Taking in the context of recent results, which includes just one win in their last six matches, Hodgson said: “I have a belief in these players.
“You can lose games in different ways: you can lose at Newcastle by four goals to nil and really be totally outplayed for large stretches of the game, or you can lose 1-0 to Arsenal after dominating a large slice of the game.
“You can lose against Tottenham Hotspur at home after they’ve been in incredible form, winning every game they’ve played – and we’ve pushed them right to the limit – or you can lose against Everton where you’ve had a pretty good go, after getting yourself back into it, at winning the game and lose it to a single goal conceded.
“If we had lost four games of the last six and they had all been Newcastle away, then I’d be very, very worried, but they haven’t been like that and there's no reason for me to lose faith in the team or the players. There's no reason for them to lose faith in themselves. What they might need to do is accept that, if you take out the absolute invincibles at the top, then anyone can get beat.”
