Wilshere and co excel as Hodgson finds winning Wembley formula

Jack Wilshere excelled against Brazil, who included Dani Alves

I was in attendance as Wembley Stadium played host to something of a rarity this week - a genuinely impressive display from England against strong opposition. Granted, this is no vintage Brazil side. Luiz Felipe Scolari has only just taken charge of a team in transition, and was missing key players such as Thiago Silva and Marcelo for the friendly. Furthermore, as World Cup hosts, the Seleção haven't played a competitive game since the 2011 Copa America. But Brazil will always be a huge scalp on the international stage and with players like Neymar, Oscar, Dani Alves and Ramires in the starting line-up, England's achievement of recording a victory should not be belittled.

Indeed, only three times in their previous 23 encounters with Brazil had the Three Lions ever emerged victorious so this represents a crucial boost to morale and confidence ahead of next month's resumption of the World Cup qualifiers. But there was more to the 2-1 win than just the result, with Roy Hodgson coming across a formula that showed the kind of entertaining football that England have rarely been able to master. Playing a 4-3-3 formation, Hodgson surprised many with his starting line-up. By choosing the young Manchester United trio of Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley and Chris Smalling instead of older alternatives such as James Milner, Frank Lampard and Joleon Lescott the team had a youthful exuberance and more energy than in previous eras.

The front six in particular pointed towards a new direction for the national side. The midfield three of Jack Wilshere, Cleverley and captain Steven Gerrard combine the fast passing-ability and movement of the younger duo with the leadership and know-how of the Liverpool man. Star performer Wilshere probed from deep in the first half, and along with Cleverley showed the sort of passing movement that Spain's all-conquering midfielders would have been proud of. There is still a long way to go before England can match that level, but in the absence of a destroying figure like Gareth Barry or Scott Parker, the midfield had a more creative look than ever before -without losing any of its bite. 

Ahead of the midfielders, Wayne Rooney played centrally, flanked by Danny Welbeck on the left and Theo Walcott on the right. This combination allows the pace of Walcott, the creativity of Rooney and the energy of Welbeck to provide many options for the midfielders to pass to. All together, the line up allowed for flexibility, with all six midfielders and strikers comfortable in multiple positions. Welbeck's form in front of goal for his club this season is questionable, with only one goal in 27 apperances, but his all round play complements that of his team-mates. Plus, in 2012 he netted five times from five shots for the Three Lions - proof that he revels on the international stage. With Walcott finding the back of the net with regularity for Arsenal, and Rooney hitting the target five times in his last five England caps, the trio could prove potent for their country for years to come.

In the second half the addition of Frank Lampard, who replaced Cleverley, allowed Wilshere to move further forward and it proved another winning combination with the Arsenal youngster continuing to impress and the Chelsea veteran hitting an instinctive winner from the edge of the box. With Michael Carrick pulling out of the squad injured, and Parker certainly still in contention, there appears to be a strength in depth in a position which, before the emergence of Wilshere and Cleverley, appeared to be stagnating. Milner and Aaron Lennon were also introduced and fitted into the fluid 4-3-3 system with ease - further encouragement for Hodgson to persist with the formation.

A worry remains at the back where Gary Cahill, who did well to contain Neymar in the first half, was badly at fault for Fred's goal. The full-back positions look safe with a much-improved Glen Johnson and the newly-heralded centurion Ashley Cole in competition with Kyle Walker and Leighton Baines respectively, but it was the inclusion of Smalling that would have raised the most eyebrows. The 23-year-old is fourth choice at his club and though clearly a very talented defender, it is a risk for England to have somebody who doesn't play regularly as a first choice for his country. Aside from a worrying spell after Cahill's mistake, he looked largely assured, and perhaps Hodgson has extra trust in him from their time together at Fulham. 

It appears the manager, who has toyed with his central defensive pairings throughout his rein, has decided that Phil Jagielka and Lescott, who is also not first choice for his club, are not as good as the younger duo. But the spectre of Rio Ferdinand looms large over Hodgson, and with the former Leeds and West Ham man in imperious form in the Premier League this season, will continue to do so. Comfortably ahead of Smalling, and Phil Jones, in the Manchester United pecking order, it seems cruel that Ferdinand be excluded from the national set-up on the back of the fall-out between his brother Anton and former England skipper John Terry. Hodgson's "footballing reasons" appear weaker as he fails to settle on a solid pairing and Ferdinand's form continues. However, it would be a surprise if he did turn back to the Peckham-born defender as he has been so insistent on the issue. If Smalling can stay fit and overtake Jonny Evans and the increasingly injury-prone Nemanja Vidic at United - then perhaps he and Cahill could be a reliable partnership in the coming years. If he doesn't, Hodgson will have a real dilemma to contend with, should England qualify for Brazil 2014. But for now, the 65-year-old can be satisfied with his work so far, and focus on taking a crucial three points from Montenegro in March.

