Roy Hodgson extended his unbeaten run as England manager to seven games without defeat in open play on Wednesday evening as England beat Italy 2-1.
Before the game Hodgson said that he would use the pre-season friendly as a test for the younger players of the team, as a way to gauge who will be the England stars who could potentially lead the squad into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and beyond to further competitions for football trophies.
There were several debutants in the side that took on the Azzurri in Switzerland, including Jack Butland who became the youngest goalkeeper to wear the England football kit at 19 years old and 158, beating the previous record holder Billy Moon who played his debt against Wales at 19 years old and 222 days in 1888.
Italy also brought a younger squad which didn’t include dynamo Andre Pirlo and many other big players, as most of them are preparing for pre-season commitments with their clubs and it seems Italian manager Cesare Prandelli had a similar tactic in mind, letting younger players have their chance to shine on the International stage.
The England debutants also included Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley, who excelled in the Team GB squad during the Olympics, featuring in every game they played.
Cleverley is a likely contender to take Frank Lampard’s mantle when he inevitably retires in a few years’ time. He has said he faces a defining season and hopes to make himself a regular in the England squad, and his performance on Wednesday evening will have done nothing to harm that aspiration.
Lampard himself had a fantastic game playing alongside Cleverley and his old West Ham teammate Michael Carrick, who is trying to burst back into the international football scene and keep one of the England football kits permanently.
The first half was a similar story to the game in the Euros where Italy ended up knocking England out on penalties, with England defending stoically and all too happy to let the Italian’s come forward.
The new-look England squad failed to keep their football nets from bulging and conceded a header from a corner which Daniele De Rossi took with ease. Not long after though this goal was cancelled out by another header from a corner, with Phil Jagielka using his acrobatic skills to reach a low ball and head it into the roof of the net.
The only goal of the second half came late on with 11 minutes to go and it was England’s go-to impact player Jermaine Defoe who slotted a shot into the top corner of the goal giving England the victory tat will no doubt help to heal the wounds of the penalty shoot-out in June.
Hodgson will have been pleased with the work rate the team put in, the work they have put in on the football training equipment and set piece play with football bibs looks to have paid off. Hodgson said he was pleased with the performance and that everyone played their part in the win.
