Bojan Krkic: England have the quality and flair to win the European Championship

I know that in England you are worried about the defensive situation but I truly think that Roy Hodgson’s side have the personnel and flair to be ranked alongside France, Belgium and Spain as the favourites for the tournament.

The attacking talent, with Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy, speaks for itself and with Wayne Rooney, Jack Wilshere and Dele Alli pulling the strings in midfield, it should be a really exciting time to watch England.

I played for Stoke against Tottenham this season and the full backs Kyle Walker and Danny Rose have superb energy and quality. I hope they have the same freedom for England.

One area of concern may be the centre backs, where England don’t have a John Terry or Rio Ferdinand as in years gone by, but I rate Gary Cahill highly. He is a tough defender and makes life very difficult for forwards. Either Chris Smalling or John Stones beside him should work well.

My Stoke team beat Manchester United and Everton in quick succession over Christmas so I had some joy against both those players.

On those days, we had quite a lot of possession, which naturally makes life harder and exposes the central defenders. It is so important England keep the ball well in France. That’s the best way to protect your defenders!

I have sympathy for Stones.

People jump to conclusions but he is still only 22 and learning. He has excellent quality on the ball and will become a great player but you need to allow him to breathe and develop.

There is no point only highlighting individuals here. Clearly, the whole team and coaching staff have a responsibility to stop England conceding and not only centre backs.

Eric Dier will provide a crucial screen in front of the back four but defending begins from the front and you must defend as a block.

The pressing has to be in sync and if one player vacates his position to commit to a tackle or go forward, then somebody else needs to fill in. It is up to the coach and the team as a whole to find that game plan and stick to it properly.

I’ll be watching the forwards closely during this tournament but Harry Kane is my tip for the Golden Boot. England must play to his strengths but I really think he has everything.

He is very confident, he is powerful physically and technically excellent. I’ve enjoyed watching his rise since I came to England two seasons ago and he can take Europe by storm this tournament. He’s good in the air, composed one-on-one and you almost expect him to score every time he plays.

Sometimes before a tournament, a surprise defeat can act as a wake-up call and I am sure the squad will respond. The performance was obviously disappointing and needs to be better. The movement must be sharper and more imaginative. But it was a friendly and I think once the real business of the tournament begins, Spain will show their quality.

Spain are still the team to beat and will head to France aiming to win. But it might be more complicated than in previous years.

I expect teams to try to replicate the counter-attacking of Atletico Madrid and Leicester. Opponents will sit back against Spain and counter with pace and dynamism.

Spain must be wary of this. That means no loose passes in midfield because then your defenders can be exposed on the counter. This is where Sergio Busquets is crucial. I played with him at Barcelona and he is such an intelligent guy.

On the ball, he keeps the ball ticking over but he also has an underrated array of long-range diagonal passes that take opponents out of the game in a flash. Off the ball, he spots danger shrewdly, filling in when the full backs go forward and shutting down counter-attacks.

Make no mistake: Spain are very hard to beat. It is extremely difficult and tiring to play without the ball for long periods so this theory that you can beat Spain simply by putting 10 men behind the ball is flawed.

I have faith in the tiki-taka style and if the squad perform as they can do, few teams will be able to shut Spain out.

At its best, this style of play is thrilling to watch. We have the personnel to not only win but win by playing beautiful football. We have our magicians — talents like David Silva, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas are wizards who cast their spells and unlock doors.

Don’t forget also that manager Vicente del Bosque has options to play with greater pace and directness if need be within certain games. With players like Pedro, Aritz Aduriz and Alvaro Morata, we possess natural width and strikers who can act as reference points.

My Stoke team-mate Marko Arnautovic had a terrific season and I fancy his Austria team to surprise people in France. They have a decent draw in the group stage with Hungary, Iceland and Portugal.

Austria won nine and drew one in qualifying, finishing above Russia and Sweden by a distance and conceding only five goals. Marko is confident, he has a strut and class about him that elevates him but he also works very hard. I can see why people compare him physically to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.