England Boss Hodgson Relishes in Comeback Victory over Wales

The Three Lions fought back with two goals after going down 1-0 against Wales – a victory that gave the England boss “such joy.”

(Image credit: The Guardian)

Gareth Bale struck a wonderful goal from a free-kick in the 42nd minute of the game, which left England boss Hodgson sweating until after he made changes in the second half of the match against Wales. He decided to make a double substitution right after the break, by taking off Sterling and Kane, and replacing them with Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy. This proved to be genius stroke by the England boss, as both players paid off dividends: Vardy first levelled the score and then Sturridge sealed the winner in the dying moments of the game.

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“I’d have been a lot less ecstatic id we’d not conceded that late on against Russia at the weekend which robbed us of a deserved victory. It’s certainly been two different ends to the spectrum,” said the England boss. “It’s a long time since myself and the coaching staff have showed such joy at a goal, and that’s because that equalising goal the other night had put us under a bit of pressure.”

“When the chances don’t go in, and you compound your task by conceding that Bale goal it really is a happy moment when both the substitutes score. But I thought it was on the cards through the second half,” highlighted the 68-year-old manager.

After the thrilling win, Hodgson sympathized with him opponents who were at one point looking to clinch a victory over the Three Lions. “I have great empathy with Chris Coleman and the Welsh team because he must have been looking at a good draw. He will be feeling tonight as I was on Saturday night. If I had been watching from afar and not been with England, I would have felt very sorry for Wales.”

Despite expressing consideration for the way in which Wales lost the match, the England boss stressed that he’s delighted with the victory. “But they will have to excuse me not feeling sorry for them because I want to be pleased with ourselves. It took a lot of probing and effort, but I was so pleased to see both the goals go in. Four points from two matches is the minimum we deserve for the two performances,” said Hodgson.

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Bale opened the scoring in the 42nd minute with a superb free-kick from distance, however his efforts were later cancelled out by Vardy and Sturridge, both of whom came off the bench to overturn the result.

Bringing on Vardy and Sturridge paid off for the England boss
(Image credit: The Guardian)

After clinching a victory over Wales, the Three Lions now lead Group B with 4 points, however things are still not certain in their group as the both Wales and Slovakia boast 3 points apiece, while Russia has earned a solitary point from 2 games. The latter is the favourite 1.615 (8/13) to finish bottom of Group B, while Slovakia is second 3.75 (11/4) and Wales third favourite 4.50 (7/2), per online sportsbook BetVictor. England are once again the favourite side to finish top of their group 1.222 (2/9), with Wales right behind them 6.50 (11/2), and Slovakia having third favourite odds 7.00 (6/1).

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England 1.75 (3/4) will next face Slovakia 5.25 (17/4) in what is perceived to be a relatively easy task, according to online sportsbook odds. Roy Hodgson will have to shift up his squad a bit, as Harry Kane up front doesn’t seem to be doing the trick for them, despite the Tottenham striker enjoying a marvellous 2015-16 season in the Premier League.

As soon as the England boss brought on Vardy and Sturridge against Wales, things started to develop at a greater pace that saw them level at first with Vardy’s 56th minute strike and then take the winning lead in stoppage time, thanks to Sturridge’s late goal in the 92nd minute.

Another conundrum the England boss will have to solve has to do with Sterling, who was replaced by his former Liverpool teammate Sturridge in yesterday’s game. The young English winger seemed to be on a steady trajectory to become one of the best players in his position during the World Cup two years ago, however his talents seem to have diminished in recent times. With his dire performance against Wales, it seems that Hodgson might opt to use Sturridge or one of his other players in the following game against Slovakia.

Captain Rooney provides experience to England’s young midfield
(Image credit: Squawka Football)

The midfield area seems to be doing fine so far, despite lacking some quality in certain aspects. Captain Wayne Rooney has adjusted to his role in midfield relatively well, however he’s not the classical maestro in that position to dictate the game all on his own. For their upcoming final group game, he’ll have to once again rely on midfield partners Eric Dier and Dele Alli for their support. But the positive thing about this is that they’ve balanced out that area by fielding an experienced player in Rooney while also throwing in a good measure of young blood that can turn up the action at any time.

Like the midfield area, the defence will probably stay the same against Slovakia. However, the England boss will be looking for ways to prevent the opposition of scoring “soft goals” that could have been easily avoided had they kept their composure. Central defending pair Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill will have to be on full alert against Marek Hamsik, who’s known for causing havoc against his opposition either by providing incisive passes or netting a goal himself. Hamsik was Slovakia’s second man on target in the 2-1 win over Russia, 13 minutes after Weiss opened the scoring in the match.

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