England maintained their perfect form in the Euro 2016 Qualification campaign after picking a 2-0 win over Estonia at Wembley on Friday. Theo Walcott opened up the scoring for the home side after a calm finish and the lead was doubled by Manchester City youngster Raheem Sterling to give the Three Lions a comfortable win.
Everton midfielder Ross Barkley who had previously been criticized by the England manager received support from Roy Hodgson who claimed that the 21 year old was making improvements under Roberto Martinez at Everton.
“It’s not often that I really contest people’s choice of man-of-the-match. He wasn’t the only one that deserved a mention but I’m pleased Ross got it,” Hodgson said.
“He showed what he can do. We need to use him like we did today as one of the three midfield players. He is perfectly comfortable with that and the more exposure he gets in both positions will suit him going forward."
“I’ve been critical of all players for giving the ball away. I’ve had to work with him like all managers on his decision making, when he struts his stuff and when he plays more simply.
“That’s coaching to make sure a player with so much ability choses his moments. I don’t think I can ever be accused of having anything other than utmost faith in him.
“He’s worked on it for well over a year and I’m sure Roberto is giving him the exact same instructions. He is learning by playing at the very highest level.”
Having qualified for Euro 2016 already, the England manager also claimed that a couple of players will be rested for the subsequent encounter against Lithuania including the likes of Gary Cahill, Joe Hart and James Milner.
“Gary Cahill has occasional back problems and we were a bit concerned with the flight and the artificial pitch,” Hodgson added.
“Joe Hart is being left behind against his well because I want to play Jack Butland. James Milner deserves a rest and I want to play Jonjo Shelvey.”
Lithuania on the other hand are second from the bottom in Group E having managed just three victories from their nine matches so far. They have been on a disappointing run as of late having picked up just a single victory in their last five matches, losing thrice in the process.
The two sides met in March earlier this year when the Three Lions recorded an easy 4-0 win over their counterparts, courtesy of goals from Rooney, Welbeck, Sterling and Kane.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
