Hodgson looks to cut supply line

ENGLAND manager Roy Hodgson is ready to resist the temptation to man-mark Gareth Bale in Lens tomorrow. Hodgson is set to name an unchanged team from the side that started against Russia on Saturday and drilled his team in dealing with the threat of Bale during training yesterday, but said he has no individual plans to deal with the Real Madrid star, who scored after 10 minutes in Wales’s opener against Slovakia. Instead the focus will be on preventing Bale from receiving the ball in dangerous areas. The onus will be on England’s midfield, particularly Eric Dier, and the full backs to cut off his supply from Wales’s playmakers. Hodgson believes it would be a negative step to dedicate a member of his team to man-mark Bale and believes the team’s focus should be on winning the game. Hodgson doesn’t want his team to get sucked into the growing hype surrounding tomorrow’s clash and told his players as much during a team debrief following their disappointing opening draw against Russia on Saturday at their Chantilly base the following day. Hodgson is leaning towards starting the same XI but will make his final decision after today’s training session. Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge has impressed Hodgson and his staff in training and can expect some game time in the second half, particularly if England find themselves chasing the game. England will train in Chantilly this morning before travelling to Lens for a walk around on the pitch but will not have a session in the stadium.