The Question: What Level Are Roy Hodgson's England At?

England are in the last 16 of the European Championship, but they did not make it in quite the manner that had been hoped.

After failing to break down Slovakia, England qualified in second place in their group behind Chris Coleman's Wales.

England will come up against Iceland in the last 16 on Monday, a game they are odds-on favourites to win. But from there it is likely to get tough, as the failure to win their group has left the Three Lions in the half of the draw containing Italy, Spain, France and Germany.

Ahead of England's game with Iceland, there is a division not quite on the scale of Brexit proportions but a country divided on the standing of the national team.

After making bold changes at the break against Wales, England manager Roy Hodgson was hailed by some as a genius.

"

Sturridge is a class act! Well played Roy Hodgson! Great substitutions.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) June 16, 2016"

A matter of days later, there were some claiming the boss was past his sell-by date after failing to find the solution to break down Slovakia.

So where, exactly, are England?

We have put that question to two of our writers, Graham Ruthven and Sam Pilger.

Graham Ruthven

On the face of it, five points from a group that consisted of Wales, Slovakia and Russia isn’t the greatest return for Roy Hodgson’s side, but there is more than just results to be taken into account when assessing England’s performance at the European Championship this summer.

Results Have Not Reflected Performances

On the whole, the Three Lions have strutted their stuff in France, even if they have yet to roar. They have played well and should have more than just five points to show for their performances. Of course, that is largely their own fault, but there aren’t too many variables to be found before England can be considered contenders at Euro 2016.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Against Russia, Hodgson’s team were mightily unfortunate not to pick up three points. They created goalscoring chances but failed to take them. It was a game of realisation for England, though. Unfortunately for them, they realised too late that Russia were among the poorest teams in the tournament. They showed them too much respect.

Time to Prepare for Iceland

England do not play their last-16 game until Monday, a full seven days after their final group match. That has handed Hodgson and his staff the chance to scout their opposition. They certainly won’t take Iceland lightly. Nor will they fear them, having seen what Lars Lagerback’s side have done at Euro 2016 so far. England didn’t have that benefit before facing Russia in their opening group game. They went into the match blind.

A Wide-Open Tournament

The draw hasn’t been kind to England, landing in the same half as France, Germany, Spain and Italy. But this European Championship has proved to be the most open in a generation, with every front-runner stumbling at some point over the course of the tournament. With each team having played just three games, not one has a 100 percent record.

At present, England might not be much more than an above average team, but at Euro 2016, that might be enough. No one has stamped their authority on the tournament, so Hodgson must take encouragement from how his side measures up. England, on the basis of their performances, have played as well as any other team.

Better Opposition, Better England

It might not be until England face more attacking sides that they can demonstrate their true potency at this tournament. In that sense, a round-of-16 clash against Portugal might have suited them better.

Portugal would have left more space in behind their defensive line for the likes of Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge to exploit. On the other hand, Portugal have Cristiano Ronaldo, who could have destroyed England’s Euro 2016 chances all on his own.

That is the paradox England face this summer. They are fundamentally equipped to take advantage of better sides, but against better sides, they naturally stand a higher chance of elimination. This is still a better equation than England have faced at a major tournament in quite some time—certainly under Hodgson’s stewardship.

Chance to Find His Right Attack

With five strikers at his disposal (Wayne Rooney, Vardy, Sturridge, Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford), Hodgson has yet to find his front-line formula, with four out of the five starting at different points over the course of the tournament. England still aren’t sure of their shape and best starting lineup, even as they head into the last 16.

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

But Hodgson has a better knowledge of his players and their form after three games at the tournament. He now knows, for instance, that the past season has taken its toll on Kane, with the Tottenham Hotspur striker struggling for energy and a finishing touch.

The England boss also knows how important Rooney is to his side and their fluidity through the centre of the pitch despite the doubts widely held against the captain.

No Harm in Finishing 2nd in Group

It’s true that finishing top of the group would have made things easier for Hodgson and his team, but qualifying for the knockout rounds in second place doesn’t completely extinguish England’s chances of succeeding at Euro 2016. In fact, it could inadvertently help that they would come up against Europe’s elite in the tougher half of the draw if they progress.

Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press

Should England make it past Iceland, they will likely face hosts France in the quarter-finals. Such a matchup should be embraced by Hodgson and his players. England, for once, wouldn’t be the most under-pressure side in the event of a meeting with the hosts. Didier Deschamps’ side would instead be the ones burdened by the weight of lofty expectations.

