‘Formations don’t win you games, players do,’ he confidently declared and, judging by the final warm-up game before the serious business of the European Championship, that appeared to be his approach.
The Manager picked what he suggested would be his strongest XI and sent them into battle against Portugal without paying much attention, seemingly, to the evidence of the past and where these players generally prove most effective.
How else does one explain the deployment of Wayne Rooney in an advanced, central role that forced Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy to essentially operate as wingers? Or Dele Alli’s appearance on the left flank in a manner that evoked memories of Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard — two other players who were too often victims of their own versatility on the international stage.
Like Gerrard and Scholes before him, Alli is someone an England team should be built around. Not a player squeezed into a position in a side with too many individuals trying to operate out of position.
On a night Hodgson hoped to see his Euro 2016 plans coming together, plenty of questions remained. Yes, an 86th-minute header from Chris Smalling secured victory against a Portugal side that had been playing with 10 men for more than 50 minutes.
But this was a far from inspiring performance. A front line of Kane, Vardy and Rooney appeared ambitious and exciting but it was anything but here. It was a stuttering, thoroughly uninspiring display and one that did not breed an awful lot of confidence ahead of that opening Group B encounter with Russia on June 11.
Equally baffling was the absence of Jack Wilshere, and to a lesser extent Jordan Henderson. Wilshere, by Hodgson’s own admission, is a unique player in England’s ranks in terms of his passing ability but he was not considered worthy of a starting place here.
If he missed out because he lacks sharpness, because he goes to France having played just 141 minutes for Arsenal this season, why is he in the squad?
The FA declared all 23 players fit to go to France and if that is indeed the case Wilshere has to be part of the team. Nobody else possesses his skill and vision in midfield, and that being the case he needs to be providing the ammunition for forwards starved of decent service here.
A midfield comprising Alli and James Milner certainly did not seem like the answer, even if it does makes sense to stick with Eric Dier in front of the back four.
This team requires further surgery. Perhaps Vardy returns to the bench, allowing Hodgson to push Rooney alongside Kane and Alli into a more central position. It would obviously make room for Wilshere too.
After just over an hour Hodgson did make changes, with Wilshere replacing Milner and Raheem Sterling coming on for Vardy. That said, it resulted only in Alli moving across to the right to make room for Wilshere, with Sterling slotting into a No 10 role behind Rooney and Kane.
Hodgson expressed some regret that Cristiano Ronaldo was rested when he rather hoped the Real Madrid superstar could replicate the threat Wales’s Gareth Bale will pose to England on June 16.
But the England manager was probably rather relieved in the end that Ronaldo was missing, given how much more demoralising this friendly could have been.
Hodgson is a creature of habit. He has picked 10 of the 11 who started the final warm-up game for the first game of the last two tournaments, so one suspects this was pretty much the side he had in mind to face Russia in Marseilles.
He certainly seemed confident of this team working, not least when it came to the deployment of Rooney behind Vardy and Kane. ‘There is no reason why Rooney, Vardy and Kane shouldn’t work,’ he declared shortly before kick-off. ‘We have tried it in training and have every reason to believe we will have a good game tonight.’
The early evidence did highlight some issues, however, as Rooney’s more advanced position made it a flat front three that forced Kane and Vardy too wide.
That said, it was a nice ball Kane delivered from the right for Rooney, even if the England captain had drifted off-side by the time he tested Rui Patricio with a close-range shot.
A midfield diamond that had Alli operating principally down the left flank was also a slight concern when here is a player crying out to be given a more central role. Not to mention a more advanced role.
Steve McClaren once spoke of trying to put round pegs in round holes and there was a real sense here that Hodgson was attempting to do the opposite without much success.
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