England manager Roy Hodgson is looking like a master tactician today after his decision to add Andros Townsend as a surprise call up to the England squad for the games against Montenegro and Poland, which was crowned by Townsend’s goal that confirmed the win for England at Wembley.
The 4-1 scoreline may appear like a walk in the park for England, but for those of you who watched the match, you’ll know it was getting nervy for England until Townsend scored his beautiful goal.
Here’s what Hodgson said regarding his appointment of Townsend, and why he had to fight to have him selected to the squad:
“We agonized over selecting Andros Townsend, we argued back and forth. To leave people like Jack Wilshere and James Milner out, with their talent, was not easy. It was not easy to leave out one experienced player, or one skillful player or Michael Carrick. We had a lot of good players to choose from.
“Andros must be delighted. We envisaged something and it came off. We thought Andros Townsend’s pace against a packed defense would open doors. He really performed on the night.
“Andros’s third was the most important, restoring a two-goal margin. After they scored that goal out of the blue, a deflection from a shot Joe Hart would have covered quite comfortably, it was a game again. Andros took that wind out of their sails. He made a big impact.
“It can’t be easy for a young player making his debut in a game of that nature, but he deserves the credit. He played with a calmness and composure I’ve seen when he’s played for QPR and Tottenham.”
Now comes England’s next match, against Poland on Tuesday where a win will guarantee automatic qualification for Brazil 2014.
Here are today’s world soccer news headlines:
International soccer
- Roy Hodgson: we agonised and argued over whether to pick Andros Townsend against Montenegro — Telegraph
- Andros Townsend’s beginner’s pluck repays Roy Hodgson’s faith — The Guardian
- Raheem Sterling called up to England senior squad for game against Poland — The FA
- Holger Osieck: there were more than enough reasons for him to go — The Guardian
- Foreign footballers describe poor treatment in Qatar — Spiegel
- Aron Johannsson’s first U.S. start not perfect, but promising — Pro Soccer Talk
- USMNT will face Austria in an international friendly Nov. 19 in Vienna — US Soccer
- Swiss celebrating third successive qualification — FIFA
- Report makes FA of Wales power struggle likely — When Saturday Comes
Premier League
- Carlton Cole will sign three month deal to return to West Ham — The Mirror
- Cardiff City to hold board meeting in wake of speculation around future of manager Malky Mackay — Independent
- Liverpool chauffeur who could reveal secrets axed after bust-up — The Mail
- Cardiff give vote of confidence to Malky Mackay — Cardiff City
- Phil Bardsley set to make his Sunderland return at Swansea — Newcastle Journal
- Manchester United scout ‘£100million man’ Remy Cabella ahead of January transfer — Metro
La Liga
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