Hodgson can handle egos, says Schwarz

England manager Roy Hodgson will not be fazed by the big egos in the dressing room, according to former Sweden international Stefan Schwarz.

Hodgson, 64, has a reputation as a solid tactician rather than an inspirational leader but Schwarz, who played under him at Malmo, has hailed the way in which he deals with his players.

“I would say he is probably the best man-manager I have played for and he did a lot to help us all improve our game,” Schwarz told Goal.com.

“Roy is very good with his players. He knows exactly the right time to criticise his players but he also knows the right time to praise them as well and that is so important.

“He has a lot of knowledge and his man-management will be a big benefit for England in the European Championships this summer and into the future as well.”

Schwarz, who also played for Arsenal, said Hodgson’s managerial acumen bodes well for England’s prospects for Euro 2012 – when they will face Sweden in the group phase of the competition.

“It is not easy to win a big international title so you have to be very good collectively and be well organised and Roy is very good at doing that so England fans should be optimistic about the summer,” he added.

“When it is a big tournament like this you spend a lot of time together and as well as training hard you need to know when the time is right to have fun and have a laugh and Roy is very good at that.

“It is important that there is an equal balance and you need to have some freedom and some responsibility because you spend so long with the same players and the same staff and then it is very important that you have a good group.

“If you are going to go the whole way then you will need a good spirit in the team.”