Hodgson: England Can Make It To The 2014 World Cup

Roy Hodgson, England national team manager, remarked that he and his side are assured of a World Cup appearance in 2014, despite a display of flaws while playign against tough oponnent Ukraine that led to a 1-1 draw.

Hodgson's side suffered from a lack of key players. The team needed a late-game penalty from Frank Lampard to get past through losing to Ukraine. Disappointing performances from Tom Cleverley aggravated the team's situation at home on Tuesday.

Important players like Andy Carroll, Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott and John Terry were all absent during the Ukraine fixture. Hodgson deemed the call-ups of Adam Lallana, Raheem Sterling and Jake Livermore as necessary, even though none of them played for the seniors before.

Hodgson remained confident that his side will be competing strongly for the World Cup. Saying that many features of the Ukraine game impressed him, he noted the abilities of the youngsters in the game. He added that the team has a strong winning chance especially if all the sidelined players are present.

Expectations were high for England when they thrashed an ailing Moldova side 5-0 prior to last Tuesday's match. Ukraine proved to be a tougher team, given their international potential as seen in EURO 2012.

With the match showing England having a difficult time superseding the Ukrainians, the rescue goal provided by Lampard provided consolation to the team's numerous wasted chances. Cleverley's double wide shots is a far cry from his performance in Moldova that led Hodgson to immediately compare him to Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

A 25-yard goal from Yevgeni Konoplianka, followed by near-goal attempts from Oleg Gusev and Ruslan Rotan, highlighted the strength of Ukraine. Captain Steven Gerrard's send-off and five other bookings, greatly hampered the progress of England. Jermain Defoe's invalidated 20-yard goal due to an illegal hand-off further drew the ire of Hodgson on referee Cuneyt Cakir.

Gerrard joined Hodgson in agreeing that England has a fighting chance for the World Cup. He commended his side's determined attitude and the satisfactory performance of the youngsters, as shown against Ukraine which could have easily earned them a loss.

England will face San Marino and Poland in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers in October.

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Photo credits:

Roy Hodgson [Photograph]. (2012). Retrieved 13 September 2012, from < http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/article/165/8071022/hodgson-aware-of-slim-pickings >