Anything beyond that stage would be considered a success, with FA chairman Greg Dyke having already suggested to BBC Radio 5 live Hodgson would be in line for a new contract should his team make the semi-finals (h/t the Press Association, via the Guardian). Maybe England should have a higher benchmark for success this summer. Their performances so far hint that they should perhaps have a higher opinion of themselves.

Sam Pilger

England are into the last 16 of Euro 2016, but it was more of a limp than a strut, and Roy Hodgson has much to ponder.

Where Are the England Goals?

Spain have Alvaro Morata, France have Dimitri Payet and Wales, of course, have Gareth Bale. But at this stage, England cannot boast a player capable of providing a similar source of goals.

Kane was supposed to fill that role for Hodgson’s side, but despite another stellar season with Tottenham, he arrived at the tournament looking listless and has already been dropped.

Sturridge and Vardy have both been handed the role instead and have a goal each, but it is questionable whether either can score enough to propel England.

It certainly does not bode well for England that their holding midfielder, Eric Dier, has so far had the most shots on goal (nine) of any England player at Euro 2016, per WhoScored.com.

Overall, a mere three goals in 270 minutes during the group stage is a poor return, and they need to start scoring more freely.

Lack of Width

For their final group game against Slovakia, England lined up without a recognised wide player and spent the following 90 minutes unsuccessfully trying to overcome their modest opponents.

This was Slovakia, who had never before kept a clean sheet at a major tournament in six previous games.

"

#ThatMomentWhen You realise Raheem Sterling isn't the worst performing Sterling this month. pic.twitter.com/e4b4rbwT3H

— Will Grigg's On Fire (@WillGriggFire) June 24, 2016"

England’s lack of width has clearly been blunting their attacks and forced them to be more predictable through the middle.

Hodgson's men need to start stretching defences more, but the manager has no obvious solution lurking in his squad, as he refused to bring Andros Townsend and seems to have lost faith in Raheem Sterling, who, like Kane, has been dropped.

In Kyle Walker and Danny Rose, Hodgson has two full-backs who often act like wingers, but arriving from so deep, is that enough?

A Vulnerable Defence

While the statistics might seem promising, with only one goal conceded from open play in three games so far, there remains a prevailing nervousness and anxiety around this England defence. In short, they look to have a mistake in them.

It nearly arrived on Monday, when Chris Smalling attempted to chest a ball back to Joe Hart against Slovakia that was so nearly intercepted.

And it did arrive against Wales, when Hart allowed a Gareth Bale free-kick to squirm past him from a distance of nearly 35 yards. Between them, Russia, Wales and Slovakia hardly put any pressure on England, so you sense the defenders could collapse as soon as they face an opponent that actually takes the game to them.

Confused Hodgson Doesn’t Know His Best Team

While Italy rested players in their final game because they knew they had won their group, England took the curious decision to do the same knowing they still needed to win to finish top of theirs.

England drew and slipped to second behind Wales to find themselves in the significantly stronger half of the draw.

"

COLUMN For all the criticism, Hodgson's England are still alive at Euro 2016. It's now or never for their manager https://t.co/NSvV0Fc78Y

— Sam Wallace (@SamWallaceTel) June 23, 2016"

After the victory over Wales, England had momentum, yet Hodgson still made six unnecessary changes to his starting lineup. Resting his captain, Rooney, who had performed so well in the first two games, proved to be an obvious mistake. The manager was forced to admit that by bringing the Manchester United man on after 56 minutes.

This inexplicable tinkering exposes Hodgson’s lack of trust in his players—and even his own judgement.

It is clear he still has no clue what his strongest team is and how to win, and this will only serve to further undermine England. Can you win a tournament making it up as you go along?

Too Many England Players Having Off Days

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who knew how to get the best from his players, said in his book Leading: “In football, eight players, not 11, win games, because everybody has off days.”

So far, England have comfortably failed this test, for they have had only four players playing close to their best: Walker, Rose, Dier and Rooney.

Beyond that, too many England players are having those off days, and they won’t be staying in France for much longer if that continues.

Players of the calibre of Dele Alli, Smalling, Kane and Vardy need to prove they belong on the international stage and offer some much-needed help to that isolated quartet.