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England flew to France on Monday ahead of Euro 2016 with expectations dampened despite having won all three of their warm-up games and boasting a 100 per cent record in qualifying.Roy Hodgson has lost just seven of his 52 games in charge of the Three Lions, but the 68-year-old arrives at his third major tournament under pressure after a disastrous World Cup in 2014, when England finished bottom of Group D with a solitary point. Sky Sports Euro 2016 predictor Make your predictions with our interactive wall chart here. Hodgsons 23-man squad make the journey to their Chantilly training base amid uncertainty over how they will approach their Group B opener with Russia in Marseille, with the former Liverpool boss torn between two formations, his favoured 4-2-3-1 and a midfield diamond, accommodating Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy. Chris Smalling scored the winning goal for England against Portugal All three started for the first time against Portugal at Wembley last Thursday, but after a drab 78 minutes the trio were promptly hooked.Chris Smallings glancing header four minutes from time was enough to spare their blushes, but the exercise seemingly raised more questions than answers. Substitute Raheem Sterling provided an inch-perfect cross for the Manchester United defender and it was his introduction alongside Jack Wilshere and Adam Lallana that flickered England into life underneath the arch. Adam Lallana is part of Roy Hodgsons England squad Lallana will be hoping to register his first international goal in France after receiving his new PUMA evoSPEED II SL Leather Tricks boots for the tournament on Friday morning in his hotel room, which was walking distance from a cloudy Bournemouth sea front.Its always exciting wearing two different coloured boots, he said. It might not be everybodys cup of tea but its something different and I cant wait to start wearing them. Chris Smalling rises to head home the winning goal against Portugal Weve had three great results, said Lallana. You want to get in the winning habit and have a winning mentality.In every game we feel we could have played better, but its not always about performance. Against Russia Ill take a bad performance and a win.It will be Lallanas first appearance at a European Championships after making his international debut in 2013 in a 2-0 defeat to Chile, and he has been highlighted by former Barcelona playmaker Xavi as the key player if England are to go all the way to the final. Adam Lallanas Liverpool lost the Europa League final against Sevilla The winger began his career with Southampton after being spotted playing for Bournemouths centre of excellence but regularly returns to his hometown on the south coast to visit his family. Accompanied by his three-year-old son, Arthur, who was busy kicking a football at the wall and running up and down the corridors dressed in a full England kit, Lallana insisted the squad will be ready come June 11.All the teams focus will be on Russia now, he told Sky Sports News HQ.Its the first game, you dont want to lose your first match and its important we get off to a good start and build from there. I think its important to treat it as much of a normal game as you can. Former England international Rickie Lambert picks out his starting England XI ahead of Euro 2016 Theres always going to be hype but if we concentrate on our football and dont get too caught up in the emotion and what comes with it then Im sure well be fine.There are three games and Im sure six or seven points will definitely get you qualified. I think you just have to take it a game at a time.Obviously there is going to be a lot of hype and expectation about England doing well but as a player you just have to keep focused on the job in hand. Dele Alli is part of Englands young squad, the youngest at Euro 2016 It will be Englands youngest squad at a European Championships and second youngest at a major tournament after the 1958 World Cup, with an average age of just 25.8 years. On that occasion, Sir Walter Winterbottoms young side suffered an early exit after a 1-0 defeat to the Soviet Union saw England eliminated following three consecutive draws.While Hodgson has been criticised for selecting three central defenders in his squad, with Tottenhams Eric Dier likely to fill in at the back if required, Lallana insists its not a case of square pegs in round holes.Weve got the balance of a young, fearless team with a good blend of experience as well, he said. Its great to be versatile and weve got different options or plans that we can switch to. Lallana made it to two cup finals with Liverpool last season I think its good there is an element of surprise so the opposition dont know what were doing. I think thats a massive positive going into the tournament.Were not just going to have 11 players that are going to feature, if we are going to do well then you need the whole 23.The manager stressed that, so regardless of what team he picks for each game and what happens, suspension and injury-wise, you could find yourself not playing a minute in the first three games and playing in a big match towards the end of the tournament.Whatever team the manager selects, everyone will be behind him and behind the team to keep doing well. Danny Drinkwater was left out of Englands final 23-man squad Hodgsons squad announcement was met with scepticism from some, particularly the omission of midfielder Danny Drinkwater, who was instrumental in Leicesters charge to a first Premier League title.In-form Newcastle winger Andros Townsend also missed out alongside Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph, as Hodgson opted for reinforcements in attack, with Manchester United youngster Marcus Rashford favoured alongside Daniel