Jack Wilshere says he believed England were going to win in Switzerland and was pleased with a "great result" that gets the start on the road to France 2016.
The Arsenal man played in a deep role in England's midfield as Danny Welbeck's second-half brace gave them all three points in their opening Group E encounter.
And he revealed he'll be studying videos of some of the world's best midfielders as he looks to develop more understanding of the role he enjoyed playing in Basel.
Switzerland 0-2 England
European Qualifier, Group E
Monday 8 September 2014
St Jakob Park, Basel
"It was a great result. I said in the week we expected to come here and get a result," Wilshere told TheFA.com.
"We didn’t surprise ourselves. I know a few people have been saying a few things but we believed in ourselves and we showed that tonight.
"We knew the longer the second-half went on at 0-0, they weren’t going to be happy, the fans weren’t going to be happy and we used that.
"We won the ball back in a dangerous position and we used our pace. We got the goal and we knew again they were going to come out. We had to stay together, defend well and we did that so we are happy."
He continued: "I spoke with the manager and Gary Neville in the week and they told me they wanted me to play that role and I quite enjoyed it.
"It was my first time ever playing there, so over the next month or so I am going to look at a few videos of this game and of players who play in that position regularly - Pirlo, Mascherano and players like that and I’ll get better.
"I felt it went well tonight but next time we meet up I feel it can only go better."
Jack Wilshere spoke to TheFA.com in Basel
Wilshere was also pleased for his new Gunners team-mate Welbeck, who netted both goals and took his England tally to ten from 28 appearances.
And the result will not only send Hodgson and his players back home with a smile, but the noisy England support, who kept singing throughout, will board the plane knowing a tough test has been passed.
"You could see Danny’s hunger," said Wilshere. "He really enjoys playing up front. He hasn’t had much opportunity over the past few years and you could tell that tonight he really wanted to prove a point.
"Once he gets in front of goal, he is as good as they get. He doesn’t get enough credit, for me, for his technical ability. He is fantastic and he showed that tonight."
He added: "The England fans are brilliant - we couldn’t have asked for more from them.
"They are fantastic and they always have been. They have followed us wherever we have been and they will keep doing that because they love England like we love England.
"We have to thank them for that and hopefully in our next away game, they will be there and giving us the same support."
