Roy Hodgson must keep the faith after Russia disappointment
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Updated 16/06/2016 at 08:49 GMT+1
England’s result against Russia was disappointing but the performance was full of promise, so Roy Hodgson must again be bold in his selection against Wales, writes Marcus Foley.
England manager Roy Hodgson stands on the pitch at the Bollaert-Delelis stadium in Lens on June 15, 2016 days before England take on Wales on June 16 in the Euro 2016 football tournament.
Image credit: AFP
Roy Hodgson, often harshly dismissed as a ultra-conservative sleuth, made the boldest selection of his tenure for the Group B opener against Russia.
England were nominally set up as a 4-3-3 but with Dele Alli and Wayne Rooney making up two of the three midfield spots, let’s just say it was a liberal interpretation of the formation. The former Fulham manager’s abandon was richly rewarded with one of the most impressive performances of his time in charge.
In his post-match press conference, Hodgson intimated that for large swathes of the game, it had been his most satisfying match as England manager.
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"I thought we played well, in the first half I thought that was as good a performance as we are capable of giving. After that 15-minute spell (after half-time), we got back on track and established our control again and we were unlucky not to score a second goal which would have put it behind doubt.”
The 68-year-old was spot on. England put in the sort of fluid performance marked by passages of aggressive creativity that is rarely associated with a Hodgson side.
Adam Lallana and Kyle Walker were superb down the right, Wayne Rooney patrolled midfield with the sort of guile he was once renowned for. Danny Rose was a constant menace down the left.
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England's midfielder Adam Lallana controls the ball during the Euro 2016 group B football match between England and Russia at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on June 11, 2016
Image credit: AFP
Alli probed and Eric Dier protected and kept it simple. It was not a perfect performance; Harry Kane was subdued while Raheem Sterling appears a player shorn of both confidence and ideas.
The only thing lacking was the goal the excellence of the performance demanded. Yet, when Dier pulled rank on Kane and Rooney with the clock ticking toward 90 to whip the ball into the top corner with 73 minutes gone, it felt like a moment of significance. That England had found a way – through the most unlikely of sources – to get over the line. It is what good teams do. They win, somehow.
However, this is England. Reliably, they contrived to snatch a draw from the jaws of a victory in the death throes of the match. Familiar disappointment swept the Stade Velodrome. The match and that moment felt like a microcosm of Hodgson’s reign in general; promising but ultimately not good enough. The man himself said it felt like a defeat.
“It feels like defeat because we were preparing to celebrate victory and we don’t have that possibility now,” Hodgson said after the game.
Hodgson's reputation for conservatism is a touch unfair (certainly with this England team) but there is some substance to it. Many of the successes of his career have been built on a sound defensive base. However, despite the disappointment of the Russia draw, Hodgson must again be bold in his selection against Wales. In fact, it would be remiss in the extreme to do so for Thursday's game.
Chris Coleman's side are a functional, hard-working collection of players furnished by one truly world class player. Gareth Bale is the difference maker having been involved in nine of Wales' 11 goals in qualifying.
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Wales' forward Gareth Bale (C) is congratulated after scoring the first goal of the match during the Euro 2016 group B football match between Wales and Slovakia at the Stade de Bordeaux in Bordeaux on June 11, 2016.
Image credit: AFP
Yes, they scored a pretty meagre 11 goals in qualifying. England need not set up to counter a threat that is only intermittently there. The combination of Dier, Gary Cahill and Chis Smalling should be enough to subdue a Wales attack heavily reliant on Bale.
Hodgson must allow this young England side to learn from the mistakes against Russia. To change formation for the Wales game would show a worrying lack of faith in his players but would also stunt England's momentum. The Russia game, despite the result, was a very decent start to the tournament and England need to build on that.
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