Sturridge, Vardy, Kane and Rooney.Roy has stressed that it wasnt an easy decision for him and the lads have taken it very well and wished us all the best and Im sure that anyone who missed out would have done the same, said Lallana.Were a team and we knew throughout the course of the season there will be players playing, like Fabian [Delph] for example, who didnt make the squad but had a big impact in qualification so its part and parcel of football. Roy Hodgson played Jamie Vardy, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney against Portugal Following the emergence of Vardy this season - who fired Leicester to the Premier League title with 24 goals - it remains unclear what formation Hodgson will choose against Russia.Vardy has been utilised on the left on the international stage, at Lallanas expense of late, and the addition of 18-year-old striker Rashford alongside Sturridge will give Hodgson plenty of ammunition in France.Its remarkable to think three or four months ago he hadnt played a minute in the first team, said the Liverpool winger of Rashford.He looks at home with us training day-in day-out, he looks as if he has been there for years.It doesnt seem to have affected him and hes got such a mature head on such young shoulders and I think thats a big reason Roy selected him. Marcus Rashford capped a remarkable finish to the season with a place in Englands squad Rashford only made his United debut in February but went on to register eight goals in 18 appearances before scoring after just three minutes of his international bow in a dream debut against Australia at the Stadium of Light.It brings an element of freshness to the squad, its very exciting, Lallana added.Weve got a blend of young lads with experience that are fearless and havent played at a major tournament like Dele Alli and Rashford.A lot of players are playing off the back of a great season, look at Vardy and Kane and all the goals they have scored. Its very exciting a Roy has got a lot of options. Adam Lallana impressed as the season went on at Liverpool At 28, Lallana is one of the senior members of the England set-up and made a total of 48 appearances for Jurgen Klopps side, scoring eight goals.It was a campaign of mixed emotion for the German during his first season on Merseyside, finishing eighth in the Premier League and suffering penalty heartache to Manchester City in the Capital One Cup final, plus defeat in the Europa League final to Sevilla.Ive enjoyed the season, said Lallana. There have been plenty of good moments and a couple of disappointing ones in losing two cup finals. But I feel like Ive learned a lot and hopefully I can take that into the Euros. Roy Hodgson and Gary Cahill speak to Sky Sports News after arriving in France ahead of Euro 2016 Lallana is one of five Liverpool players in the squad alongside Nathaniel Clyne, James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Sturridge.Weve played for England together on numerous occasions so its quite easy to switch from club mode to international mode, he added.Sometimes its what you need, you want a change of scenery and personnel and thats what you get in international football, which can be a good thing.Sturridge has only featured for his country for 58 minutes since September 2014, but his inclusion was cemented after he proved his fitness after a calf injury, and Lallana is confident his team-mate can play an integral role. Daniel Sturridge made the England squad despite his injury concerns Sturridge was hitting great form towards the end of the season and scored some vital goals for us, said Lallana.He was always going to make the squad if he was fit; he brings something nobody else has got. He can change the game with a moment of class and Im really excited he is fit and raring to go.It remains to be seen whether Hodgson will unleash his dynamic young squad or assume a more pragmatic approach.Either way, Lallana will be hoping to announce his arrival on the international scene after a bittersweet season at Anfield.Adam Lallana wears PUMA evoSPEED II SL Leather Tricks available now at ProDirectSoccer.com #ChooseTricksAlso See:Rooney dismisses streetwise fearEuro 2016 talent spotterOptions please HodgsonNo defence for England?Fjallraven Kanken Big Backpack Black .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Kanken Mini Backpack Graphite . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. http://www.cheapkankenbackpack.com/cheap-kanken-mini-backpack/kanken-mini-frost-green.html . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Kanken Classic Backpack Sale . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. Fjallraven Kanken Classic Graphite/Black Backpack .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition.I grew up playing tennis with my father down the block from our summer house in Atlantic Beach, New York. Id often wake up to find him in his tennis whites, long legs stretched out while he read the New York Times. After his doubles game, when he would hit a few with my sister and me, he seemed just as happy when we made a good shot as when he hit a winner.Wanting to keep playing tennis motivated him when he was recovering from two heart surgeries. He died a year before I was diagnosed in 2003 with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer.Throughout my treatment, which included chemotherapy, a subsequent stem cell transplant and recovery -- which I wrote about in the New York Times -- I walked, then ran, and played tennis. During those hospital stays at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, under the care of doctors from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Id look at a can of tennis balls on my windowsill when I felt well enough to ride an exercise bike in my room. That can was a reminder that one day I would