5 Things Roy Hodgson Should Consider in Euro 2016 Qualifier with San Marino
England entertain FIFA's joint-lowest ranked team on Thursday night as San Marino travel to Wembley.
In the nations' four previous meetings, the aggregate score is 26-1 to the hosts, with Roy Hodgson's side all but guaranteed to rack up another convincing win in this UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group E clash.
The Three Lions' spirits should be sky high on the back of a key win away in Switzerland.
San Marino have conceded an average of 4.32 goals per game (scoring 0.16) in their history, so an opening 2-0 defeat to Lithuania also ranks as a relatively decent result.
Here's a look at a few things Hodgson might consider ahead of this clash.
Handing Fraser Forster a Competitive Debut
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The last time England played San Marino, in 2013, the minnows didn't test the goalkeeper with a single shot on target. They sent in one cross during the entire match and ensured that Joe Hart was the least involved player on the field.
Whomever Hodgson selects as his goalkeeper in this game will effectively be a spectator.
Fraser Forster has started the season well for Southampton, conceding just five goals in seven Premier League games—the best defensive record in the division.
He deserves the chance to make his competitive international debut in this game, which will keep Joe Hart fresh for Sunday's trip to Estonia.
Starting Nathaniel Clyne
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Another player to impress at Southampton this season is Nathaniel Clyne. His inclusion in this squad is well-deserved, and Hodgson must further that and give the right-back the chance to start.
Following the withdrawal of John Stones, who started at right-back in Switzerland, Clyne should be selected ahead of Calum Chambers.
Playing San Marino gives him an ideal platform to begin his international career and focus purely on the attacking side of his game.
Continuing the Leighton Baines-Fabian Delph Axis
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One of the positives for England during the 2-0 win in Switzerland was the left-sided interplay between Fabian Delph and Leighton Baines.
In a counter-attacking diamond formation, Delph took up the most left-sided midfield role, providing Baines with the kind of narrow presence that Steven Pienaar gives him at Everton.
This enabled the left-back to be as prominent as he's been in an England shirt, constantly overlapping and producing the kind of attacking performance he regularly delivers for his club.
Baines has too often been paired with a winger keen on staying wide and effectively restricting his space. That limits Baines' main attacking strengths and makes his inclusion in the side almost redundant—in defensive terms, Kieran Gibbs arguably offers more stability.
Therefore, Hodgson should use this match to further develop the initial chemistry shown between Baines and Delph against Switzerland.
Playing a Midfielder in Defence
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Unsurprisingly, England dominated possession in their 8-0 win over San Marino in 2013—to the tune of 83 per cent.
They made 839 passes to their opponent's 174 and registered 28 total attempts to their opponent's two.
Of those passes, no player made more than England's centre-backs for the night, Joleon Lescott (103) and Chris Smalling (88).
For England to maximise their play, it makes sense for Hodgson to select a midfielder in central defence. They will rarely need to defend and will have the most time on the ball, so a player more comfortable in possession and more capable of passing through a line of defenders should feature.
Michael Carrick would have been the ideal option for this in previous years, but he remains sidelined by injury.
It's certainly unorthodox—and England will win this game anyway—but to improve their possession-to-shots ratio, it makes sense to drop a centre-back in favour of an extra midfielder.
Sticking with the Diamond
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England made a successful shift away from rigid 4-4-2/4-2-3-1 formations to a diamond system against Switzerland.
While that was primarily for counter-attacking reasons, the formula should be persevered with against San Marino, despite the obvious temptation to use a more aggressive system featuring wingers.
England need to rediscover an identity and an approach for players to slot in and out of during international duty; given how infrequent international weeks are, it can't be something that changes all the time.
One of the major strengths of this squad is the pace, energy and dribbling ability of many young players. Going forward, developing a counter-attacking system—similar to Liverpool's approach last season—seems the best way to go.
Even though that won't be the scenario against San Marino, to any extent, it makes sense to use players in similar roles to further their understanding of the system.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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