Quarterfinal Run Shows England Can Transcend Hodgson’s Flawed Approach

Nothing ruins joyous occasion like dour tactics. They cant overshadow another call for goal line technology, but they obscure Wayne Rooneys return. They can also put a rousing performance from John Terry on the backburner. Regressing to the approach he employed versus France, Roy Hodgson again proved himself the most important man on the field, even if he never stepped between the lines.

But England werent playing France. They were playing a team they were expected to comfortably beat, and while it would be a misnomer to suggest that didnt control the match, they certainly let Ukraine have too much of it. The co-hosts ended with 71 percent of possession (per UEFA), outshooting England 16 to 7. Itd be nice if those shots were all speculative, but they werent. At the end of the match, both... [via EPL Talk]