Hodgson hopes to exploit France forays
442 Staff - Thursday 07 June 2012, 15:50
England manager Roy Hodgson has unsurprisingly highlighted France as the main threat in Group D, as the Three Lions prepare to face Les Blues in their opening match of Euro 2012.
The recently-appointed national coach believes the opportunity is there for England to defeat the former world champions.
However, he believes that the attacking talent on offer to head coach Laurent Blanc will need to be nullified if they are to emerge victorious when the sides meet at the Donbass Arena.
"You have to be aware of the array of talent going forward," Hodgson said. "They have some very talented players who are very good in the final third.
"In and around the penalty area, they have players who are very clever at beating a man, getting their shots away and playing intricate passing movements."
Hodgson highlighted the importance of defending properly and is looking to capitalise on the space that will be left when France push forward.
"It's going to be very important for us to defend properly against them," he added.
"We will have to make sure we break quickly and maybe use some of the space that they are going to leave behind with the two full-backs [Mathieu Debuchy and Patrice Evra] playing very high up the field."
Watch Hodgson also discuss England's group games against Sweden and Ukraine below.