Roy’s England must prove their worth

ROY HODGSON has been hugely irritated talking about players who are not in the England squad.

Tomorrow night we will find out how justified his faith is in those who are in the squad.

Hodgson claims that the opening game of Euro 2012 against France was a bigger test of his England managerial career than this match.

Yet the French clash was a free go for him. Nobody would have torn into Hodgson had England lost.

He had been parachuted into the finals at the last minute and had to make the best of it.

But this is Hodgson’s England. And despite all the injury problems, he very much believes in all the players he has at his disposal.

Take central defence, where he has had the most headaches.

Hodgson has demanded respect for Joleon Lescott and Chris Smalling despite the fact they have not played much first-team football recently.

He insisted: “I’m not exactly putting a couple of guys from non-league on the pitch.”

Up front, he is as obsessed with Wayne Rooney as any of his predecessors.

Fabio Capello worshipped at the altar of Roo, just as Sven Goran Eriksson did all those years ago.

Whatever the worries about his occasional hair-trigger temperament, successive England bosses have believed Rooney is the man who makes the difference.

Hodgson was not interested in talk of any struggles with form Rooney is perceived to be having at Manchester United.

He curtly observed: “He’s scoring goals, isn’t he? There’s no reason for his confidence to be fragile.”

Rooney’s beautifully-flighted free-kick against San Marino suggested Hodgson was right.

The England boss does not like getting bogged down in tactical discussion.

But he is likely to adopt a more cautious approach in Montenegro than against the San Marino whipping boys.

Manchester City’s dogged James Milner is usually the man for these occasions because of his willingness to track back and help the defence.

That is especially important when Glen Johnson plays because the Liverpool full-back loves to get forward and does so very effectively.

Johnson still has problems with a toe injury but is expected to make it with the help of an injection.

On the opposite side, Ashley Cole will return at left-back even if that looks hard on Leighton Baines, who is having an excellent season at Everton and was outstanding last Friday.

Michael Carrick and Steven Gerrard are likely to return as the central midfield partnership.

They played no part in the San Marino game as Hodgson held them back for the bigger event.

Ahead of them, Tom Cleverley will get the nod. The Manchester United midfielder is the only player to start every one of Hodgson’s eight matches in charge this season.

That then leaves one attacking wide position to be decided if he opts for a 4-4-1-1 formation.

While Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ashley Young did good jobs against San Marino, it is possible they will miss out in favour of Danny Welbeck.

Alex Ferguson selected Welbeck instead of Rooney in the second leg of the Champions League tie against Real Madrid because of his ability to aid the team defensively.

And Hodgson may see that as an important aspect of Welbeck’s game which Oxlade-Chamberlain and Young do not possess.