt the team, passing when they should shoot and more so shooting when they should have passed. They also struggled mightily when isolated on the wing, not able to work themselves out of tight positions leading to dead possessions and turnovers.

With Hazard, this would be a worry of the past as these are the facets he excels in. He would be the perfect complement to both the striker and other attacking players such as Juan Mata and Frank Lampard.

But his impact in the odds of the Premier League is only partly based on skill and it is perhaps the smallest amount. Let’s be honest: Man-for-man, the Manchester clubs are equally, if not more talented than Chelsea. Though Hazard would make them much more competitive, it is still impossible in this game for one player to completely decide results.

Hazard’s potential announcement that he will be moving to Stamford Bridge has much bigger implications in this summer than next fall.

It was a year ago that City and United were the premier destination for the world’s top players in England, with Chelsea a close third. As the season unfolded and the Blues continued to decline in the table, they also did in terms of interest from potential targets.

But the signing of Hazard would reverse the stigma and could lead to a trend that will see Roman Abramovich signing more names on his wish list.

Other notable names Chelsea have been linked to, such as Porto star Hulk (per ESPN) and Atletico Madrid striker Falcao (per the Daily Mail), may be more inclined to make the same move as Hazard, seeing the huge upside the club has through the actions of the young Belgian.

Of course, the prospect of bringing in all these names is unlikely as the cost would be staggering, but the raise in profile continues to prove how critical the Champions League success was. Even younger and “lesser” players may be willing to sacrifice money to be a part of what is looking more and more the foundation for building a successful future and proves that Chelsea is not to be ignored in the upcoming season.

Why He’ll Be a Star in the Premier League

Mesmeric Dribbling Ability - 

Eden Hazard can dance his way past an opposing team whilst also being aware of his teammates.

He is an effective dribbler, who is more interested in scoring goals and providing assists like Messi than taking on too many defenders.

Top Playmaker -

Hazard is blessed with wide-ranging vision, world-class passing ability and a mind of a genius—what a combination.

This season, he went four successive games with an assist. He also provided eight assists in a 10-game stretch.

Productiveness - 

In the elite European leagues, there are only two players who scored 20 goals and provided 15 assists: Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard.

It’s pointless being a flashy player with no end product.

Hazard is ruthless in front of goal, always looking for incisive passes (which is why his pass percentage is in the low 80s instead of the high 80s) and such a threat when

As ever, one of the most popular betting markets is the outright top scorer of the competition. With many of the European strikers having incredible seasons at club level, the race for the Golden Boot will surely be hotly contested.

Mario Gomez

Gomez is the favourite to be the top scorer at Euro 2012 and it’s easy to see why. His club scoring record this season has certainly been impressive; this has also coincided with an improvement in his record for the national side.

Gomez found the net 41 times for Bayern Munich this season and was also Germany’s leading scorer in qualifying for the competition, scoring 6 times in as many appearances.

Germany have been backed to reach the final of Euro 2012, that means they would play six matches, and Gomez’s ability to score in most games would see him go very close here.

One of the only potential setbacks, for Gomez, is the fact Germany are playing in the group of death. But if they come out on top in that group, surely he will have scored at least two or three goals.

Furthermore, the fact that he has Miroslav Klose competing for his starting place may mean he doesn’t always play.

However, should Gomez be views by Joachim Lowe as his team’s best striker he will be a confident bet to be the leading scorer in the competition.

Current Sky Bet Odds – 15/2

Robin Van Persie

Van Persie has been the catalyst for Arsenal this season and has all but won the Golden Boot in the Premier League with 30 goals (after 38 games).

He will lead the line for Holland after scoring six goals in six qualifying games, albeit four of those came in one game against San Marino.

This season, impressively, Van Persie has been able to avoid injury. When, in the past he has struggled to do this. Still his ability to play every few days remains in question.

Should Holland do as expected and qualify from a group including Germany and Portugal, Van Persie has at least four games to make his mark on the tournament.

Given his club form, and the attacking quality around him, Van Persie would very much be expected to finish amongst the top scoring list.

Current Sky Bet Odds – 17/2

Klaas Jan Huntelaar

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was Holland’s top scorer in qualifying and in fact scored more times than any other player from any country.

