Roy Hodgson: Tactical Review of the Game Against Norway

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: May 28, 2012

commentComment        



England won 1-0 with a lackluster performance against a poor Norway side that has not qualified for an international tournament since 2000. This was Roy Hodgson's first game as England manager and there was admittedly a lot of fine-tuning to do. The same old problems were visible, and I would go so far as to say, exacerbated by Hodgson's tactics.



Hodgson's effect on the team

Hodgson's England are a rigid, functional side which are compact in two banks of four behind a pair of forwards. The team maintained their shape excellently in this sense, as Norway didn't have a substantial opportunity all game. Space between the defense and the midfield was monitored and closed down as Henriksen, Norway's great white hope, and Morten Gamst Pedersen struggled.

They maintained the majority of possession, for three reasons:

a) Ball retention is not one of England's strong points, and that especially shows when teams sit back, as quick penetrative passing is vital for a counter-attacking side.

b) England's 4-4-1-1 meant Ashley Young played off Carroll. Ideally, the attacking midfielder closes down the defensive midfielder, but Tettey was largely free to play the ball here. Hodgson likes to maintain his two up front, so he let Young stay forward and feed off scraps, which made the formation more like a 4-4-2 anyway.

c) Hodgson told his side to stay deep to open up space on the counter, which means there is a lot of aimless passing around. Tettey and the back-four recycled the ball around, to little effect.

However, while Hodgson will be branded as a defensive, reactive manager, it is important to remember that we got some glimpses of how the system was supposed to function through Young's goal. Lescott knocked played the ball forward to Carroll and, thanks to England sitting back, Young had acres of space to go one-on-one with Hangeland, and then score.

Milner h...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!