He said: 'Goalkeepers are always going to be in that situation, they are like forwards who don't score.
'They are in the firing line when it comes to criticism. It's easier to criticise them than the player who made the initial mistake.
'I'm sure Joe will shrug this off, he won't be happy, but it's a fact of life. He has never let us down and I have every confidence and faith in him. He will put it behind him.
'Your confidence improves when you get rave reviews. He went through a bad period last night, he let in three goals.
'He kept a clean sheet against Moldova and Ukraine – we've let in three goals in eight games. It will take a lot for me to replace him. We need experience in these games.
'If you look at the keepers we have, he is the No1.'
Celtic keeper Fraser Forster played well against Barcelona in the Champions League this week.
Hodgson added: 'It would be a mistake to play him in these important matches. Then we will see what Fraser can do between now and the summer. Joe will get us through the next two games.' 'We are reliably informed that it's not a serious injury and it won't stop him joining up with us," he added.
Hodgson looks set to pair Rooney with Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge who also returns to the England set-up after injury.
Sturridge was previously absent from England duty with a thigh injury while Rooney's United team-mate Danny Welbeck was missing through suspension. The England manager said he was looking forward to seeing Rooney play alongside Sturridge.
'I was thinking these two players are in great form. I'm happy that at the moment things are looking very good squad-wise.
'I'm very hopeful and very confident that these group of players, as long as they come through this weekend's games, they will take us there (to the World Cup finals in Brazil).'
Sturridge was previously absent from England duty with a thigh injury while Rooney's United team-mate Danny Welbeck was missing through suspension. The England manager said he was looking forward to seeing Rooney play alongside Sturridge.
'I was thinking these two players are in great form. I'm happy that at the moment things are looking very good squad-wise.
'I'm very hopeful and very confident that these group of players, as long as they come through this weekend's games, they will take us there (to the World Cup finals in Brazil).'
No comments:
Post a Comment