Hodgson plans change of approach

England manager Roy Hodgson says his side must change their style of play if they are to be successful.

The former West Bromwich Albion manager guided England to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 in June, only to be eliminated by Italy on penalties.

And Hodgson believes England must start to take the game to their opponents and attempt to dominate the ball more to perform at major tournaments.

“England must maintain possession better,” Hodgson told the FA’s official website.

“We must also show we are capable of seizing the initiative and dominating games in tournaments rather than holding out and hitting opponents on the counter-attack.

“In the matches since the Euros, particularly against Italy and Moldova, I think we have already demonstrated how we would like our national team football philosophy to be.”

Although Hodgson insisted possession statistics are not all-important, he acknowledged passing well was usually conducive to winning.

“My years of experience have taught me to be slightly wary of stats and certainly wary of basing my judgement on a team’s ability to play in purely statistical terms,” he said.

“However, there is no doubt that the key to being a successful team lies in your ability to pass the ball and support each other.

“This is an area of play that I’d like to think, during my time as England manager, we will improve.”