England boss Roy Hodgson: My World Cup bet would go on us not on Brazil
England boss Roy Hodgson: My World Cup bet would go on us not on Brazil
Three Lions "won't fear anybody" next summer regardless of
which three countries they get in Friday's group-stage draw says manager
My money's on England: Hodgson is accentuating the positive
Michael Regan - The FA
Roy Hodgson has sent out a World Cup message to Three Lions fans by vowing "I'd put my money on England", writes Martin Lipton in Costa do Sauipe.
Hodgson admitted he cannot wait for Friday and the draw which will reveal his Three Lions side's opponents here in Brazil next summer, so he can start preparing for what will be the most important moment of his professional life.
And while the bookies make Hodgson's side
major outsiders to spring a World Cup shock (odds of 28/1 are
available), the England boss insisted his team's development means they
will not be coming here in June just to make up the numbers.
Asked if he would back hosts Brazil to win the greatest show on earth, Hodgson declared: "No. I'd put my tenner on England.
"I'd have a chance of losing it on Brazil - so why not put it on the team I want to win it?"
Hodgson
added: "When you're coaching, the only thing acceptable to you is wins.
You know you can't always get what is acceptable, but I don't think in
those terms - I'm not prepared to think in those terms.
"We'll try
to win every game. Whether we're in a tough group or a so-called easy
group - that will be decided by other people. We won't regard any group
as easy. We'll respect all of our opponents.
"But we won't fear anybody. The players will be desperate to do well and go as far in the tournament as they possibly can."
Despite last month's friendly defeats by Chile and old rivals Germany, Hodgson is confident his side have the weaponry and energy to confound expectations, even if the draw sends them to the sauna-like conditions of Manaus, Recife, Natal or Fortaleza.
"I think we have a nice balance in our squad," he said. "We're not one-dimensional in any way.
"The
emergence of these younger players, the likes of Andros Townsend,
Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott, with slightly
different skills to what we had in the past gives us different options.
"We
can be quite tight if we want to and seal things up. We don't have to
go flying at people. We can defend well in depth and make them come at
us.
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England vs Germany: All the match action
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"Over the last 19 months, the thing that's pleased me most is
the emergence of us as a counter-attacking threat. We've got a much
bigger one now than we had a couple of years ago because of the pace of
the players."
For Hodgson, though, Friday represents his moment in
the sun - the first Englishman to be in this position since Glenn
Hoddle in Marseille 16 years ago.
"This is where national pride
comes in for me," he said. "When we line up and the national anthem
plays before the first game it will be the proudest moment of my life. I
think that's how we all feel. I really do.
"The national anthem
will play, there will be a surge of feeling that you can't deny and it's
very difficult to describe. It's a nice feeling because it's the
feeling that you've worked for.
"We know that playing three games
in nine or ten days, especially here in Brazil, is going to be very
tough for any team, let alone a European team.
"The question is
whether we have enough legs, enough running power, enough endurance,
enough youth? These are all things we have to consider.
"But you
work hard to get here, sweat a little blood and a few tears along the
way and you arrive at the draw and you realise that you have got that
reward.
"It's such a big occasion. You know the World Cup is big
but being here brings it home to me even more. Thousands of TV
broadcasters and journalists, billions of people watching it and hanging
on every word that is written word and every game is played.
"And
we are here, we are part of it - that's a great feeling. We hope we get
a draw we like the look of but I'd much rather be here than sitting at
home watching Ukraine or someone who has knocked us."
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