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| (Image: the Telegraph) |
England managed to overcome Norway in Oslo on Saturday night
with Ashley Young grabbing the only goal of the game to hand Roy Hodgson a
debut 1-0 win. It is the first time England have won in Oslo for thirty-two
years, but should we be that optimistic after our first glance at Roy’s new
England?
England started the game extremely well, getting forward in sufficient
numbers, with Demidov and Hangeland struggling to deal with the aerial threat
of Liverpool big-man Andy Carroll, who should have headed home on 3 minutes
after a good delivery from Downing, whose performance, though wasn’t sufficient
to confound his critics, will go a long way in proving his worth to the England
squad with excellent tracking back and a threat from out wide.
One thing that looks very promising is how organised England
were at the back. Norway, who did have substantial amounts of possession, were
unable to unlock the door of two solid banks of four that England set out with.
A clean sheet will have given the squad a huge confidence boost too, in particular
Rob Green, who may now be able to move on after his spillage against the USA in
South Africa at the World Cup in 2010.
In addition, newly appointed Captain
Steven Gerrard led by example in the heart of England’s midfield, illustrated
by a crunching tackle on Tom Hogli, though perhaps considered by many to be a
clean one, he may have to take a step back when performing such tackles with
that moment that could result in deeper punishment at competitive tournaments.
Nevertheless, towards the end of the first half and for most
of the second England were second best to the Norwegians, unable to sustain
possession for any good lengths of time with many sloppy passes and did not
look a threat even on the counter attack. Against better opposition it is
likely England would be picked off if they cannot create enough chances,
therefore addressing attacking movement must be a priority for Hodgson.
However on a more positive note, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was
given his debut, albeit from the bench. The 18-year-old once more showed
maturity that belied his age; his first touch almost setting up team mate Theo
Walcott for a goal.
Overall, a win is a win and Hodgson will probably be pleased
with his side’s performance, considering many key players were missing such as
Terry and Lampard as well as the fact he has only been training with the side
for three days. He will however be disappointed that he has lost Gary Barry to
injury, as he may now have to draft a replacement before the UEFA deadline on
Tuesday. Hodgson’s next test is Belgium at Wembley, a game where we will see
goal-line technology on the international stage - for the first time.
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