Hodgson urges 'emerging' England to beat anxiety
Roy Hodgson is confident England's young and talented squad will flourish when their Euro 2016 campaign gets under way tonight against Russia, live on ITV.
Nine months after qualification was sealed and 24 days after preparations began, the Three Lions kick-off their Group B campaign against Leonid Slutsky's men at the imposing Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
Wales and Slovakia swiftly follow after England attempt to win a European Championship opener for the very first time amid a backdrop of fan trouble in the city centre.
It is an unwelcome snapshot of years gone by but Hodgson is focusing on the football, expressing his confidence in the side he will charge with victory on the Cote d'Azur.
"I feel happy with it," he said of his starting line-up, which will be revealed to the players on Saturday morning.
"It is not something that has suddenly been sprung upon us over the last few days, it is something which has been emerging certainly over the last six months.
"It hasn't emerged over the last four years or even over two years but certainly over the last six months the team that I'll pick tomorrow and the team I might pick in future games, they've been emerging and I feel very comfortable now I know what those players can do on the field and what they can do together."
There may be comfort and confidence in the side, but Hodgson knows there are always aspects of the game to improve at international level.
Recent wins over hosts France, world champions Germany and Portugal, ranked eighth in the world, show they can threaten the best, which could make the next month one to remember.
"We know these players can play football," Hodgson said of his squad. "We see it at their clubs.
"My fear as a coach would be that the players take anxiety on to the field, that they're weighed down when they go out and play and don't play as well as they like, imagining the headlines.
"We try and encourage them to believe in themselves, go out and play the football we've been trying to play, and we'll see what it brings.
"We hope it brings some good moments and the people back home like what they see."