Roy Hodgson has told Drivetime his England side will ditch their defensive tactics of old and be brave at the World Cup in Brazil.

During the former Liverpool boss’ tenure with the Three Lions a number of exciting attacking players, possessing great pace and technique, have progressed into his starting XI.

And wanting to banish the memories of England’s poor showing in South Africa four years ago, Hodgson revealed he wants his stars to express themselves and take risks to secure victories at this summer’s tournament in South America.

He told Drivetime: “The way we will play in Brazil will be a continuation of the way we have been trying to play over the last year or so.

“The introduction of many of the younger players has given us a lot of pace and given us an injection of technical ability.

“If you take the front players who played in the last game; Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and add them to people like Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, just to name five players off the top of my head, they have great technical ability, pace and athleticism.

“I, as a manager, don’t have any concerns about the team’s attitude and the way the team will play.

“We will be brave and we will believe in ourselves and we will risk defeat. We won’t try and sneak our way through the games. With the type of players we’ve got that wouldn’t suit us.

“I think we’ve got to allow the players to express themselves in the same way as you see them express themselves in the Premier League.”

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