Can England Go All The Way?
When Hodgson was appointed manager the masses myself included though that it would be typical boring sit-back tactics and try to hit teams on the counter and from set pieces. That England would sit back and try to pass the other team to death.
This as Spain and Barcelona have shown can be very successful but only if you have the technically gifted, quick footed and quick witted style of player to make it work.
Now English players posses many talents but no one can really argue they posses the same technical ability skills the likes of Spain posses. What they do posses is determination, speed, strength and a plethora of individually talented players.
The trouble has always been adapting these players from many different clubs into a cohesive and solid unit. Now I believe after Hodgson's first 4 games in charge he is trying to and at least partly succeeding in realising that vision.
If he can make England work as a team, stay solid defensively and exploit the oppositions weakness then they have a chance of progressing to the latter stages of this tournament.
However at times a mediocre Sweden team were allowed to get free headers from set pieces and given needless free kicks in dangerous areas. Its this familiar frailties that England need to address as well as their inability to hang on to a team.
It has been said that great teams can win when they don't play well and this is the habit and the knack that England must learn. If you are solid as a unit and can attack and defend as a team you will win more often then not, even if you don't play particularly well.
