England head coach Roy Hodgson has not
ruled out England winning the World Cup but admits his side will face a
tough test if they are to claim international football's ultimate
prize.
Hodgson's men booked their place in next
year's finals in Brazil after a tough qualifying campaign with a 2-0
victory over Poland on Tuesday night.
England are regarded as one of the outsiders to win the tournament of
the countries that have already booked their place and Hodgson was keen
to adopt a cautious approach.
But the experienced campaigner also made a point of keeping alive
hopes of a surprise victory by saying it was not impossible England
could return home with the trophy.
"European teams don't win in South America, but I don't think there's any point in saying 'this is impossible'," he said.
"I also think we've been in a slight transition period, young players
are coming through, we're getting better, but we're not at the level of
some other teams.
"We won't be favourites, that's for sure. If you're going to define
World Cups as only worthwhile if you win it, then trying to qualify
becomes a complete waste of time."
Hodgson said it will be tough - though not completely out of the
question - for England U21 stars Saido Berahino and Ravel Morrison to
force their way the squad for Brazil.
West Brom starlet Berahino and West Ham's Morrison have been in
sensational form for club and England U21s, and both are being tipped to
make a strong push for Hodgson's squad.
"They could (be selected)," Hodgson said. "But at the moment their first task is to get past the youngsters we already have.
"Ravel has done very well as has Saido, but on the other hand Daniel
Sturridge has been playing for the national team and Ross Barkley has
been very, very impressive in training. If he had played for the U21s
he'd be getting the sort of rave reviews that Ravel and Saido have been
getting. It won't be easy for them.
"Luckily I've had players who are not only playing for their clubs
but are important players. Sturridge was getting excellent reviews for
Liverpool and has brought that with him and done it for us. Danny
Welbeck and Andros Townsend, Jack Wilshere and Kyle Walker are the same
and long may that continue."
Hodgson made clear that he will have a solid backbone of experience
in the squad, going as far as to name who he currently expects to be key
in Brazil.
"We're going to need the Lampards, Gerrards, Rooneys and Coles because the young players feed off them," he said.
Ashley Cole missed the last two games because of injury and it was
put to Hodgson that Leighton Baines - who played superbly as his deputy -
may now be first choice.
"That would be harsh on Ashley Cole, who's still a fantastic player," said Hodgson.
"He was injured and it would have been a tough decision for me had he
been there because I have such respect and admiration for both players.
But Leighton is of the very highest level and it's going to be a battle
between those two to get the shirt. I'm lucky to have such good players
but I'm not prepared to say this one is the undoubted no 1.
"Wayne Rooney is vital. He and Steven Gerrard have been immense in
this campaign. There is no doubt that young players are very exciting
and our future."
Hodgson says he has some hard thinking to do between now and next
summer, not just about selection but about where he wants the squad to
stay and how accessible they should make themselves.
"In one respect the hard work starts now, but it's a long way off and
there's an awfully long time for us to make our decisions, to get our
details right," he said.
"We can't really do any sort of detailed planning before December 6
when we find out who we're playing, because that will affect a lot our
decisions, where we're going to be based. I'm fortunate that the FA has
such a lot of experience at tournaments and logistics of it."
Hodgson will name his final squad in May, and he admits he is going to have some tough decisions.
"I hope I have a tough job in May. It would be nice not to be chasing
around trying to fill the quota. It would be nice to have the problem
of who on earth can I leave out because I've got too many," he said.
England are 22/1 outsiders to win in Brazil - eighth in the pecking order, with the host nation the 100/30 favourites ahead of 5/1 trio Germany, Argentina and Spain.
Belgium (14/1), Italy (16/1) and Holland (20/1) are all priced
shorter than England, who have now qualified for five consecutive World
Cups.
Sky Bet football trader Chris Spicer said: "We are currently
top price at 22/1 about England winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil
ahead of the draw on December 6th, where they are expected to be among
the second seeds."
He added: "Now that qualification is assured the focus will be on who will make Hodgson's final 23-man squad for the tournament.
"Andros Townsend was 12/5 to be on the plane after being named in the
latest squad but having impressed in his first two caps he's now deemed
likely to go at 8/15.
"Others are either on the verge of breaking through, such as Raheem
Sterling who is 7/2 to make the squad, or a veteran like Jermain Defoe
(3/1) who will be hoping experience can win him a spot."
How far will England go in Brazil?
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