Euro 2016 Opener vs. Russia Is a Vital Step to Redemption for Hodgson's England
Fear not football fans. If the build-up to Euro 2016 has felt interminable, it is not long now until the action actually begins.
England manager Roy Hodgson is understandably anxious to begin a period that will rank among the most important of his long career. After a disappointing 2014 World Cup, he will be well aware that winning the opener with Russia on Saturday can be a vital step to redemption for his spell in charge.
"It's what we've been looking forward to for such a long time," the veteran coach told Sky Sports News upon the squad's arrival in France (see below). "We qualified quite early so we've had our minds on this moment for a long time, so it's just great to be here."
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Qualification was the point when England could properly start planning for Hodgson's third major tournament tilt as his home country's boss. Real anticipation, though, would have begun well over a year earlier. Right after the team took the plane home from Brazil.
Hodgson did his best to frame the experience in a positive light following their last match—the futile 0-0 draw with Costa Rica. He told BBC Radio 5 live, per BBC Sport:
"This is a very different team to the one at Euro 2012. We play different football. We pass the ball much more. We ask a lot more in terms of receiving the ball, turning with the ball.
And in the final third we try things and take risks. The type of players we are choosing—Ross Barkley, Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge—it's clear that's our aim and hope.
"
His talk of England performing more expansively than in Euro 2012 had some merit to it. Their best moments had hummed with optimism that a quicker, more enticingly intricate style was within reach.
As it was, there did not prove quite enough going forward to compensate for a resistance less sturdy than two years earlier. Ultimately the post-Costa Rica consolation Hodgson offered was minimal—the prospect of a future payoff counting for little amid the frugal gloom of the present.
The two years since have gone some way to raising hopes a better summer could be ahead.
England breezed through qualifying (see above). The players Hodgson mentioned above joined mainstays such as Gary Cahill, Joe Hart, skipper Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck in responding as best they could to the negativity of the World Cup.
As the latter stages gave way to the prestige of friendlies scheduled to prepare them for the kind of opposition they would face in the Euro 2016 knockout rounds, some unexpected names joined the party.
Dele Alli, Nathaniel Clyne, Eric Dier, Harry Kane, Danny Rose and Jamie Vardy's strong club form demanded Hodgson's attention. The manager granted them opportunities, and, happily, they have all adapted well to international football so far.
The recent warm-up friendlies more or less sustained the well-earned hopes created since Brazil.
It should not be forgotten England qualified well for that tournament too. The hope is now the newly configured squad will not be encumbered by their predecessors' stifling fear, and Hodgson has also learned from his four years as boss and will have his team ready to go against Russia.
Going by Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev's comments, the rest of Europe may be as unconvinced as the more pessimistic parts of the English footballing public.
Per the Mirror's John Cross, the CSKA Moscow man said:
"We knew before the groups were drawn that we had to play a top seed. We talked about it, and how we wanted to be drawn with England.
It’s no disrespect to England, they have some very good players, but if you look at the other top seeds we could have drawn, they are among the favourites to win the the championship.
England are a good team, but we feel that we can match them with our quality.
"
The Russians have had an even more unsettled couple of years than their Group B opponents.
They also fell at the first hurdle of the 2014 World Cup. Former England boss Fabio Capello failed to inspire them in South America and only fared slightly better in the early going of qualifying. CSKA Moscow's Leonid Slutsky, who did enough to secure their place in France, replaced him.
That Akinfeev views England as one of the better possible draws in the tournament says a lot about their diminished standing; at least compared to more successful nations like Germany, Italy and Spain.
A Russia side that have looked a lot more troubled in their recent preparations fancy themselves to upset the odds. Except it would not be much of a shock in Akinfeev's mind.
It is interesting to wonder what Hodgson and his players will make of these comments—if anything.
Are they the kind of words that could damage an already-fragile collective psyche? Needling them to the point that a slow start against the Russians in Marseille would have them overwhelmed by the old constricting inferiority complex.
Or are they of the galvanising variety? Material to be pinned on the changing room wall that will help them channel their energies into delivering the kind of performances hinted at so promisingly in standout wins over France and Germany this past season.
Whatever the source of motivation, the Russia game is a good chance for England to establish their credentials. Not just for the rest of the tournament to see, but in their own mind.
Despite Akinfeev's confidence, Slutsky's side are stuttering into the tournament.
Their post-qualifying form has been mixed. Wins over Portugal and Lithuania at home bookended a loss to Croatia. Since then they were beaten 4-2 by France, lost a late one to the Czech Republic and drew 1-1 with Serbia last weekend.
Igor Denisov has joined fellow midfielder Alan Dzagoev in missing out through injury. But even before then Russia were looking worryingly lax in the position, frequently conceding possession against the French and offering little protection for their defence against the Czechs.
England must be on their game to deal with what Akinfeev described as "some exceptional attacking players." Likely to be led by Artem Dzyuba—their goalscorer against Serbia—at the tip of a 4-2-3-1 (or perhaps something closer to a 4-3-3 given the injuries in midfield), they possess some unknown quantities at this level in the same way it could be said Hodgson's side do.
Nevertheless, compared to the classy (albeit not vintage) Italy side they faced four years ago or the strong France team at Euro 2012, Russia are the type of outfit that England should fancy themselves to beat.
This is not intended to denigrate them or to overhype the latter's relatively unproven squad.
But after two largely uninspiring tournaments to his name (although the first was a decent showing in the circumstances given he took over shortly before), Hodgson does not have time for England not to be ready from the off. They have done well gearing up for France, but if his side do not give the country something to cheer early on, the pressure will quickly mount.
With a "derby" against Wales and a potentially tough closer against a Slovakia side looking to cause an upset to follow the Russia game, it will not necessarily get easier.
Hodgson was granted another crack at one of football's biggest jobs by a Football Association more lenient than most. The 68-year-old will want to make the most of it, because another underwhelming showing will make his job untenable.
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