Indeed, Mateta has stepped up in the absence of Edouard, scoring two goals against Premier League giants Manchester City and Liverpool in successive games.
“I think it’s confidence with JP [that’s helped him improve]. What’s he changed? He’s worked hard at his game and tried to take very much onboard the work that we – Paddy McCarthy, Ray Lewington and myself – do in training.
“He takes onboard what we say in training, the messages and what we want to see from him. He’s really understood more and more as time has gone by and he knows the things he has to do."
Confidence has been a key factor, as Hodgson continued to praise the forwards: "The point about confidence is valid: he’s really been involved in goals and helping us score goals and what’s more, like Edouard, he leads the line well and does the type of things tactically that help us play the attacking football we want to play.
“Hats off to him, I can't speak highly enough of him over these last four or five games, which have been tough games. We’re rejoicing in one victory [over Brentford], but those four matches – starting with Liverpool and going through Manchester City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea – were very good games to play.
“[They were] very good performances, I thought, not just from him, but from the team. It’s not just in words that we’re a good team, we’re actually showing that we’re a good team.”
The praise for the team and for Mateta’s application was also extended to summer signing Matheus França, of whom Hodgson said: “He’s very bright and he receives the messages on the coaching side. What I said about JP Mateta would very much apply to him as well.”