What the papers say: England shake off World Cup failure
After a pitiful World Cup where England bowed out in the group stages and an underwhelming friendly win over a mediocre Norway, Roy Hodgson and his team have given journalists and fans something to cheer about for the first time in a while.
A 2-0 win over Switzerland in Basel saw England begin their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign in style, especially as the Swiss will be their toughest opponents in a weak group, earning praise from the written press in the process.
Daily Mirror football correspondent John Cross wrote on Twitter:
The Guardian's chief football writer Daniel Taylor could not resist looking back at the Three Lions' time in Brazil with a touch of sadness having witnessed what the team is capable of, he wrote: "The only disappointment for Roy Hodgson, perhaps, is that England could not conjure up this kind of football more often during the World Cup.
"They have got their European Championship qualifying programme off to a flying start and they did so in a manner that should go a long way to easing some of the negativity that had been threatening to engulf Hodgson’s side."
Optimism is abounding in today's papers, with the Daily Mail's Martin Samuel confident that England are as good as qualified for France 2016, stating: "Given the generosity of UEFA’s process, if it wasn’t a statement of the utmost complacency, it would be possible to suggest that with Danny Welbeck’s two goals, England can already start checking out training camps in France."
Times Chief Sports Correspondent Matt Dickinson wrote:
Tactical alterations from the recently under pressure England manager were welcomed. Martin Liption of the Daily Mirror wrote: "On Monday night, as Roy Hodgson was rewarded for having the courage to change his England template, it felt that the seeds of a new beginning were being sown."
There seems to be a changing of the guard in the England ranks, as The Daily Telegraph's Jason Burt believes the nation's captain is no longer the main man, penning: "Wayne Rooney is the captain and biggest 'name’ but Sterling is the centre of the team."
But there was no shortage of praise to go around, with Sam Wallace of The Independent naming a number of players to rival the Liverpool forward for the Man of the Match award on Monday night: "Victory in Basel against the world’s ninth-ranked team was the breathing space that Hodgson needed after a summer of pain.
"His tactical preparation was astute and, on the whole, his big players delivered. Once again, there was a case for putting the marvellous Raheem Sterling above them all, but even so the likes of Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Joe Hart and Jordan Henderson ran him close."