Few managers at this summer's Euro 2012 tournament had as little time to prepare as Roy Hodgson did with England but it is already clear, after two friendly games and an opening draw against France, that his side are going to be difficult to break down and even harder to beat.

Hodgson has decided to mimic what his Switzerland did during their rise to third place in the FIFA world rankings in the early 1990's; to frustrate the opposition and hit them on the counter-attack.

The England manager will have been satisfied with his side's performance in their opening Group D encounter with France on Monday night and former England manager Glenn Hoddle feels Hodgson has handled the expectation surrounding England's campaign with aplomb.

Hodgson led Switzerland to their first major championship since 1966 when they qualified for the World Cup in 1994. And while they lost their final game to Colombia, a win against Romania and a draw on the opening day with the hosts saw them advance to the last-16 - where they eventually lost 3-0 to Spain.

And Hoddle, who managed England to the same stage of the World Cup in France in 1998, insists Hodgson's international experience will give England an added boost in Poland and Ukraine.

"I think Roy will understand what it all means when you get out there," Hoddle told Yahoo! Sport. "Obviously the friendlies are the friendlies, but quite honestly it's once you get out to the tournament and you're in the camp.

"Once you're in there you can switch off, get focused on what the job at hand is, pick your squad and start to win football matches."

Hodgson made the bold choice of Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ahead of club team-mate Theo Walcott for the match against France and, despite limited opportunities to impress, Hoddle believes the teenager has the potential to star over the next three weeks.

"Sometimes it's a youngster [who stands out during a tournament]... who maybe has a little less fear and doesn't know what it's really about so doesn't have that pressure on his shoulders," said Hoddle.

"Players like the skipper [Steven Gerrard] and John Terry will have more pressure on them as they are getting to the end of their opportunity.

"So people like Chamberlain might come in and surprise everyone because he'll have that lack of fear.

"Roy has had some terrible knocks with the injuries he's got and the suspension with Rooney, but in some ways that when we're at our best, when no one fancies us.

"When we're like a wounded animal that when England play at their best so it might be a blessing in disguise, not one that a manger will want, but it might just start to change things.

"People in this country won't fancy England for this tournament and it's the internal pressure of the country that is the problem when England go to a tournament it's not the external pressure.

"The foreign press and foreign football world respect England and they don't like playing against England, but there is the pressure that is built up internally on the players. So I think this might work in Roy's favour it might have taken it away."

For more insight from Glenn Hoddle and other leading managers plus exclusive Barclays Premier League highlights go to www.yahoo.co.uk/sport

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