Roy Hodgson Pays Price for Masterminding England's Diabolical Euro 2016 Campaign
It has been a rough few days for England.
The worrying post-referendum implications of the country's decision to leave the European Union are only just beginning to be sorted out. Rather than provide a welcome source of unity during a tumultuous period, the national football team's diabolical Euro 2016 campaign coming to an end at the hands of Iceland has only added to a gloomy sense of uncertainty.
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It was no surprise to see manager Roy Hodgson follow Prime Minister David Cameron as the country's latest high-profile figure to step down.
Football does not matter in the way many of the issues related to the referendum do, but make no mistake, there was no alternative. This all too early departure will sting as badly as any of England's recent major tournament disappointments. Hopes those failures were aberrations or maybe even stepping stones to something greater have not been fulfilled.
Perhaps we should not be surprised given this and Hodgson's own previous actions. Maybe some of you are not. But the more optimistic among us certainly hoped an encouraging two years since the last World Cup boded well for a respectable effort in France.
You can only read so much into games against limited opposition and/or with the stakes comparatively low, but there were signs a more balanced and confident group was emerging. Unfortunately, almost none of what had been hoped of this youthful team—stemming from the unbeaten qualifying campaign and notable pre-tournament friendly wins—came to fruition.
Diabolical may be too strong a word for all of England's eventual work at these European Championships. But it feels appropriate for a denouement that has certainly cast the preceding three matches in an even more unfavourable light.
England did not get better as things progressed; they got worse. As the man masterminding it all, Hodgson has naturally paid the price.
" Roy Hodgson issues statement following #ENG's exit from #Euro2016 https://t.co/ZgOD8MomTN
— England (@England) June 27, 2016"
Announcing the inevitable post-match, the newly departed boss read his remarks with dignity. Still, although admitting his team's performance was "obviously not acceptable," his subsequent comments will have done little to ease fans' frustration.
"I'm proud of the work my coaching staff and I have achieved during our time at the helm with England," the 68-year-old said (via the Football Association's website).
"The transition of the squad whose average age is 30 to now being the youngest in the tournament is both remarkable and exciting for the future of English football."
The latter comment may turn out to be true over time, though no one will feel too confident about that after the display versus Iceland. Right now it is the former that is more aggrieving.
While not doubting the efforts of Hodgson, Ray Lewington, Gary Neville and others, the product they have produced has not been good enough.
Euro 2012 was essentially a bye given how little preparation the new staff had following Fabio Capello's resignation.
Unfortunately there has been little to no progress in the two competitions since. All that has changed are the names being added to England's growing hall of infamy.
Prior to the last World Cup, Hodgson sat down for a one-to-one with the England Rugby World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward on Sky Sports' Sporting Heroes programme. He talked about tailoring the team to those involved and how "as a coach you can have a negative affect on players."
Hodgson certainly did not do the former, and it consequently resulted in the latter.
There was a decent balance to the 4-3-3 utilised in England's first game against Russia. But when they conceded a late goal and then started poorly versus Wales, a plan that had its roots in the extensive preparations leading up to Euro 2016 gave way to something decidedly more ramshackle.
The throw-everyone-on approach ultimately worked against Wales when Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy secured a comeback win. It felt more like luck than judgement, though, with the lack of cohesion and co-ordination not boding well for what would follow.
Hodgson's subsequent changes were not those of a coach sensibly utilising his resources. Rather, they were compromises that stunted his team further.
The alterations against Slovakia denied those who had played the two preceding games a chance to establish any rhythm. To see how costly that was, you need only look at the goals England would concede against Iceland.
Kari Arnason outjumped Wayne Rooney to flick on Aron Gunnarsson's throw-in, and Ragnar Sigurdsson got away from Kyle Walker to cancel out the captain's earlier penalty opener. Both Englishmen had not started the previous match.
The winner saw Kolbeinn Sigthorsson finish a well-crafted move featuring the kind smart, prompt passing and movement England rarely produced down the other end. Although more intricate than Vasili Berezutski's goal for Russia, it was the same kind of chain-reaction unravelling that exposed a disorganised defence.
The post-Wales changes did not work out further forward either.
Against both Slovakia and Iceland, Sturridge was consigned to a peripheral spot coming in from the flank.
The wider front three may have made sense again had England progressed and faced less defensive-minded opposition. But on these occasions, a more traditional front two was required to unsettle defences well- equipped to deal with a sole and isolated front-man.
In his scattered decision-making and the sometimes-rambling reasoning—here, per the Guardian's Daniel Taylor—with which he explained it, Hodgson gave the impression of a man struggling to get a firm handle on a job that was just too big for him. He came off less the intelligent man who had done such good work with teams including Switzerland, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion, more the one who never got to grips with Liverpool.
If the England job was too big for Hodgson, you have to wonder about the suitability of players to international football who—tactically undermined or not—were woeful against Iceland.
Credit must be paid to Lars Lagerback and Heimir Hallgrimsson's men. You do not beat the Netherlands twice in qualifying, hold Portugal to a draw and beat a talented, albeit underachieving Austria team and not have something about yourselves.
They play neither the boring football their realistic strategising is sometimes misinterpreted as, nor are they the minnow in which their small population has seen them cast. Their league may not be strong, but their players keep good company across Europe and are part of a well-structured and confident outfit reaping the benefits of a burgeoning footballing culture.
England's shame is not that they lost to a small nation like Iceland specifically. It is more they went missing again on a big stage.
The underwhelming group games would have been forgotten if they had found their feet here. Instead they delivered an insipid, almost cowardly showing.
Poorly protected, though he was by his defence, goalkeeper Joe Hart should have done better for Sigthorsson's goal (see above). He made a couple of good saves later on but had again been found wanting when England needed him.
Save for Eric Dier (quiet here but impressive throughout the group stage), none of the new guard sufficiently backed up their strong Premier League form. His Tottenham Hotspur team-mates Dele Alli and Harry Kane were restricted by Hodgson's set-up to an extent, but here specifically their work lacked composure.
Players to have previously emerged under Hodgson such as Chris Smalling, Raheem Sterling or Jack Wilshere fared just as poorly. The skipper Rooney had his worst game in midfield so far, with his play ponderous and suffering for the lack of a burst that could seen him up the tempo.
That teenage substitute Marcus Rashford having outshone all his team-mates with a fraction of the time (see above) says a whole lot. Hodgson may, and should, not regret introducing him earlier given England were clearly toiling.
With Hodgson gone, the coming days will see the FA begin figuring out a future the departing manager retains high hopes for. A replacement will be chosen, and England will get to work preparing for 2018 World Cup qualification.
But right now there is no getting away from yet another disappointing summer. Hodgson tried, but in three attempts he could not deliver a tournament run to be remembered fondly.
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