Quit aerial route from Hart to Carroll or save air fare to Brazil

There are two ways of judging England’s performances at Euro 2012.

You can either be critical, point to a limited amount of possession in every game, difficulties endured against France, a lead thrown away against Sweden, struggles against Ukraine and ultimately outplayed by Italy.

There is another equally extreme narrative; given he was afforded so little time to prepare, Roy Hodgson worked wonders to win a group and maintained team discipline to such an extent England were still in there scrapping until the final two rounds of penalties in their quarter-final.

Half-full or half-empty?

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Judgment must wait until Hodgson has a chance to build on what was achieved in Ukraine.

England, routinely, were solid. They maintained team shape, did what they were asked. Given expectations were so low, they exceeded them by winning their group.

Defeat on penalties to one of the world’s historical superpowers was no disgrace, even if the one-sided manner of the game that preceded that shootout caught most people by surprise.

In Danny Welbeck, Hodgson pushed forward a pretty decent centre-forward. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was given his first taste of what could be many outings on the international arena. Even Andy Carroll was good in patches.

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There has to be more though, and this has to come despite the obvious flaws in the English game that mean even our top players struggle with the basic elements of international football.

That England’s most-played pass against Italy was Joe Hart to Carroll was a damning indictment of the chronic lack of technique which the Football Association are keen to sort out using St George’s Park as the catalyst.

Hodgson cannot wait for the coaches to be taught how to coach though.

He has two years. For, providing they qualify, if England get to Brazil for the next World Cup and think Hart to Carroll is going to bring them any joy, they might as well save the air fare.

England are not going to win the 2014 World Cup.

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No European team has lifted the greatest prize on South American soil and the brutal truth is England are not good enough to break that record.

What we can expect is to make a contribution, give a decent showing.

Impress a few people and offer hope for Euro 2016 in France.

Only then can we really know whether these European Championships were a bright beginning, or a pretty limited end.