SO what are we thinking about England now then? Glass half-full or glass half-empty? Or after the various ups and downs of the last two weeks, are we already too many units in to know?

There have been a rollercoaster of emotions – and that’s just in the last two days when Roy Hodgson’s side haven’t even been playing. But as Euro 2016 takes a pause for breath ahead of the start of the knock-out stage on Saturday, the reality is that England have to beat Iceland for a place in the quarter-finals.

Regardless of the rights or wrongs of Hodgson’s team selection against Slovakia, or the dangers that exist in under-estimating an Icelandic side that qualified from their group with the same points total as England, we would all have taken that when the tournament kicked off a fortnight ago.

England haven’t been perfect, but then the same can be said of every other team in France. Their inability to convert chances is worrying, and the defence that has long been viewed as their Achilles heel is yet to be tested. Even at this stage of the tournament cycle, there is a sense that Hodgson still doesn’t really know what his best team is.

The Northern Echo:

Yet for all that England only won one of their three group matches, there was still much to admire in the way they tried to play their football. Hodgson’s boldness in selecting the youngest squad at the tournament has been rewarded with a verve and energy that we haven’t seen at a major competition for a long time.

Jamie Vardy, Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana have all had their moments, and while things haven’t really gone for Harry Kane yet, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him spark into life if he is restored to the starting line-up in Nice.

Wayne Rooney has done well in his new midfield role – not consistently brilliant perhaps, but certainly more than worthy of his place – and Eric Dier has done everything it was hoped he would do in front of the back four. Tougher tests lie ahead admittedly, but having sensed that the Tottenham midfielder would be England’s most important player prior to the start of the tournament, I have seen nothing to make me change my mind.

The Northern Echo:

Having drawn with Russia and Slovakia, there is clearly an issue when it comes to breaking down a packed defence, and that could be pertinent again on Monday, with Iceland expected to adopt a relatively cautious approach, certainly in the opening stages.

But in both of England’s draws, their failings were more about missed chances than an inability to prise a defensive unit apart. Wales were equally as defensive in Lens, and England ran riot in the second half. Things just need to click, and given the quality of attacking talent at Hodgson’s disposal, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t.

Ah, I hear you say, but things are much harder now than they should have been. That’s true, up to a point.

Having ended up in the more difficult side of the draw, England face a potential quarter-final with France in Paris, and a possible semi-final against Germany, Spain or Italy in Marseille. Clearly, that’s a testing schedule.

But it’s never going to be easy once a tournament gets down to eight teams, and to a certain extent, nervousness about England’s potential passage is more to do with the reputation of the teams they are set to face than the way they have actually played so far.

Wales, who pipped England to the Group B honours on Monday, are likely to face Belgium if they see off Northern Ireland, before taking on Croatia, Poland, Portugal or Switzerland in the semi-finals. Easier on paper, certainly. But easier on the pitch? Belgium and Croatia were arguably the most impressive sides in the group stage.

The Northern Echo:

The tournament could go one of two ways from this point. Either the ‘normal order’ will resume, with the likes of Germany, Spain, France and Belgium becoming dominant, or the spirit and resolve shown by the so-called ‘lesser nations’ so far will be sufficient to carry one or two of them into the last-four and potentially the final.

As things stand, there is every chance of the latter occurring because the leading lights have all shown signs of fallibility. It’s not just England who have staggered their way into the last-16.

Italy looked in ominous shape against Belgium, but struggled against Sweden and were lacklustre against the Irish, admittedly when they had already qualified. Spain brushed the Czech Republic and Turkey aside, but collapsed like a pack of cards when Croatia attacked them. Germany have looked efficient, but lack a goalscorer, while France are hugely reliant on Dimitri Payet and look like they could crack under the pressure of being hosts at any stage. Belgium are now being touted as many people’s favourites because of the draw, but were poor against Italy.

In a one-off game – and that’s where we are now – you wouldn’t want to have your house on any of them against a Croatia, Hungary or even a Wales, who could yet turn out to be the story of the competition. In a relatively even tournament, if often pays to have a well-drilled side that possesses one genuine match-winner.

There are a few teams like that in France – Poland with Robert Lewandowski for instance – and on balance, the move to 24 teams has been a success.

There was a moment this week, when Northern Ireland were playing like a League Two side in the FA Cup third round trying to keep out Germany, when the decision to allow third-placed qualifiers looked misguided.

But then came yesterday and the drama of Iceland’s last-gasp winner against Austria, the excitement of Portugal’s 3-3 draw with Hungary and the unbridled emotion that accompanied Ireland’s winner against Italy. That was tournament football at its best, and for all that the current format isn’t perfect, it has still served up a decent competition.

The Northern Echo:

On we go to the last 16, and a series of matches that could be pretty much anything. Some will no doubt be cagey, unadventurous affairs, potentially settled on penalties, but with most sides in the tournament boasting a better attack than defence, there should also be a handful of classics.

England’s knock-out record over the last couple of decades is dreadful, but then Iceland hadn’t even played a game at a major tournament before the start of the month. They won’t be fearful of what lies ahead, and for all the grumbling of the last few days, we shouldn’t be either.