England travel to Basel on Tuesday, to take on Switzerland in the second match of their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. This will be the first qualifying game for the Swiss and they'll be looking to start on a bright note. Switzerland were the only side to beat Spain at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, so England would be foolish to take them lightly. The English were fairly impressive in their 4-0 victory over Bulgaria, with Jermain Defoe scoring an impressive hat-trick while Wayne Rooney was at the heart of their attack and playing a part in all the goals. Meanwhile, the Swiss drew 0-0 against Australia in a friendly on Friday, with veteran striker Alexander Frei missing a penalty for Ottmar Hitzfeld's men.

Switzerland

Ottmar Hitzfeld has done a good job so far with the National team, with the win against Spain at the World Cup being the pinnacle. They rested quite a few players for their game against Australia, with the likes of Tranquillo Barnetta and Diego Benaglio sitting on the bench. England will pose a much bigger threat, but expect Hitzfeld to stick to his principles and start with an attacking line-up.

Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick to help England ease past Bulgaria in the opening game of Group G in the Euro 2012 Qualifiers. Adam Johnson scored the other goal while Wayne Rooney was involved in all four goals for the Three Lions. England took the lead in the 3rd minute and never looked back as they cruised past an average Bulgaria side. The win eases the pressure on the team and Fabio Capello as they look to bounce back from a disappointing World Cup.

Fabio Capello continued to have faith in the 4-4-2, as England lined up in a familiar formation. Joe Hart started in goal while Phil Jagielka shrugged off an ankle knock to start at the centre of defence alongside Michael Dawson. Theo Walcott and James Milner played in the wide positions while Steven Gerrard and Gareth Barry started in central midfield. Up front, Wayne Rooney partnered Jermain Defoe.

Manchester United's Chief Executive David Gill confirmed this week that the club had failed to meet its season ticket sales target for the current season by a narrow margin. Gill said the club had sold 51,800 season tickets compared to the target of 54,000 while the executive seat sales were on track to reach the target. Gill insisted that the club is in good shape, especially in the current economic climate. As the media continues to paint a bleak picture for the Manchester giants it raises a larger question about the state of football in general in England.

The Glazers have been pilloried in the last 12 months for saddling the club with huge debts and for not providing funds to invest in new players. The fans have been voicing their concerns over the current state of the club as represented by the Green & Gold protests. The Glazers borrowed a majority of the £790 million they used to purchase the club back in 2005, using risky PIK loans and loans against United's assets to finance the takeover. As things stand, United are £720 million in debt, £520 million in gross debt and around £200 million in the form of PIK loans. The 14.25% interest rates on the PIK loan combined with the £45 million annual interest payments to the banks have put the club's future in jeopardy.

England have put behind them the memories of a disappointing World Cup performance and are now ready to hit the ground running as they prepare to take on Bulgaria in their first fixture of the Euro 2012 qualifiers. There have been a number of changes made since South Africa 2010 with the involvement of younger players like Theo Walcott and Adam Johnson and keeper Joe Hart, who have proven themselves to be sharp as well as skillful. However, England's preparations for this match have been hardly ideal with superstars like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Peter Crouch withdrawing through injury. Meanwhile, things do not look too good for Bulgaria who have recently lost their star striker Dimitar Berbatov to retirement, and will be looking at someone else to step out and take on the mantle.

England

The English National side looks to be in a dire state with the Manager under immense pressure to deliver and player confidence being at an all time low. Their dismal performance at the World Cup raised numerous questions about the general state of the English game with radical changes being touted. The crux of the problem lies in the rigidity of the English game, the players and the coaching staff lack the tactical nous required to adapt to different situations and oppositions.

Paul Konchesky was the final signing during a busy transfer window for the Reds which has seen close to 11 players come in to Melwood and almost as many leave the sacred grounds. Roy Hodgson, who has earned the name of Uncle Woy over the years for his endearing persona and demeanor, was left wanting in his search for a striker.

Uncle Woy's selection surprised quite a majority of the fans who thought that his short term fame with Fulham was being overplayed and that he didn't deserve the spot. However, since the club's inception the Reds have had 17 permanent managers and just 1 caretaker manager. That should be enough to know that Roy is here to stay. The club ensured that they did their due diligence before installing Roy Hodgson at the seat and are obviously very clear that he was the best available man for the job. Clearly the club is looking for stability and with Uncle Woy that's exactly what they will get. Roy Hodgson has experience world wide and brings to the table an array of talents with man management being his biggest asset which his predecessor lacked bitterly. Moreover, Roy's track record of working on a tight budget also means that the club are preparing themselves for a tough time in kicking the present owners out.

Premier League clubs have named their respective 25-man squads today. The Football Association has asked the clubs to restrict their squad sizes to just 25 and include a minimum of 8 home grown players with the long term objective of helping improve the quality of England National squad and increase the number of good young players coming through the ranks into the top division of English football. The new rules have been universally criticized by managers and pundits with both believing that while the FA have their heart in the right place, the execution of this system in its present form will not bring the desired results.

The squad rules are as follows:

1)      Each 25-man squad must include at least eight 'home-grown' players, who regardless of age or nationality must have spent three years (or a total of 36 months) in the youth system of a club affiliated to either the Football Association of England or Welsh Football Association before they reached the age of 21. This implies that players like Cesc Fabregas are classified as "home-grown".