Hodgson dismisses 'Dark Ages' slur
England coach Roy Hodgson has rejected Gary Lineker's claim of a return to the "dark ages" with their performance in the 1-1 draw against the Republic of Ireland.
Within minutes of the final whistle at Wembley, Lineker took to Twitter to condemn the Three Lions for sticking rigidly to the old doctrine of two lines of four with a couple of strikers on top.
Lineker's view is not one Hodgson shares. "Did he?" said Hodgson, when informed of the Match of the Day anchor's comments. "Oh well, that's a pity. I thought we played well. What are the Dark Ages?"
He added: "Basically, when we lost the ball we were asking at least one of the front players to make certain he drops back and helps out in midfield. Just like Borussia Dortmund did in the (Champions League) final.
"I'm never surprised by what things are said. I can only tell you what I think. I'm not attempting to change opinions. If you think we played poorly, go away and write it.
"Don't expect me to sit here and satisfy you by agreeing because I think we played quite well."
The reference to Borussia Dortmund raised an eyebrow. For though Jurgen Klopp's men were beaten by Bayern Munich, there was little about England that could compare to Dortmund's overall performance, still less the opening half hour when they threatened to run away with the contest.
Not for the first time this week, Hodgson was forced into a hasty clarification. "I'm just talking 4-4-2s," he said. "I'm not comparing us to any team. We don't play like Borussia Dortmund. We play like England.
"We play up to the principles that we work on in the training session. And on Wednesday I went away thinking the way we attacked, passed the ball and moved, and attempted to get in behind the opponents, was the right way to do it.
"Our defending was very solid. We won the ball back very quickly, our players tracked back pretty well and while we played two front players we didn't get outnumbered in midfield due to the fact that Wayne Rooney and the others up there tracked back."
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