The hope is that with more time to prepare and ponder his choices, Hodgson will heed the lesson of Bonvin. “I made a big mistake,” he said. “At the time, my thinking was that if you want two right-backs, you have to choose the next best right-back. If you want four centre-halves, you’ve got to choose the best four. Mike said: 'Why don’t you reserve a certain number of places for people who you think are good fellows, good travellers, or people who have helped us along the way?'”