Huntelaar played eight games yet managed to score twelve goals, again his tally was helped by playing San Marino twice but he did score in seven of his eight games which is impressive.

He also finished his domestic season for Schalke 04 as top scorer in the German Bundesliga with 29 league goals.

The fact that he is not even guaranteed to be leading attacker at Euro 2012 creates fairly short odds on the striker, although he is obviously going to be a threat in a tournament where Holland should reach the semi-finals at least.

Current Sky Bet Odds – 12/1

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has to be one of the favourites in the Golden Boot, simply due to his undoubted ability and club scoring record. However, this doesn’t quite translate to international level.

Having said that seven goals in eight games in qualifying is a good return and the fact that he takes the team’s set pieces and is a threat from anywhere makes him a serious contender.

The problem for Ronaldo is Portugal’s group. Portugal are third favourites in the ‘group of death’ behind Germany and Holland and he might only get three (tough) games to score in making his task very difficult.

Current Sky Bet Odds – 12/1

Miroslav Klose

The former World Cup Golden Boot knows all about these major tournaments and he will be playing in a side that scores plenty of goals (averaged 3.4 a game in qualifying).

Klose was the team’s top scorer in qualifying with seven goals in six starts and even if he plays second fiddle to Gomez at Euro 2012 it would be no surprise to see him score three or four goals from the bench suggesting he remains an each way contender at the very least.

Current Sky Bet Odds – 14/1

Karim Benzema

A player who has found his feet in La Liga after a slow start for Madrid, Benzema is starting to show his full arsenal of skills for Jose Mourinho’s title winning Real Madrid side.

Despite being played in a few different positions, and being rotated with Higuain, Benzema has broken the 20 goal mark in the league and is the stand out forward in French football at the minute.

Despite France’s recent resurgence under Laurent Blanc, they are considered outsiders for the tournament. However, they should qualify with England from their group giving Benzema enough games to mount a challenge.

Current Sky Bet Odds – 14/1

Fernando Llorente

If Fernando Llorente is given a starting place for Spain he is surely going to go close to being the tournament’s top scorer with games against the likes of Republic Of Ireland and Croatia in the group stage.

Llorente has shown his goal threat on the European stage this season in the Europa League and he is a very difficult player to defend against.

Until recently he looked to be ahead of Roberto Soldado in the pecking order but that might have changed after an impressive friendly performance recently. David Villa’s had already been ruled out of the tournament through injury.

If Llorente is given the nod for Spain he will look a good value play in this market. However, if he is sat on the bench for the first few games, he will be unlikely to get enough chances to win the Golden Boot.

Current Sky Bet Odds – 16/1

Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres has been backed for the Golden Boot since returning to some sort of form for Chelsea at the end of the season.

He still looks well off the ability he showed at his peak for Liverpool though and is far from guaranteed to start for Spain even with David Villa out injured with the likes of Roberto Soldado and Fernando Llorente waiting in the wings.

Last time round, Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in a 1-0 final victory against Germany.

However, he has has never been a player to score many goals away from home and since none of these games are going to take place in Spain he may score less than expected.

Current Sky Bet Odds – 16/1

Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski has attracted plenty of support in the Golden Boot  recently after a great season for his club Borussia Dortmund, having scored 30 goals in 46 games in all competitions.

He has also been amongst the goals for Poland in their friendlies in the lead up to Euro 2012 and he is playing in Group A, the weakest looking at Euro 2012.

Unfortunately for Lewandowski, Russia and Greece have been very strong defensively in qualifying, therefore he is unlikely to score a huge number of goals against either side.

On top of this, even if Poland qualify from Group A they are likely to face Germany or Holland in the Quarter Final. Lewandowski looks very likely to be Poland’s top scorer but it would be a surprise if he was able to outscore everyone at Euro 2012.

Current Sky Bet Odds – 16/1

Lukas Podolski

The third German striker featured in Sky Bets top 10 contenders for the tournaments golden boot. Lukas Podolski has recently confirmed a move to Arsenal following a successful domestic season with FC Koln (18 goals in 29 games)

Podolski will be keen to impress his news fans and will use this competition as an opportunity to do so.

Germany’s qualifying campaign saw the forward score once in five matches. A record he will be anxious to improve in the main European finals.

Current Sky Bet Odds – 18/1