be back to the game that was a staple of my youth -- the game that connected me with my father. I am a worrier, but when Im on the court I focus on the ball, savoring the simple joy of hitting it well. If my game is off, Im even more eager to play again.Between chemotherapy sessions, breathing fresh air and playing tennis brought a sense of normalcy. I had a double-lumen Hickman catheter implanted in my chest, but I managed by tucking the tubes (one for medicine and the other for blood samples) into my sports bra. I leaned on my extended tennis family, especially when things got even more difficult before my final round of chemo before the transplant, when I developed a fungal pneumonia -- pulmonary aspergillosis -- and needed lung surgery.I got the surgery, I got the transplant, and I got stronger again. My doctors said I had an advantage because I had gone into the treatment in good physical shape. I returned to work at the newspaper where I was a reporter and to my tennis team, which had helped see me through those scary times. I passed the two-year mark, after which the chance of relapse decreases substantially.On an August weekend in 2007, I won in first doubles at a district?tournament with the captain of my USTA team. That Monday I went to the clinic to get the result of a bone marrow biopsy, the painful diagnostic test for leukemia. My doctor had shocking news: I had relapsed.He said I would get another transplant with stem cells from a donor he would find from a national registry, but first I would need more chemotherapy. I got the transplant, but six months later, the donor cells disappeared -- a complication called graft failure. Since it was considered a fluke and the donor was a good match, he agreed to donate again, for which I was grateful. More chemo and transplant No. 3 followed. Six months after that, I relapsed again.I was afraid it was the end, but my doctor offered a fourth transplant with a new donor. (Ive since learned that while two transplants for leukemia are not uncommon and three are given occasionally, four is extremely rare.) I told my social worker I hoped the new donor was a woman (I knew it didnt really matter, but I was buoyed by the thought of that bond), and I joked that it would help if she was a tennis player with a good backhand. Of course, you dont acquire any characteristics other than blood type from a donor, but the thought made me smile at a time when I was feeling beat up, and that helped.ddddddddddddThe new donors cells entered my bloodstream through my catheter in January 2009 without incident. But about two weeks later, I developed multiple life-threatening infections and went into a coma resulting from kidney failure. One night my doctor called my family in and said I might not make it.I woke up after about a week, confused and unable to speak. My legs were swollen, my face black and blue. I went to dialysis every day. For weeks I was unable to get out of bed. When I first got out and into a chair, I could barely lift a leg for the exercises a physical therapist wanted me to do. After that I progressed to trying to walk along part of the nurses station. Even holding onto a nurse or my sister, I nearly fainted. But gradually I got stronger.After about four months, I returned home and started to walk around the lake where I used to run. I was so wobbly that someone had to stay by my side to keep me from tipping over. Once I fell backward and hit my head, earning a trip to the emergency room.I went to physical therapy. I did chair yoga. I kept asking my regular doubles partner and friend, Donna, Is it time? -- wondering if she thought I was ready to hit tennis balls with her. The first few times we rallied, she made me promise not to move more than one step in either direction. Pros from our club brought me back as they had before, first hitting the ball softly, directly to me. Gradually they moved me around and hit with more pace. I squeezed a hand grip to build strength. I couldnt lift the racquet so I served underhand. I got stronger and steadier.Today, I am back on a team and playing three, sometimes four days a week, for hours at a time. I work on my slice, the shot that sustained my father into old age: 45-degree angle, arm straight. I win some and lose some, but I figure Im winning by being there.When a kidney doctor once told me upon discharge that he would see me in four months, I was surprised he thought I would live that long. I was afraid to plan anything. Then, two years ago I hit a milestone: five years in remission, when you are officially cured. I met my donor, who did turn out to be a woman, and also a friend of a childhood friend of mine -- so we really did have a connection. Not a tennis player, but she gave me the biggest gift of all, the gift of being alive and well.And so, I make plans. They include an annual bus trip Donna and I take from our club in Enfield, Connecticut, to watch the US Open. This year will mark our fourth trip, and Im looking forward to all of it, starting with printing out the schedule of play and feeling the buzz of excitement when we get on the bus, where we compare notes with our tennis friends about which practice sessions and matches well watch.I cant wait to get in as much as we can in one day. And as we rush back to the bus at the end of it -- a dash of at least 15 minutes because the buses park a good distance from the tennis center -- you can bet Ill be thinking about how far tennis has brought me.Advances in leukemia treatment, my doctors and my bone marrow donor got me to where I am. But tennis proved to be powerful medicine too.Ronni Gordon lives in Western Massachusetts, and her work has appeared in The New York Times magazine and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among others. Follow her on Twitter @Ronni_Gordon. ' ' '