Montenegro vs England: 5 Threats Hodgson Must Overcome

3. The Hostile Atmosphere

Montenegrinfans1 Montenegro€™s neighbours, Serbia, gave us a taste of what to expect when they played England€™s Under-21€™s in October of last year. The hostile atmosphere transcended onto the pitch and, after the young Lions snatched a late winner, a brawl erupted between the players once the final whistle had been blown. Granted this occurred in Serbia, not Montenegro, but the similarities between the two locations is undeniable. The Slavic countries are notorious for their hostile atmosphere and it will be up to Hodgson to ensure that his players keep their cool. Thankfully this is one area the majority of England€™s players are highly experienced. Many of Hodgson€™s squad have played in some of the most daunting arenas in world football €“ indeed Manchester United€™s recent trip to Galatasaray should give all those involved some idea of what they€™ll face tonight. Fixtures like that should enable the Three Lions to call upon past experience and rise above what will undoubtedly be an intimidating environment.
Contributor
Contributor

Simon is an NCTJ qualified sports journalist. He has conducted interviews with Tony Adams and Peter Shilton, while also having work published in The Daily Telegraph and The Sun. Follow him on Twitter via @sr_collings.