Fixed: The bombshell that will continue to rock football

How many people in football can be swayed by a certain amount of this?

World football was rocked by the news this week from Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, of a match-fixing scandal on an unprecedented scale. Whereas previous match-fixing scandals have appeared far away from the average English football fan, this one is much closer to home with World Cup qualifiers and even a Champions League match staged in England implemented in the ongoing investigation.But this revelation has been on the cards for a long time and the difficulties of tackling the issue will be in the news for many a month to come.

Well documented cases of match-fixing in European football include that of Bernard Tapie's Marseille - conquerors of the inaugural Champions League in 1993 yet who were stripped of their French title that same year, and the Calciopoli scandal which engulfed Italian football in 2006. This latest controversy puts both of those footballing disasters into perspective as a staggering 425 players and officials from over 15 countries are under suspicion. However, those who follow European football have been aware of this ticking time-bomb for some time.

Back in 2009, a match-fixing ring based in Asia was exposed after fixing or trying to fix up to 200 matches across Europe. Andreas Bachmann, based in Bochum, Germany, lead the police investigation and 14 people were convicted, ending up with combined prison sentences of 39 years. It is the result of further investigation into this that this week's announcement was made. More arrests are expected to be made as the investigation continues into the ring, which is apparently based in Singapore but with facilitators across Europe and beyond. While 380 European matches are under investigation, a further 300 from Africa, Asia, South America and Central America are also under the spotlight. 

With a huge world-wide betting market these days, including countless methods of betting in-play on relatively minor incidents such as yellow cards and corners, it is possible to envisage how money can be made from afar by these criminal networks. As thousands of people bet on all sorts of outcomes, it can be difficult to spot suspicious betting patterns, and this explains why the investigation has been running for so long to bring these criminals to justice.

Many think the Premier League is safe due to players being on high wages and the intense media scrutiny which covers every minute of every game. Yet it is a game staged at Anfield between Liverpool and Debrecen in 2009 which is reported to be the English-staged Champions League game under investigation, and that is the home of one of the most scrutinised football clubs in the world. While top class players, earning up to £250,000 a week, may be difficult to bribe, those at the lower end of the wage bill, plus match officials could be susceptible to financial offers.

One only has to look at Italy, where in 2012, the undoubtedly well-paid Lazio captain Stefano Mauri was arrested as part of a match-fixing scandal and Juventus manager Antonio Conte was given a lengthy touchline ban for failing to report match-fixing while at a previous club, to see that the highest level of football can certainly be affected by these criminal syndicates. The fixers have reportedly made a profit of €8m and with individual payments of up to €140,000 to corrupt players or officials, it is easy to see how the weak-minded and greedy may be tempted to turn their back on the morals of fair play in football.

Today Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballer's Association, put his neck on the line by claiming the Premier League is free of match-fixing and he may well be right. But how many lower league players could be tempted by the thought of earning tens of thousands of pounds just by conceding a yellow card or making a sloppy defensive error? Taylor admits the PFA, through FifPRO, the international players' union, work with betting companies to ensure action can be taken over every any irregular betting patterns. Allied with the fact the Premier League are pushing the Government and  European Union to make bookmakers pay them a compulsory fee which would go towards betting integrity measures, it is clear England's footballing authorities are well aware of the serious danger of match-fixing.

Spanish football may be particularly vulnerable to financial incentives. Outside the skewed, Hollywood world of Real Madrid and Barcelona, many clubs are in major financial difficulties and struggling to pay wages on time. Malaga, through to this year's Champions League knockout phase, are banned from next year's competition due to unpaid bills. In July, the club were in trouble for not paying the squad 40% of the previous season's wages. The financial situation in many other European leagues is similar, and with English clubs coming up against teams from these leagues regularly in continental competition, ensuring the Premier League remains free of match-fixing could be a perilous task.

UEFA and FIFA were not informed by Europol before Monday's announcement but are set to be consulted before they take their own action. But FIFA's head of security Ralf Mutschke insists a law-change is needed to make sure fixers are imprisoned for longer when caught. His point is a valid one, as while FIFA can ban players and officials involved in fixing for life, a sizeable punishment for a professional, the ring-leaders of the syndicates are not necessarily employed within football. Therefore, unless there is the strong deterrent of a major prison sentence, the vast financial incentive will continue to convince criminals to try and profit from the world's most popular sport. With the huge numbers involved, it's going to take a long time before the full implications of this scandal are felt and a lot longer before justice is brought to those involved. For the sake of fans across the world, we can only hope that justice is brought at all.