An England manager is always obliged to adopt a defensive strategy.
In naming his 23-man squad for the European Championships, Roy Hodgson invited the kind of scrutiny that must feel as though he is the subject of a national bout of interrogation. The real evaluation of Hodgson will begin when the players he has selected compete in the tournament in Ukraine and Poland next month, but the start of his reign is being assessed by the individuals he has omitted.
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