Not bad for starters but the Holy Grail is a long way off

 
Patrick Barclay12 June 2012

If surviving while appearing to be outplayed, as demonstrated by Chelsea in the final two rounds of the Champions League, is an enviable skill, then Roy Hodgson’s England are on their way.

And, if you think I’m kidding, ask Ireland if they would prefer a point to the 3-1 beating administered by Croatia in their opening match. In a results business, Hodgson is already delivering.

So far, so good but Hodgson would be the last person to draw conclusions from the two friendly wins and 1-1 draw with a handsome France with which his management has begun. He made that clear to one questioner in Donetsk, pointing out that the French under Laurent Blanc had not created “overnight” the structure that had enabled them to go 22 matches without defeat. He knows England must keep improving.

He is also aware they must win their next match to preserve the air of quiet determination that is beginning to surround them. Three points from Sweden, the country where Hodgson made his reputation, will give England a serious chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

Suspended striker Wayne Rooney will be available to play in the final Group D game against co-hosts Ukraine. However, the question of where he fits into the side is a different matter — surely Hodgson must ponder a switch to 4-2-3-1 — but by then, hopefully, things should be looking up.

For this to happen, the Swedes must encounter the quality on which their own best achievements have been built: teamwork.

Along with patience on the ball, this has been an area of recurrent deficiency for England. Steve McClaren tried to instill it but neither he nor Fabio Capello could quite guide a generation of lauded players to the Holy Grail of sporting selflessness.

McClaren would have enjoyed the sight of Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker standing together, sweating for the shirt. On Friday, however, England must put that commitment into creation.

If Andreas Isaakson has as quiet a night in goal for the Swedes in Kiev as Hugo Lloris did for France in Donetsk, Hodgson’s regime will be branded as one-dimensional and the new spirit in the camp may suffer.

The next couple of days on the training field are going to be very important indeed as Hodgson, I imagine, drives the defensive line forward to produce a more compact attacking unit, which should suit Gerrard in particular.

It might not be quite so tailored to John Terry’s attributes and once again the central defensive option provided by Phil Jagielka’s pace is worthy of consideration, even if Hodgson will surely continue with the former captain alongside Joleon Lescott.

It is, after all, Terry’s turn to head home from a set piece. Which prompts another thought. Lescott might well have been deprived of his goal for wrestling — might the assiduous Hodgson also be a lucky general?

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