Norway 0-1 England: Hodgson gets off to winning start in Oslo

ENGLAND, having been buoyed by victory in Oslo on Saturday night in Roy Hodgson’s first game in charge, are facing another significant day in their preparations for Euro 2012, with three players set to find out whether they are fit enough to make the squad, which is due to be finalised tomorrow.

Gareth Barry will have a scan today on the groin injury he suffered in the win over Norway. The in-form Manchester City midfielder lasted less than half an hour on Saturday night following his introduction as a half-time substitute before indicating he had a problem. Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck and Liverpool defender Glen Johnson will also report to have their respective ankle and toe injuries assessed by the England medical team.

Hodgson has to confirm his 23-man squad to Uefa by midday tomorrow, after which he will not be allowed to make any changes. Despite the injury concerns, the England manager declared himself satisfied with the start of his reign. On a weekend when Euro 2012 heavyweights Germany and Holland both lost, England’s 1-0 win in Norway represented a creditable result.

It came courtesy of a ninth-minute goal by Ashley Young, who received an Andy Carroll pass before taking advantage of flat-footed defending by Fulham’s Brede Hangeland and a decoy run by Steven Gerrard to beat goalkeeper Rune Almenning Jarstein.

The win was all the more impressive, given that it ended a five-match winless streak against the Scandinavians which stretched back to 1966. However, of far more importance was the chance to bring together a team badly lacking preparation after only three days working with their new boss. While the victory will have boosted confidence, there remains plenty to be worked on if England are to have any chance of competing at the Euros next month. Still, Hodgson is satisfied to have a platform to build from.

“I am aware that it is very much work in progress but after three days with this team I have to be satisfied with a more-than-reasonable performance,” said Hodgson. “We showed a lot of discipline and worked very hard. We weren’t as good going forward as we are going to be, but we showed glimpses of it.”

With Scott Parker emerging unscathed from the 45-minute appearance he was scheduled to have, Hodgson pushed him for a bit longer and was delighted the Tottenham man suffered no reaction to his recent Achilles problem.

In a further boost, Joleon Lescott, Leighton Baines and Ashley Young all caught the eye and none of that trio could be regarded as a member of what, in theory, constitutes England’s first-choice line-up. “There is a good chance that some of the players who play against Belgium on Saturday will also be involved in the game against France,” said Hodgson. “But a few players have put spanners in the works. It has given me something to think about.”

For a coach “parachuted in” with such limited build-up, Hodgson has reason to be thankful for the pre-tournament opponents lined up by predecessor Fabio Capello. Norway provided a taxing workout, and Belgium’s visit to Wembley next weekend should be a stiffer task still, as they bring with them Premier League-bound Eden Hazard, Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany and Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen among others. “I got a lot of answers from Norway because we were playing against a quality opponent,” said Hodgson. “Sometimes when you are preparing matches for major tournaments, you tend to choose opponents where it is not going to be that difficult to get a result. No one could accuse us, in coming to Norway without four or five of our most famous players, and then playing Belgium, that we have chosen an easy route. If we come through these games with any sort of quality, it will help us when we get to the Euros.”

Meanwhile, skipper Gerrard believes Young can be England’s lethal weapon during the Euro 2012 finals. The Manchester United player has now scored four goals in his last four appearances for his country and linked up well with main striker Carroll. The Norwegians struggled to contain Young, particularly during the first half, as he found plenty of space to exploit in between the midfield and defence. Gerrard said: “Ashley is a good player and when he plays that withdrawn role off the front man and gets in between the lines, he is very dangerous and skilful. Opposing defenders and midfielders don’t know how to pick him up because he finds the space so well. He is in good form for England and is scoring a lot of goals at the right time with the Euros coming up. We are really pleased with Ashley’s performance and I thought him and Andy look decent together.”

Gerrard has high hopes of clubmate Carroll after his end-of-season form for Liverpool and he did not disappoint in his first England start for 14 months. He said: “It was all eyes on Andy because of the form he showed when he finished the season for Liverpool. Andy worked so hard and put a real shift in. He always does that.”