Norway vs. England: Rating the England Players in Euro 2012 Warm-Up Friendly

The new England reign under Roy Hodgson got off to a winning start against Norway, with several players impressing enough to stake their claim to start the group stage matches of Euro 2012 next month.

Ashley Young scored the only goal of the game early on and England defended stoutly to keep a clean sheet in Oslo.

Hodgson was forced into selecting arguably a back four that will not start his first competitive match, which will be against France at Euro 2012, as the Chelsea players were given extra time off and Glen Johnson was suffering an injury.

Steven Gerrard played central midfield in his first match as elected England captain, while club teammate Andy Carroll got the nod to play the lone role up front.

Here are the ratings for all of England's players against Norway.

Goalkeeper: Rob Green (12th Cap)

Playing in his first England match for two years since his disastrous mistake against USA in the World Cup 2010, Rob Green kept a clean sheet for England despite suffering a couple of first half scares.

The moment of most relief for Green will be the whipped corner from Morten Gamst Pedersen which, overanticipating, Green tried to step out and claim in the six-yard box—only for the ball to head directly toward goal.

Luckily for Green and his defenders, none of whom were stationed on the near post, the ball cannoned straight onto the woodwork and back out into play.

Other than that, most saves the West Ham 'keeper had to make were routine if not from fiercely struck shots, and he dealt with them well.

The game will give Green confidence and rids him of the notion that his last act as an England 'keeper could turn out to be the blunder to allow Clint Dempsey to score in South Africa.

Will not challenge Joe Hart for the No.1 jersey, but provides reliable backup.

Rob Green: 7/10

Full-Backs: Phil Jones (5th Cap) and Leighton Baines (8th Cap)

England's two reserve full-backs played the majority of the game against Norway, with Leighton Baines on the left and Phil Jones on the right.

Baines played it safe, not venturing forward often in contrast to his role at club level.

He was pretty solid all-around, not causing his team too much grief but also not offering much in the way of support in the final third.

Baines is going to Euro 2012 as a backup and he knows it, and seems content with not pushing Ashley Cole for a starting spot he knows is an unlikely reward.

Jones on the other side has more chance of playing; he is versatile enough to play right-sided or central, defence or midfield.

Athletic, energetic and fearless, Jones showed all of those attributes against Norway—as well as his inexperience and lack of real top-level game insight.

Jones won back the ball several times and kept John Arne Riise quiet in spells as he looked to raid down the Norway left, but was left exposed sometimes after James Milner switched roles from right midfield.

In possession, however, Jones was way below the level needed, especially in the second half when England failed to keep the ball for any length of time.

He needs to learn quickly to pass simply and retain possession at this level, or else be exposed by a team with a quick response to turnovers on the ball.

Phil Jones: 6/10

Leighton Baines: 6/10

Centre Backs: Joleon Lescott (15th Cap) and Phil Jagielka (11th Cap)

Full credit to Phil Jagielka for putting in an accomplished display at centre-back, despite the knowledge that he is not in England's Euro 2012 squad.

Jagielka missed a couple of headers and didn't look overly convincing at set pieces, of which there were a lot, but he still put in some important tackles and made some good interceptions from crosses inside his own six-yard box.

Joleon Lescott is almost assuredly England's third-choice centre-back once John Terry and Gary Cahill return, on account of them playing together at club level and having played most matches for England recently.

Lescott was solid aerially and, like Jagielka, cleared crosses and stood firm with tackles.

The two defended well with good distances between them to deny Norway any real chance of scoring opportunities, despite their vast amounts of possession.

Phil Jagielka: 7/10

Joleon Lescott: 7/10

Central Midfield: Scott Parker (12th Cap) and Captain Steven Gerrard (91st Cap)

England's new captain, Steven Gerrard, had an energetic 45 minutes before being substituted at halftime.

The midfielder strode forward at times to support the trio ahead of him in attacking midfield roles, but didn't quite manage to break into the box at any point.

Gerrard faced a stern word from the referee for a thoroughly fair challenge that left Norway defender Tom Hogli needing to be replaced, but he received nothing more than a foul against him.

Scott Parker is England's only real ball-winner in the squad and he displayed this talent with a string of first-half blocks and interceptions in the defensive midfield role.

