England youngsters can turn up the heat for Hodgson in sweltering Amazon

By Rob Draper

 

Greg Dyke may think that England will get their throats cut in the Group of Death — but manager Roy Hodgson does not share his view.
Even the earlier kick-off time of 6pm — 11pm UK time — that was confirmed on Saturday for the opening clash against Italy in Manaus on June 14 will not temper the positivity in the England camp.
For, while there was trepidation round the nation when Sir Geoff Hurst pulled out England’s name to play in the least hospitable venue in terms of the weather, Hodgson will already be working on a plan to counter the effects of the Amazonian heat and humidity.

Confident: England boss Roy Hodgson believes his side are good enough to make it out of the World Cup group stage

Ross Barkley, Adam Lallana, Andros Townsend, Daniel Sturridge, Theo Walcott, Kyle Walker, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Leighton Baines are likely to be the beneficiaries of the switch. Those sweating — apt, given the expected 27 degree heat and 80 per cent humidity — on their place might be Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and James Milner.

For Hodgson will surely need speed and youth for the rumble in the jungle. Indeed, his thinking regarding his final squad is likely to be subtly adjusted to the conditions the team are going to face.
England struggle in heat and humidity — think of the listless performances against Portugal and Morocco in Monterrey at Mexico 1986 or the lacklustre surrender against Brazil in Shizuoka in Japan 2002. At least the sun will have set by kick-off time in Manaus.

Big future: Everton's Ross Barkley, pictured here playing in a friendly against Germany last month, will be only 20 when the World Cop rolls around

Instant impact: Andros Townsend scored against Montenegro on his full debut

But suddenly Barkley and Lallana, with youth and energy on their side, become even more attractive options for the squad. Lampard, if picked, would surely be reserved for games in Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte, where cooler conditions will suit a 35-year-old more. Milner’s qualities are in closing out a game, but England’s problems are more likely to be focused on being sufficiently creative to be a threat.
England’s most capped player, Peter Shilton, veteran of three World Cups, including the run to the  semi-finals in 1990 said: ‘Italy are notorious in that they do not like to lose their first tournament game and tend to be very cautious. That, together with England having fresh legs for the heat of the north of  Brazil, could be to our advantage.
‘What is imperative is that we get a result against the Italians. Even a draw will give us a foothold in the group and, if we can get something out of the Uruguay game and then beat Costa Rica, that may be enough to get out of the group.

More to come: Adam Lallana (left), pictured during England's recent friendly defeat to Germany, could play a key role in Brazil after making his debut against Chile in November

‘Italy are always tough to beat but I’m not sure they are as strong as in previous tournaments and England shouldn’t fear playing them.
‘I believe England should not worry too much about the opposition but focus on what they can do. We have a decent attacking game with plenty up front and in midfield that can score, and with promising youngsters who may well improve between now and the start of the World Cup.’
But never have an England team travelled to the World Cup with such low expectations. The difficulty of England’s draw exacerbated the gloomy national mood after decades of failure and false hopes.
But, as Shilton says, if you did wish to accentuate the positives, you would point to the potential speed of Sturridge, Walcott, Townsend, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walker. England will be outpassed in all their games against technical Latin teams. They will struggle for long periods in the match. But all three teams will be wary of those players breaking on them quickly and combining with Wayne Rooney.

Out of favour: Ashley Cole (right) may be left at home or on England's bench if Hodgson opts to play younger players at the World Cup

England will be helped by the fact that they play in Manaus in their opening fixture — when they ought be fresh. And, though it will be impossible to play the high-energy game that Hodgson would prefer, he will feel that, on the counter attack, his side can cause Italy significant problems.
Italy will, of course, have the immaculate passing ability of  Andrea Pirlo, who dominated the 0-0 draw against England in Euro 2012 before chipping Joe Hart in the penalty shoot-out. But he is suffering from a knee ligament injury and will be 35 come the summer. Jack Wilshere, if recent form holds, Rooney and perhaps even Barkley will be detailed to harry him.
When Pirlo dominated England in Kiev, it was against a midfield pairing of Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker, both 32 at the time, who were clearly fatigued from playing every game. If — and it is a big if — England have their full midfield compliment fit and in form, with Michael Carrick also in the mix for his ball retention, they will be stronger in Manaus.

