http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gareth-Barry-c14423 was ruled out of the squad due to injury.
Earlier, the Evertonian’s name was included in the list of players on standby by the England manager Roy Hodgson. However, he eventually got the call-up for the main squad after Barry sustained a groin injury in a friendly match against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Norway-c2974 on Saturday.
The 29-year, who played for the entire 90 minutes against Norway, admitted that he was gutted after not being selected first time around, but nevertheless confirmed his availability in the reserve crew. He expressed his delight on finally getting the opportunity
to represent the Three Lions in the mega European event, and was satisfied with his pre-tournament preparation.
He told the club’s official website, “As it is, I got to play 90 minutes for my country which was fantastic and a few days later I managed to make the 23.”
England’s preparations for the eagerly awaited competition were further marred by speculations of Frank Lampard’s possible omission from the event, after he too picked up an injury at the eve of the tournament. With http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Wayne-Rooney-c36736 already set to miss the Three
Lions opening two group matches due to suspension, the atmosphere and hype in England over their team’s chances is somewhat less electric than usual.
However, Jagielka was of the opinion that his side will be better off playing under less pressure of meeting the expectations of the fans and the media, and remained optimistic over their chances of progressing into the later stages of the tournament.
He added, “I'm sure if we win a game, we'll be favourites. If we lose a game, we'll be a waste of space. It's a hard one to call. It would be better for the squad if there is a little less expectation on us.”
England have never won the European Championships. Their best performance in the competition’s history was a semi-final finish in the 1996 event. Their last major cup win came way back in 1966 when they hoisted the World Cup trophy.
Jagielka remarked, “We have not won anything for a number of years now and maybe that is because we don't deserve to.”
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