Hodgson looking for a more incisive England heading into Sweden clash

Jun 13, 2012 11:00:00 AM

Three Lions boss says his team must improve in the final third if they are to progress to the knockout phases, while admitting he is relishing the return to action of Wayne Rooney

England manager Roy Hodgson has pinpointed the final third of the field as the area most in need of improvement heading into the Sweden clash on Friday.

The Three Lions mustered just one shot on target against France on Monday, compared to seven from the French. However, there were positives to be taken from the game, with England’s back line producing a solid display and Hodgson has admitted that he wants to see a more incisive England in the final third of the pitch.

"It's in the final third, isn't it?" Hodgson replied when asked where he wanted to see the most improvement from his team.

	THREE LIONS TO ROAR?
18/1	England are 18/1 to beat Sweden 3-0 with William Hill

"Once or twice, especially in the first half, there were some very promising counter-attacks that broke down because we tried a one-touch pass to finish it off rather than taking that extra touch.

"I thought there were quite a few other attacks which floundered, I suppose, on the fact we didn't quite get the last pass right.

"The French were just the opposite. They don't play a lot of one-touch football around the penalty box. They play a lot of two, three touches, holding on to the ball and asking another question.

"Sometimes I think we want to try to finish it off too quickly, probably because that's the way the Premier League is like."

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