Hodgson: Heart and commitment enough
Reuters - Thursday 14 June 2012, 18:00
England may not play fancy
football but they can still go all the way at Euro 2012 with
heart and commitment, manager Roy Hodgson said on Thursday as
his team gear up for their Group D game against Sweden.
Greece showed organisation and discipline alone could win a
tournament and the Netherlands' disappointing start to the
European Championship proved that quick passing football does
not always prove effective.
England played with two banks of four near their penalty
area against France and it earned a 1-1 draw against France in
their opening game in Donetsk.
Scott Parker praised the team's commitment after the game
but wondered whether that was enough to win tournaments.
"I'm surprised that Scott Parker questioned how far it would
take us," Hodgson told a news conference. "I can understand he
said we showed a lot of heart and commitment but I thought he
was saying that in a positive way, not the way you're slanting
it.
"There are no doubts that tournaments are won by teams very
well organised, very much together, committed to the cause and
we've seen many times in the past teams which haven't been at
all fancied at the start of the tournaments have used these
qualities not just go far but to actually win the tournament.
"I'm delighted to hear the players I'm working with share my
desire for the team to show those qualities."
There is, however, room for improvement.
According to Hodgson, who refuted the idea England were
technically inferior to their rivals, his players could do
better near the box.
"We need to make certain we maximise our counter-attacking
opportunities," he said.
"We need to make certain that the last pass, the last cross
or the actual shot is very clinical because it's hard to get
good chances at this level.
"You're never going to get many in the course of a game. You
have to be effective when the chances come your way and when I
say chances I'm not talking about clear-cut chances, I'm talking
about situations we found ourselves in when we got behind the
defence in a wider area and it's a question of making certain
that the last pass gives someone a chance to score a goal."
Even if they do not manage that, captain Steven Gerrard
believes England will win Friday's clash at the Olympic stadium
if they play as well as they did against France.
"I'm confident that if we reach the same level it will be
enough for victory," Gerrard said.