Hodgson backs England stars

Current England head coach Fabio Capello questioned whether people in his current squad are of that quality after a below-par success over Wales at Wembley in midweek. But Hodgson feels players prove they can cope with the demands of the international stage via the way they handle the pressure-cooker situation of the Premier League on a weekly basis. Hodgson, a strong candidate to replace Capello next summer, said: "Fabio is in a better position to judge the mental strength of the players playing for England at the moment. "But I can't agree with it as such. I think the English players playing in the Premier League need an awful lot of mental strength to play at that level of football. "I think the Premier League is an extremely demanding league and asks a lot of the players. "If you have got the mental strength to get yourself up every week to play top Premier League games, you should have the mental strength also to play well enough for England to a) qualify and b) to do well in the tournament. "But, as I say, I will bow to Capello's superior knowledge because he is working with those players. I'm not."