Getting on: Veteran Frank Lampard (right) may struggle to cope with the conditions in Brazil next summer

First choice: Leighton Baines (left) could be first choice in Brazil with Ashley Cole struggling for game time at Chelsea

Baines could also benefit given his enormous energy. His free-kick prowess and Cole’s dip in form would suggest he is first choice left-back but, given the quality of Cole and the physical demands, Hodgson will doubtless be tempted to rotate, using the younger Baines in the more demanding conditions of Manaus and saving Cole for the crucial match against Uruguay in Sao Paulo.
No experts are needed to assess the threat of Uruguay. If you had to write down the top ten strikers in world football, almost everyone would have Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani on their list.
There is no doubt this will be the game that will most tests England centre-backs Phil Jagielka, Gary Cahill and possibly Chris Smalling, who is edging into contention.

Danger man: Theo Walcott's pace could be a weapon for England against tiring defenders in Brazil

Battler: James Milner could be replaced with a younger, quicker player for England's games in South America

But equally the 2010 World Cup semi-finalists, who won Copa America in 2011, are not blessed with great pace in midfield and defence, meaning England will be at their best on the front foot.
Finally there will be a first meeting against Costa Rica, complete with Fulham’s Bryan Ruiz, Everton’s Bryan Oviedo and, often forgotten, Arsenal’s Joel Campbell, who is on loan at Olympiakos.
Naturally, given so little is known about their squad, they will be regarded as the makeweights.

At both ends: Kyle Walker's fitness levels should allow him to compete in Brazil's sweltering conditions

However, they defeated Jurgen Klinsmann’s USA 3-1 and Mexico 2-1 in qualifying. The venue, Belo Horizonte, where England  suffered their calamitous 1-0 defeat by the USA in the 1950 World Cup, should be enough to guard against complacency.
It is true there is next to no chance of England progressing far. Even if they did make it to the quarter-finals, they would be likely to face Holland, Spain or Brazil, which would surely end the adventure.
Nevertheless, there is no reason why they should not aspire to excite and entertain along the way — no matter what chairman Dyke might think.

BATTLEGROUNDS: Where Hodgson’s boys of 2014’s fate will be sealed

MANAUS
Population: 1,793,000

Where: An isolated city at the heart of the Brazilian rainforest  in the north of the country. It became rich during the rubber boom of the 1800’s. The capital city of the Amazonas, it is separated from civilisation by 600 miles of green forest on  all sides.
Climate: Hot, wet winters and hot, dry summers. In June, the temperature often exceeds 32C with 95 per cent humidity.
Famous for: Its opulent opera house, the Teatro Amazonas, which opened in 1896.
Stadium: A £170 million woven steel structure, constructed from 6,700 tonnes of metal shipped up the Amazon river.  
Construction problems: The tropical winter rains began early this year, falling heavily by the beginning of November and turning the building site into  a shallow lake. It is 92 per cent completed — but there is a real possibility the stadium will not  be delivered by FIFA’s original December 31 deadline.
Rio to Manaus: 1,770 miles (more than four hours’ flight).
SAO PAULO
Population: 11,320,000
Climate: A mild tropical climate much like Rio, benefiting from the costal breeze. Temperatures in June will reach an average high of 23C. 

Where: The largest city in Brazil  — and the seventh largest in the world — is an economic hub with bustling banking, fashion and tourism industries. It is also one of the footballing powerhouses of Brazil

Famous for: Its richly diverse population – with 111 different ethnic groups living in the city. This contributes to the exciting mix of music, cuisine and religion in Sao Paulo. It is also world renowned for its spectacular mix of old and modern architecture.
Construction problems: The Arena Corinthians, due to hold the opening game of the World Cup has been plagued by problems including the tragic death of two construction workers, killed when a crane collapsed last month. Not ready until mid-April.  Rio to Sao Paulo: 220 miles (an hour’s flight).
BELO HORIZONTE
Population: 2,475,000
Climate: Kinder than Manaus with average temperatures of 25C and far less humid.
Where: The third biggest city in Brazil has reinvented itself over the past five years as a cultural capital with new music venues, museums and galleries.
Famous for: Being the ‘bar capital’ of Brazil. The city has no coastline. But what it lacks in beaches, it makes up for in watering holes. Locals claim there are 12,000 bars in the city, more per capita than anywhere else in Brazil.
Stadium: The 62,547 capacity Estadio Mineirao held its first match in 1965. In 1997, 132,834 people packed the stadium for a Brazilian league game. 
Omens: Not good. Belo Horizonte was the scene of England’s embarrassing 1-0 defeat to the USA at the 1950 World Cup. At the time, England were widely considered to be one of the best teams in the world and the USA were relative unknowns.
Rio to Belo Horizonte: 210 miles (one hour flight time).