Hodgson to field changed team against Costa Rica

Veronica Sardon, dpa

Manager Roy Hodgson plans to field an alternate side for England's last World Cup game Tuesday against Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte.

"I shall be changing the team," Hodgson said Sunday in Rio de Janeiro.

England lost their first two World Cup matches, against Italy and Uruguay, and have already been eliminated from the tournament. Costa Rica, in turn, have won their first two Group D matches and are already through to the round of 16. One point against England would allow the Central Americans to top the group.

Hodgson said he wants everyone in the squad to get a chance to "show what they can do." They have all shared in the work and the disappointment of going home early, he said, so they should at least get the chance to say they played in Brazil 2014.

The manager is, in his own words, determined to give all players a chance to say "I wasn't there to make up the numbers, I actually took part."

Hodgson said he was pleased to have gotten the backing of both his players and England's Football Association to stay on despite a disappointing World Cup.

"Scapegoats are always necessary in times of failure," Hodgson said, based on a long experience in football.

However, he stressed he would not have done anything differently "apart from the obvious," actually winning the two games. In this context, he found the backing of the FA made sense.

"You would like to think that the work you do is judged over a long period of time," he said.

He particularly felt in a good position to lead a young squad forward.

"They share our beliefs, they share our goals, they share our vision," he said.