Brazil 2 England 2: All England have to do is replicate the joys from Brazil

Hodgson’s men must show same strength of character in their draw at the Maracana in order to secure automatic passage to World Cup finals 
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Sam Wallace3 June 2013

Not even Sir Alf Ramsey had a record against the Brazilians to compare with that of Roy Hodgson who, for all his tribulations this season, can still say that against the greatest football nation on earth he remains unbeaten.

England’s draw here at the Maracana stadium last night came four months after they beat Brazil at Wembley, the first victory over them in 23 years and the stand-out moment in a season that has been difficult for Hodgson. In World Cup qualification, his team have failed to produce that stand-out display to put them in control of Group H, where they sit second.

Against Brazil at Wembley in February and then again in the Maracana last night, however, England have demonstrated the necessary determination and single-mindedness that has eluded them as they have failed to hold onto leads in qualifying games against Poland, in October, and Montenegro, in March.

Trailing to Fred’s 58th-minute goal, having previously been kept in the game by Joe Hart, they found the strength of character to equalise through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and then take the lead with a Wayne Rooney goal that very nearly won the match for them. In qualifying for next year’s World Cup, especially in the draws against Ukraine, Poland and Montenegro, England have looked fragile. Were it not for Frank Lampard’s late penalty against Ukraine at Wembley in September, they would have lost the game. Yet as underdogs at the Maracana, and largely overwhelmed in the first half, they came back stronger.

This past week has been difficult for Hodgson, one in which the agenda has been set by Gary Lineker’s characterisation of the manager’s tactics in the draw with the Republic of Ireland at Wembley, as “a return to the Dark Ages”. That tweet stung the England manager and it caught him unprepared when it was put to him after the game on Wednesday.

Against Brazil, ranked 19th in the world and not a vintage side by their country’s standards, it was as much as England’s five-man midfield could do to keep the opposition at bay. In the second half, Hodgson’s second substitute Oxlade-Chamberlain scored England’s first and the team made inroads on the counter-attack.

Should England win their four remaining qualifiers, against Moldova, Ukraine (away), Montenegro and Poland, they will be assured of first place in the group and automatic passage to the World Cup. It is by no means a certainty but, after last night, Hodgson will take some reassurance that his team are not about to crumble.

On Friday, Montenegro play Ukraine at home and should they win will go five points clear of England at the top of the group, having played one game more. A win for Ukraine and one for Poland, who play Moldova away on the same day, will put both of those countries within a point of England. There is very little margin for error for Hodgson’s team.

Against Brazil, Hodgson could afford to be conservative, with Phil Jones deployed as additional cover in the centre of midfield. The England manager has drawn seven of the 17 games for which he has been in charge, including the Euro 2012 defeat by Italy on penalties and it will, in all likelihood, be the draws in qualification that prove his undoing if England fail to make it to Brazil next summer.

Hodgson has admitted over the last week that he is not the kind of manager who adheres rigidly to one system or one way of playing.

The four qualifiers in the autumn will be approached with a view to getting what he considers his best players on the pitch in a formation that allows them to perform. Over the last few days, Hodgson has referred repeatedly to the “six to eight” players absent now whom he expects to figure prominently.

They include Steven Gerrard, Jack Wilshere, Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck (present in the squad this week but injured), Andy Carroll, Aaron Lennon, Chris Smalling and Daniel Sturridge, who was injured early against Ireland and will be out for four months.

Factor in Hodgson’s belief that he will promote a couple from the Under-21s next season — possibly Wilfried Zaha and Raheem Sterling — and the team that play those last four qualifiers could look very different. As ever, Hodgson will be at the mercy of who is fit and who is not but the fundamental belief the manager holds is that there is a strong enough talent pool — just — to see him through these last four qualifiers and to Brazil next summer. He just has to find a way of getting his best side, at any given time, on the pitch.

What is notable about Hodgson is that he has seen little of the England team over his years working as a manager all over Europe. He is not, by his own admission, familiar with the details of their successes and failures. It is one of the reasons why his faith in his players is stronger than that which he encounters in others.

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