His will be the hardest position to fill if England lose him to injury as nobody will fill that exact set of attributes with an awful lot of distinction, unless the likes of Lee Cattermole are suddenly called up.

And let's face it, he'd then need a replacement himself for the red card he'd inevitably get after 20 minutes.

Parker is a hard worker, a selfless team player and a fair passer of the ball—in this "solidity-first" approach from Roy Hodgson, he'll be a key player.

It was no particular coincidence that England's ball retention went downhill rapidly after first Gerrard and then 10 minutes later Parker left the field of play.

Scott Parker: 7/10

Steven Gerrard: 7/10

Wingers: James Milner (25th Cap) and Stewart Downing (34th Cap)

James Milner showed both his ability and his versatility for England, but he arguably also showed that he has featured very little at first-team level over the past six weeks.

Milner will always work hard and provides width both in defence and attack, but a fine run in the first half was ended with a tepid shot when a pass to Andy Carroll might have been a better bet.

He faded in the second half after a switch to the centre and was unable to help England control the game.

The Manchester City midfielder played the full 90 minutes, but that might be as good as it gets for Milner—though don't completely rule him out of playing against France as Hodgson looks for a bit more defensive solidity in midfield.

Stewart Downing got another chance to impress and did that in the first half, sending over some inviting early crosses, the first of which Andy Carroll directed wide of goal.

After that it was a case of either solid defending or lack of bodies in the box to get on the end of them.

In the second 45, Downing disappeared entirely as England failed to get possession or counter-attack effectively, but he did his chances no harm for the most part.

Even so, he will struggle to play a large part for England at the Euros unless he hits a sudden and effective purple patch of form.

James Milner: 6/10

Stewart Downing: 6/10

Forwards: Ashley Young (20th Cap) and Andy Carroll (4th Cap)

Playing in a central role just off the forward, Ashley Young enjoyed the space afforded to him between defence and midfield in the first half by the Norwegian side and made a few threatening runs with the ball at his feet.

His early goal came as a result of one such run, with a fine finish at the end of it for his sixth international goal.

Andy Carroll put his one chance to score wide with a second-minute header, but for the most part he played well for England.

The assist for Young's goal belonged to Carroll, who took the ball down and found Young with a clever pass in the middle of the pitch, and the two linked up generally well for the entire match while Young remained on the pitch.

The Liverpool man cut an isolated figure in the second half as England lost the ball too quickly and too frequently, but his ability to bring the ball down on his chest when it is hit long or high toward him will be of importance to bring others from midfield into play.

Both players can be hopeful of starting England's first Euro 2012 game against France.

Ashley Young: 7/10 (Man of the Match)

Andy Carroll: 7/10

Substitutes

Roy Hodgson used his full complement of six substitutions to give as many players as possible a run out against Norway, though he presumably didn't intend to have to sub one of his subs.

Gareth Barry (53rd cap)

Only lasted 25 minutes before pulling up with a groin strain that threatens his inclusion in England's squad. Had a poor game in that time, conceding possession far too easily in midfield and not protecting his back line particularly well. Needs to recover, and improve. 5/10

Theo Walcott (23rd cap)

Walcott came on for Scott Parker to play on the right wing for England, and his pace should have helped England relieve the pressure on the break. Instead, Walcott couldn't get involved in the game and the one time he was set away into space, he held onto the ball too long. Needs to do better in the chances he gets if he is to force his way into the team. 6/10

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (1st cap)

An England debut for the Euro 2012 wild card. Oxlade-Chamberlain almost scored with his second touch after his first was a fine layoff to Walcott. Raw, but exciting. He could rescue or win a match for England from the bench, but isn't ready to play every game. 6/10

Jordan Henderson (2nd cap)

Henderson replaced the stricken Gareth Barry and retained the ball better than his more experienced teammate. His inclusion rests on the fitness of Barry and the decision of Hodgson, as to whether he thinks he needs a more defensively minded player instead of Henderson. In which case, why bother to name stand-bys? 6/10

Adam Johnson (11th cap)

Johnson hasn't played for Manchester City for over a month and isn't going to the Euros. He had one chance to run at goal and shoot but didn't catch the ball well. No rating

Martin Kelly (1st cap)

Another England debutant, Liverpool defender Martin Kelly played the final moments of the match, replacing Phil Jones at right-back. Part of England's future. No rating

Follow @karlmatchett