Hodgson awaits Terry news
Friday, 07 September, 2012
Injury to defender dampens Manager's delight after 5-0 win in Moldova.
Roy Hodgson says he was pleased with England’s 5-0 victory over Moldova but hopes for good news about defender John Terry's ankle injury.
The Three Lions eased to victory in Chisinau with a highly professional performance, as goals from Frank Lampard (2), Jermain Defoe, James Milner and Leighton Baines completed an almost perfect night.
Only Terry's late injury that saw the Chelsea captain leave the pitch just before the final whistle concerned Hodgson as he prepares to pick a team to face Ukraine at Wembley on Tuesday.
He said: "The way we played, especially the first half, pleased me - not only did we attack well but we also defended well and every time we did lose the ball we were very quick to get around it again.
"Even in the second half, although we didn't reach the heights of the first half, we still played some good football and scored two more goals.
“We also came away with a clean sheet too, so it's positives all round - as long as John Terry's ankle isn't going to be a problem for us.
Hodgson revealed that he wanted to take Terry off earlier, but the defender was keen to stay on the pitch and help his team to victory.
"I'd liked to have taken him off, and we did suggest we'd play with ten," said Hodgson.
"He's a warrior though, so he poo-pooed the suggestion he should come off with 20 minutes to go. He took a kick on the ankle in the first half and then twisted it slightly when he landed in front of the bench in the second half.
"It's not going to be serious, it's not a long-term injury,” admitted the Manager, but Tuesday is very soon and I will have to wait now to see what the doctors and physios tell me. They're assessing him at the moment."
Hodgson also had special praise for two of his young midfielders, Tom Cleverley and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who played a major part in the victory.
"They were very good. Alex had an excellent first half. He hasn't played much football so we were always worried about keeping him on - and even at half-time he was fairly tired.
"But Cleverley throughout the 90 minutes was excellent - and of course he's been playing every week for Manchester United.
“When you watch him play like that you understand why Sir Alex likes him so much as well because he's come into a team with people like Gerrard, Lampard and Carrick and doesn't look at all out of place."
Tickets are still on sale for Tuesday's match against Ukraine at Wembley Stadium, so make sure you're there for the first home Qualifier of Hodgson's era.