It has been a long and arduous four years. From the sight of seeing a helpless Gareth Barry running for Mesut Ozil’s shadow in the broad daylight of Bloemfontein to hoping them do things miraculously contrasting in this summer’s Brazilian sojourn has surely been one heck of a four-year journey. It was the Italian Fabio Capello then, the dominating don-figure who liked to lock his lips and gave nothing away. It is Roy Hodgson now, the old-school grandpa of a manager who is certainly English, and is always keen to show his smarter side whenever and whichever way possible.
The dust has already settled, only the small matter of a FA Cup final needs to be played, and bubbly Roy has made his mind up on his 23-man contingent to represent the ‘Three Lions’ in Brazil. They won’t play Cattenaccio for sure, but one thing that fans and neutrals would desperately like and hope for England is that they play proper football. The doctor orders no bus parked on the pitch; football is the demand, and that means actually playing with the ball which England rarely do.
TACTICAL ANALYSIS
Here the personnel is the cue. Joe Hart, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Glen Johnson and Leighton Baines are Hodgson’s trusted guards at the gates. And this probably means that England will play with a four-man defence. Steven Gerrard normally doesn’t prefer the Andrea Pirlo-type Regista role, but after a season of much success at Liverpool, he would be just tempted to fill that role out. And he’s no Barry either. The captain’s role would be decisive; he of all people just couldn’t afford any more of those infamous slip-ups.
The back-line and the shield are dead-certs; the above names will be Hodgson’s first on the teamsheet. Now for the different setups that could possibly be used to complement them.
- The traditional 4-4-2 with wingers
It is no secret that Roy Hodgson loves the 4-4-2, much like most of them oldies like. It is a rigid setup; one that perfectly embodies Hodgson’s twin mantras of resilience and organisation. There are different varieties of the 4-4-2; and Hodgson would most likely prefer the Rooney-in-the-hole setup more than any other. Adam Lallana, Raheem Sterling and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are the wingers in the squad, and none of them are known for their prowess as inverted wingers. James Milner too qualifies as a winger, but it would take some convincing to make one truly believe it.
Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right and Lallana on the left seems plausible, and the choice of a partner for Steven Gerrard at the heart of the midfield could boil down between Jordan Henderson and Jack Wilshere. Henderson and Wilshere are polar opposites, metaphorically. Henderson is the athlete who could run and run for days, while Wilshere is the silkier variant who loathes running his lungs off. But the fact that Wilshere is better on the ball with better distribution and vision could tilt it in his favour. But it could be Henderson who could feature against bigger teams where possession will be at a premium.
Daniel Sturridge or Danny Welbeck are the viable options up top. It depends on Roy as to whom he chooses; his trusted lieutenant Welbeck or the flashy, more talented Sturridge.
- The narrow 4-4-2
Hodgson tried the narrow 4-4-2 at Fulham with relative success; a formation with an attacking midfielder in the hole flanked by inverted wingers and a nuisance of a marksman up front with a double pivot. He could use it, only that Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard would have to play together as Hodgson seems to have crossed limits of adventure with his selections. Neither of Ross Barkley or Henderson or Wilshere or even Oxlade-Chamberlain is of the kind to refrain, and it would be some sacrifice from all attacking impetus to go for such a setup.
Jordan Henderson had at times played on Liverpool’s right last season with moderate success, and he could be Hodgson’s man to plug another midfield role, or maybe James Milner. Either of Jack Wilshere or Lallana could represent the fourth man, the extra man, in this highly compact four man flat midfield with little room for manoeuvre and little potential to exploit the flanks.
One thing that this narrow formation provides is enough ammunition for Rooney to cause trouble. England in possession would play infront of the ManUtd man, which makes it easier for him to link up. The striker is redundant as before; just that he needs to pounce on every presentable opportunity.
- The Bench that could be used effectively
Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley are bench certainties, maybe even Frank Lampard. Rickie Lambert could get game time owing to the fact that he is a striker who scores. To have players like Sterling and Barkley on the bench is a positive spin; provided Hodgson doesn’t make another Theo Walcott out of either. Sterling’s blistering pace could see defences teething, while Barkley could also be another game-changer with his typically probing runs from deep and his two hammers of feet.
Roy Hodgson is at a chance to prove all his doubters wrong, all those who scrutinize him for the negative football he deploys. His team selection points at one thing: England aren’t travelling with a bus this time, there are in Brazil to play some football. If the team plays as the teamsheet suggests they would play,fans will be in for an exciting Brazilian summer. Win or lose, at least they could come back with far more than hung heads and wiped tears.