Euro 2016: Confusion reigns for Roy Hodgson as England stumble on to Nice

At least there is a theme developing with England’s Euro 2016 campaign. The only downside is that it appears to be one of confusion.

Progression to the second round, only the base camp for realising the bare minimum of expectation, has been achieved in unconvincing fashion with one victory and two draws Group B, but in keeping with the fog of uncertainty that has shrouded England since they arrived in France two weeks ago, Roy Hodgson and his players returned to their Chantilly base from Saint Etienne on Tuesday not even knowing who they will face in Nice next Monday.

It could be one of four opponents – Portugal, Iceland, Hungary or Austria. So many possibilities, but nobody quite knows what to expect.

So this is how England’s Euro 2016 looks right now – they must prepare for an unknown opponent, with Hodgson none the wiser as to his best team.

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Indeed, three games into the competition, the manager does not even know his best strike-force, only that none of the five forwards – if England’s all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney is still classed as a forward – have done much to stake their claim to the status as first-choice striker.

The former England captain Alan Shearer, in his role as a BBC pundit following the 0-0 draw against Slovakia, suggested that Hodgson still has no idea of his preferred starting XI or tactical approach but, speaking in the bowels of the Stade Geoffroy Guichard following the Slovak stalemate, the manager insisted that he has a plan, regardless of what others may think.

“There are players who are replaceable,” Hodgson said. “If I play Kyle Walker next week, someone will write it should have been Nathaniel Clyne because he played so well against Slovakia. If I don’t play Jordan Henderson someone will say he should have played.

“We have a group of players who can play, we couldn’t have dominated this game [against Slovakia] more than we did with whatever team I put out. But we know our players and I know what team I am going to play next week if they are all fit.”

So despite not yet knowing who England will play in Nice, Hodgson already has his team in mind, which is a surprise considering that the threat of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo would appear to be somewhat different to that posed by the highly-organised defensive unit of Iceland.

Still, to overcome any opponent, England must find a way to put the ball into the back of the net and that has been the issue so far in France.

England have dominated three group games against, to be blunt, mediocre opposition, but they have drawn two of those fixtures and won the other with a goal deep into stoppage time. Where does Hodgson go next with his attacking options?

The most complete forward line would seem to the height and presence of Harry Kane alongside the pace of Jamie Vardy, with Dele Alli tucked in behind at the top of a diamond formation. That system would force Hodgson to deploy Wayne Rooney on the left or right, with Eric Dier retaining the defensive midfield role he has performed majestically so far in France.

But despite insisting he knows his starting team for Nice, Hodgson admits he does not know his best strike-force. Confusion once again.

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“That could also be a headache we have to do deal with,” Hodgson said. “All of the forwards have shown a lot of qualities in the games but none of them, as yet, have really shown they are able to score the goals we need. We have a clear idea of the players we think we would like to play and we will have to wait and see in Nice.

“If I had bedded down a partnership and one of them had got injured you would have been saying I should have tried others – all of these questions really are questions which are hypothetical and based on events in hindsight.

“I thought Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana and Kane did well against Russia, but in the second game when we weren’t scoring goals, we gave Vardy and Sturridge a chance and they scored two goals for us and won us the game. Against Slovakia, we started the game and now people might suggest why did you start with those why? didn’t Kane and Sterling start? That’s life.”

So what about Rooney? The Manchester United captain has impressed in midfield, but do England now need his international track record further forward? Should England’s all-time record goalscorer be the man charged with scoring the goals to take his team deep into the competition?

“Wayne can play anywhere,” Hodgson said. “But we will have to decide what our best system is. When I announce the team to play in Nice, there will be at least three or four players left out of the team who many people here thought should have been in the team.

“We are fully aware of that. Wayne Rooney is a very useful player to have – against Slovakia, we put him on initially as a wide forward, thinking he might get us the goal and then another 10 minutes elapsed and we put Kane on as well. In the end we had an enormous amount of forwards on.

“Before I came here, I thought Vardy and Kane were the goalscorers. Everyone was telling me Vardy and Kane had to play because one had scored 24 goals and the other 25. It is difficult for me to defend them because we haven’t scored, but I believe all of them can score goals.

“The pecking order will come the next time we play. Whoever starts, whoever comes on as sub and scores the goals, but I believe they can all score.”

So there you have it. The team for Nice is already in Hodgson’s mind, but as for the best system or best strike-force, that remains to be seen.

Confused?