ENGLAND CAN WIN

England manager Roy Hodgson has said that he is extremely confident that England will be able to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup despite not winning many matches under his regime. Since taking over from Fabio Capello just before the Euro 2012, Hodgson has overseen a regime that has been filled with draws against mediocre teams. This has led to the England national team struggling to qualify for the World Cup as the group winners. They are currently second in the group – five points behind leaders Montenegro. This would result in them having to qualify for the World Cup through a play-off against a top team.

However, Hodgson is confident that his players will be able to come back to form at just the right time. It remains to be seen if England will be able to finish as the group winners even if they win all the matches in hand. England could only recently manage a draw against Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, which is seen as a great preparation for the team. After the two friendly matches against Republic of Ireland and Brazil, the World Cup qualifying matches will be starting in September.

Hodgson recently requested the Premier league not to have important matches just before the international break, but it has been not heeded. “One of the areas where we’ve been, to say the least, unfortunate, is in the choice of front players and the availability of front players. I’m looking forward to coming back here again next year. I’m enjoying the job every bit as much [as before]. I’m perfectly happy for anyone who wants to to come up with criticism,” said Hodgson.

The former West Brom, Liverpool, and Fulham manager is held in high regard by the English FA after achieving a lot in the game with several clubs across several countries.