Roy Hodgson speaks of his admiration for Germany

Roy Hodgson has praised the German FA for the bold decisions it made during what he described as its “transitional period” in the mid-2000s.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s meeting between the two nations, the England manager also stated that the position the Three Lions are in now is comparable to that which Germany found themselves in seven years ago.

He said: “I think the German FA were very wise in their attitude to changing the face of the national team and building it on youth and a very energetic style of play.

“Of course, as a result, the success they’ve had has not surprised anybody because we all know how good the players are and how strong the league is.”

Hodgson also believes that the successful evolution of the German team – from underachievers to potential World Cup winners – should now be regarded as a blueprint for a number of countries going through similar periods of development and restructuring, including England.

“The German team has become something of an example for many other European teams who might find themselves in a transitional period that Germany obviously found themselves in going into the 2006 World Cup,” he added.

“As far as we’re concerned, we are perhaps to some extent in that transitional period I mentioned Germany found themselves in in 2006.

“We have what we think is a very exciting group of young players coming along and we still have a backbone of experienced players that have been to World Cups before.

“I would like to think we can give a very good account of ourselves when we get to Brazil.“

England welcome Joachim Loew’s side to Wembley on Tuesday evening, looking to reverse a lengthy period of German dominance on English shores.

The Three Lions have not recorded a home victory over Germany since March 1975, losing four of the last five encounters in England.

However, Hodgson knows that it is perhaps the most recent meeting – when Germany unceremoniously knocked England out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup – that sticks most in the memories of the fans, rather than the historical record or rivalry.

But the Three Lions boss also insisted that for the coaching staff, the game is purely about preparation for the World Cup and nothing else.

“The thing that people will have in mind more is the fact that England were well beaten in Bloemfontein by a very good German team,” he said.

“I think as far as Jogi Loew and myself are concerned, the historical aspect of the fixture really doesn’t play any part at all.

“Both of us will be looking to make certain that we find the right team, the right formation and the right way of playing before we come to Brazil.”

Tuesday’s meeting will be the first time Germany have visited England in six years, when an early Frank Lampard goal was overturned by goals from Kevin Kuranyi and Christian Pander.

That defeat – England’s first at the new Wembley – came in an August 2007 friendly and Hodgson concluded by stating that although any fixture against Germany is always going to be highly competitive, caution should be aired when analysing the result – whether it be good or bad.

“I don’t think friendlies should ever be used as an enormous barometer of how good or poor [a team] is at any moment in time,” he admitted.

“The only real barometer can come in qualifying matches and major tournaments because in a friendly you’re never really 100 per cent certain of how committed you or your opponents are to the game, and what level of experimentation is going on.

“All we can say is that it is a big game for both teams – it’s at Wembley.

“There will be a full house. The England fans coming to the game will be expecting a strong English performance and we will be doing our very best to give them that.

“There’s an enormous amount of prestige at stake.”