JACK OUT OF ROY’S PACK?
Hodgson ready to sacrifice Wilshere
RoY hoDGsoN was last night facing the biggest selection decision of hi s England career as he agonised over Jack Wilshere’s place for their crucial World Cup clash with Montenegro.
Sportsmail can reveal Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard and Wilshere are locked in a three-way fight for a central-midfield berth alongside captain steven Gerrard. hodgson has picked Wayne Rooney and Daniel sturridge as England’s front pairing for the Group h clash in front of a sold-out Wembley as his team aim to qualify for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
But Wilshere, who started against Moldova and Ukraine last month, is under threat as hodgson prepares to name a 4-4-1-1 formation for the clash with Montenegro.
hodgson has trained with Carrick, Lampard and Wilshere alongside his skipper this week. Last night he was still fretting over the decision and intended to discuss it with coaches Gary Neville and Ray Lewington. he will tell his players his line-up in a team meeting shortly after a pre-match walk in the grounds of their Grove hotel base in hertfordshire this morning.
hodgson said: ‘ There’s no easy way to tell players. People are as enthusiastic as you want them to be and when you tell them they’re not in, it’s hard. I take more experienced players to one side, if I can. You can’t do it with the newer members of the squad, who might not have the same aspirations to play but, if you’re counting on playing, then they’re the ones I take aside.’
England are top of Group h and can qualify for next summer’s World Cup with victory this evening and on Tuesday against Poland.
hodgson added: ‘Rooney and sturridge are two excellent modern- day players who can perform all the roles you want.
‘The first time I had them, for the Republic of Ireland game, I liked the look of them. Now I have an opportunity to resurrect the partnership if I want to.
‘I believe the nation will back us, they want to be in Brazil and expect us to get them to Brazil. The players will not shirk their responsibility. None of us will. I’m confident we’ll do it.
‘We are England, we are one of the big nations and we’re expected to qualify for World Cups and European Championships.
‘If that doesn’t happen, you’ll get criticism. They expect us to play well in these two games, win them and reach the World Cup. That’s what we’re going to be doing our level best to do.’
one sensed in hodgson yesterday the bullishness of a man who feels a big moment is approaching. And tonight, at Wembley, he will go in search of the wow factor.
Fabio Capello enjoyed it, against Croatia. sven Goran Eriksson lived off his for many years after returning from Munich in 2001. Terry Venables put four past holland and is still warmly recalled, while strangely Glenn hoddle’s wow came with a goalless draw in Italy.
All England managers who are remembered with any degree of fondness at some time achieved the marquee result that transforms reputations. hodgson is still waiting for his. A win and a draw against Brazil in friendly matches is not the same.
And Montenegro are not typical wow material, either. Yet, such is the significance of tonight’s game, such are the stakes, that this tiny nation — a competitive international force only since 2008 — have taken on fresh substance.
Montenegro have proved cussed opponents of late, are yet to lose to England in three recent meetings, and are still in with a hope of being the smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup.
Lately, though, their campaign has stumbled and they visit Wembley shorn of several key players, most notably captain and striker Mirko Vucinic and goalkeeper Mladen Bozovic. Full-backs Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole aside, England are at full strength.
Yesterday’s mood was markedly different to previous pre-match appearances. Indeed, hodgson came perilously close at one stage to the gauntlet laid at Denmark’s feet by sir Bobby Robson before his first game when he threw a piece of paper and 11 names on to the press conference table. ‘This is my team,’ he said, ‘and we’re coming to get you.’
hodgson wasn’t naming names — although the suggestion is he is going with only one other central midfielder beside Gerrard, and that Wilshere could be the controversial omission — but he was in an upbeat mood.
‘It’s Wembley, it’s England, we have good players,’ he said, ‘and I believe we’ll do this.’