Win in Switzerland Provides Breathing Room for Roy Hodgson's England

The fans and media demanded it and, for the first time in a long time, England duly delivered.

Danny Welbeck's second-half brace sealed a 2-0 win in Switzerland, securing a vital three points and, crucially, ensuring England's journey to France 2016 will be a much more enjoyable ride.

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It was the first time the higher-ranked Swiss had lost a competitive match on home soil in four years—since England's 3-1 win in 2010—and was arguably Roy Hodgson's best result in a qualifier away from Wembley.

While it wasn't all plain sailing, the win provides time for Hodgson's young squad to develop over this two-year qualification process.

Any forgotten memories of World Cup failings were quickly stirred during Wednesday's dreary 1-0 win over Norway, heaping additional pressure on this fixture.

Hodgson was supposed to be leading the Three Lions into a new, modern era—post Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard—yet England were stuck playing an old-school 4-4-2, looking as incohesive and insecure as ever.

If they hadn't immediately after Brazil, fans began questioning Hodgson's continually secure job status.

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That performance on Wednesday left many expecting another rearguard effort in Switzerland, with a draw the best result to hope for and one Hodgson would surely laud.

Thankfully, however, the win over Norway proved no more than a peculiar experiment, as England performed with refreshing conviction in Basel.

Welbeck was quoted by John Cross of the Daily Mirror as saying:

"

We created a number of chances in the first half where the final pass was missing. But once we got the goal we were in control. It was a good team performance overall.

There was a little bit of relief because we had chances before that and could have done better with them.

We showed good work ethic, with everyone playing for each other.

"

Hodgson showed surprising flexibility—installing a diamond formation, placing faith in untried options such as Fabian Delph and John Stones and using Raheem Sterling in a central role, where he asked constant questions of the Swiss back four.

Most of the team were given similar roles to the ones played at club level, and it showed, as performances mirrored the fluency shown in the Premier League.

The system had its occasional hiccups, and Switzerland forced Joe Hart into a number of key saves, but England were worthy of this win.

In what was already an eminently winnable group, this victory seals a far easier passage through to Euro 2016, reducing the chance of Switzerland posing a threat.

The three points make it hard to imagine England doing anything other than cantering through to qualification, which will benefit this new wave of internationals.

Void of the prospect of failure, these players will now have more freedom to express themselves in an international shirt, not crippled by anxieties of botching the route through to France. They have a rare chance to play without fear, to learn and grow together and erase the English tendency of freezing under the international spotlight.

In a campaign without as many pressurised exchanges, England can start building a new identity for their next wave of talent to adopt. The style, system and shape used in this game can be continued with, forming new momentum for Hodgson to foster.

While Switzerland weren't the side their Top 10 status suggests, and their stadium wasn't exactly a roaring bear pit of intimidation, this can only be chalked up as a key success for England.

Hodgson's new-look squad now has a chance to grow together without the constant fear of failure.