EURO 2012 England Squad: Danny Graham, Grant Holt & Danny Simpson Should Be In

EA Sports Player Performance Index offers an England squad based solely on this season's form, and there are some shocks.

brand new information about FIFA 13, the latest upcoming addition to their juggernaut FIFA Football series, or marketing the hell out of their download only EURO 2012 expansion pack, they're sending out stats that suggest exactly who new England manager Roy Hodgson should be taking to the European Championships when the squad is announced later today. The development giant have used their own EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to calculate which players deserve to be included in the squad for the tournament based on performances over the past year, and while the old adage would have us believe that form is temporary, but class permanent, all England fans should note that the demise of the German international team at the start of the twenty first century was thanks to an infatuation with preserving legends in their team. If England want to move forward, Roy has to ignore the temptation to pick players based solely on the name on the back of their shirts and the admittedly head-turning factor of former glories - something which he didn't manage at Liverpool, thanks to an ingrained devotion to history at that club. So, Roy would do well to consider the choices suggested by EA Sports' PPI, even if some of them could be counted as comparatively controversial, but then, as Dr Ian McHale, Senior Lecturer in Statistics at Salford University, and the data crunchers behind the PPI, said: €œThere€™s some shock inclusions in the EA SPORTS Euro 2012 squad but the math doesn€™t lie. The PPI provides objective ratings for players€™ performances in a match and over a season.€ Unfortunately, we already know that a few inclusions in the EA Sports 23 probably who won't make it - with today's news that Rio Ferdinand looks likely to be left out and Tottenham's Kyle Walker is injured, as well as Ben Foster's continued international retirement, but the squad makes for interesting reading all the same:

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Man City), Ben Foster (West Brom), John Ruddy (Norwich) Defenders: Danny Simpson (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Spurs), Leighton Baines (Everton), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Joleon Lescott (Man City), John Terry (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), Shawcross (Stoke) Midfielders: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Matt Jarvis (Wolves), Matthew Etherington (Stoke), Ashley Young (Man Utd), Danny Murphy (Fulham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Gareth Barry (Man City), Michael Carrick (Man Utd) Strikers: Wayne Rooney (Man Utd), Danny Wellbeck (Man Utd), Grant Holt (Norwich), Danny Graham (Swansea)
Of those players, I simply cannot see a couple entering Roy's consideration - first off, Danny Simpson might have had a solid season, but he is injured and his status as the highest ranking English full-back says more about the lack of options than it does about his form (with James Perch coming in at the end of the season and looking more impressive himself). Danny Murphy might get a romantic recall based on his relationship with Roy, but his inclusion would probably polarise, and despite a strong season Danny Graham is probably the longest shot for selection of the 23 players above, even though he would offer more than Andy Carroll, whose "resurgence" lasted all of twenty minutes in the FA Cup Final. So what do you think? Would you be happy with this A Sports 23 man squad representing England at the Euro 2012 tournament? Let us know below. EA Sports commissioned the research as part of their EURO 2012 Expansion Pack campaign. You can read our own review here, or catch up on all of our FIFA 13 coverage here.

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