Löw backs England to deliver at next World Cup

Germany coach Joachim Low (GETTY IMAGES)

Joachim Löw offered England a crumb of consolation yesterday when the Germany coach said that he believed under Roy Hodgson the team would be more successful at the next World Cup finals in 2014 than they have been in previous years.

Löw, whose side face Italy in the Euro 2012 semi-final tonight, said that under Hodgson, right, the team looked much better than the England side Germany beat 4-1 at the World Cup in South Africa. Nevertheless, he said he had no obvious solutions as to why the English had failed to make it into the last four of a major tournament again.

Löw said: "It's hard to answer. The English were much better in this tournament than in 2010. Hodgson has brought order and has done a great job. England will develop under him in the next few years and, in the next tournament, they'll play a better role than they did here and certainly than they did in 2010."