Football: Hodgson reveals England play-off fear
England would have gone top of Group H if they had beaten Montenegro on Tuesday.
LONDON:
England manager Roy Hodgson has admitted his side’s inability to take control of their World Cup qualifying group leaves them facing the possibility of having to qualify via the play-offs.
England would have gone top of Group H if they had beaten Montenegro on Tuesday, but the 1-1 draw in Podgorica left them two points behind their opponents with four games to play.
“No one wants to be in the play-offs, but the fact is, in World Cup qualification, one team qualifies [automatically] and the others don’t,” said Hodgson. “Everyone knows that to qualify as the team that wins the group is that much harder. And if you do get in the play-offs, whoever you meet is going to be a good team because there are some groups in which I would suggest there are more than two good sides.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 29th, 2013.
England manager Roy Hodgson has admitted his side’s inability to take control of their World Cup qualifying group leaves them facing the possibility of having to qualify via the play-offs.
England would have gone top of Group H if they had beaten Montenegro on Tuesday, but the 1-1 draw in Podgorica left them two points behind their opponents with four games to play.
“No one wants to be in the play-offs, but the fact is, in World Cup qualification, one team qualifies [automatically] and the others don’t,” said Hodgson. “Everyone knows that to qualify as the team that wins the group is that much harder. And if you do get in the play-offs, whoever you meet is going to be a good team because there are some groups in which I would suggest there are more than two good sides.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 29th, 2013.