England 1-1 France: 5 Positives From A Hard-Earned Draw

3. Tactical Discipline

England have been criticised over the years as a team of talented individuals who play that way - never forming a team. This was the reason Hodgson was given the top job: with the exception of his brief and unhappy stint at Liverpool, he has consistently gotten the best out of limited players and turned ramshackle squads into cohesive units. So it was against France that his well-drilled charges kept shape and ensured that the French were always controlled despite their superior possession. A lot of the opposition's chances were speculative and from long-range, as England's tight formation performed resolutely without the ball and looked to break forward quickly when it came to them. However good France may have looked as the second half went on, they didn't ever really seem like they were going to score. Fans have longed for a return to the days when England were a hard team to beat - limited technically but they'd play to the whistle and fight until the last man. It's too early on to tell if this side has that spirit, but there were positive signs in a backs-to-the-wall game they never looked like losing.