Since I started this blog, much has altered in the setup of the England national team. Fabio Capello departed the job despite his lush £6 million salary, prompting fevered speculation that Harry Redknapp would be asked to take the reins, a choice that would supposedly wet the appetite of the nation. We now know, of course, that England will not be led out at Euro 2012 and beyond by Redknapp, but instead by Roy Hodgson, a man that has undergone a remarkable revival in the past 16 months or so. After being discarded so ruthlessly by Liverpool, Hodgson underwent the task of steadily establishing West Bromwich Albion as a Premier League side, a job he did to considerable but not altogether rapturous appraisal. The parallels to the task awaiting Hodgson as coach of the Three Lions and the repair job he did at The Hawthorns, however, are more apparent than some may think.
Hodgson's mandate over the ensuing months will be to make England competitive on the international stage once again, certainly after the debacle that occurred in South Africa two years ago. Post Euro 2012, he will be asked to undergo a steady but significant overhaul of the structure of the national team, with a strong emphasis based on the development of young talent, with the great hope being that by the 2014 World Cup the makeup the squad will be considerably different to that of previous tournaments. As admirable a policy as this is (and it is one that I fully endorse) it has also ensured that Hodgson is to undergo an unnecessarily difficult start to his tenure. For evidence of this, look no further than the reaction to the announcement of his first squad yesterday.
Whilst some sections of the press have reacted favourably to Hodgson's choice of players, there is an undercurrent of dissent from the media and public alike. Take, for example, the comments of former England manager Terry Venables, who has suggested that the squad for Euro 2012 looks 'naked' in the absence of Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand. Or simply view some of the more general responses on Facebook or Twitter yesterday, where many people have voiced concern at a seeming lack of quality within the 23 man pool that is to represent the country in Poland and Ukraine. This is obviously part of the territory for any England manager, but it certainly illuminates the size of the task awaiting the new man next month, where he will be expected to guide England to the quarter finals at the very least.
But is Hodgson's squad really deserving of criticism?
Stewart Downing aside, the squad is pretty much the same as had been fore-casted prior to yesterday's confirmation. Statistics (4 assists in his last 5 for England) would also argue that the inclusion of the maligned Liverpool winger is not as illogical as his club form may suggest. Many of those chosen have been involved heavily in England's qualification campaign for Euro 2012, a hint that Hodgson is set to persevere with the 4-3-2-1 system that Capello deployed to considerable success in many of the post-World Cup fixtures. This strikes me as being a wise tactic to employ, as it enables the players to continue to perform in a system that they have become suited to over the past 2 years. Gareth Barry and Scott Parker have become very efficient at shielding the back four, and the tendency of the new manager to deploy wingers with a knack of cutting in will be of great benefit to the likes of Ashley Young and rookie Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Wayne Rooney will also be able to slot in comfortably after he has served his two-game suspension, with Andy Carroll or Danny Welbeck a capable foil for the Manchester United star to play off.
The much debated exile of Ferdinand at first seemed like a major surprise, but when you consider his international input pre and post South Africa you can begin to understand better the logic deployed by Hodgson. Ferdinand has played just once since the World Cup, a tournament which he missed entirely due to injury. Though he has recovered admirably from a poor start to the season with Manchester United, it is an indisputable truth that Ferdinand is now a fitness liability, and with that in mind it is hard to argue against his omission. The inclusion of the controversial John Terry is admittedly a big call, especially considering the moral implications it harbours after the early season race row between the Chelsea captain and Anton Ferdinand. However, Hodgson will feel that the ex-England captain is a sufficient influence in the dressing room and will have been encouraged by early signs of promise in his partnership with club team-mate Gary Cahill.
Oxlade-Chamberlain's selection is a bold and imaginative one, and the Arsenal midfielder will no doubt inspire much optimisim amongst supporters. He is a rare talent, the sort that can lift you off your seat with a mere touch of the ball, and many defences will be ill-suited to his style of play, meaning he has all the attributes of that most rare type of England player; a wild card. John Ruddy's involvement is admittedly more of a formality but a demonstration that Hodgson is not afraid to reward lesser known quantities if they are capable of showing consistency at the highest level. Some might argue this claim, especially considering the overlooking of Ruddy's team-mate Grant Holt, but it would have been a major gamble to take a forward that has spent just one season in the Premier League, regardless of how well he has performed. Andy Carroll, in my opinion, is a much more sensible option as he has already proved, though fleetingly, that he is capable of unsettling any defence, such is the raw nature of his talent.
Indeed, the England squad is not a spectacular one, but that is merely indicative of the pool of talent that Hodgson has had to cast his eye over. It is worth noting that the new man has also been deprived of the likes of Ben Foster, Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes, who have opted to withdraw their services to their nation for a myriad of reasons. Rather, we will head into this summer's competition with a group of players that are familiar with one another and are capable of, at the very least, qualifying from their group. Hodgson will in the coming weeks attempt to organise his starting eleven to ensure they are, like much of his club sides, difficult to break down, a necessary measure given the nature of our performances in the World Cup.
So whilst some may be up in arms about Roy's choice of player, the reality is that he has picked what is available to him and has had the foresight not to attempt to break up a group of players that have, at the very least, managed to avoid the disaster of 2008, when we failed to qualify for the European Championship. The squad selected should be cause for cautious optimism, but even if success does not come our way (and by success, I mean a quarter or semi final birth) then it is likely that Hodgson will begin the desired revamp of his team when business is concluded this summer. Only then will we be able to truly judge the latest inheritant of the most difficult job in football...
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