Euro 2012: 5 Reasons Why England Failed

3. Suspensions

With injuries disrupting the midfield, not all was well up front, either. Back in October 2011, Wayne Rooney was sent off for kicking Miodrag Dzudovic in England's final Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro, ultimately ruling him out for the first three group games of the Euro's, later reduced to two upon appeal. This essentially meant England rookie Danny Welbeck was thrown into the fray, having only made a handful of appearances for the national team previously. By the time Rooney came back, he had lost much of his cutting edge and pace, having not played 90 minutes of a competitive match since May. Though he scored the crucial goal versus the Ukraine, the suspension definitely affected his form and match fitness, and he never really got going in the competition as a result. Click "next" below to read the next entry...