It’s swings and roundabouts for England boss Roy Hodgson ahead of squad selection

It’s only been four-and-a-half months since Roy Hodgson last picked an England squad.

But if you’ve ever been in any doubt about just one month being a long time in football, consider this.

Since the national coach last had to cherry pick the country’s best players, around 550 goals have been scored in the Premier League, five top-flight managers have left their clubs and Steven Gerrard has announced he’s off to the United States.

We’ve had crowd problems, race issues, stampings, spittings, manager spats and refs having their shirts pulled.

For Hodgson who announces his squad for the upcoming Euro 2016 home qualifier against Lithuania and the prestigious friendly in Italy this coming Thursday it’s been swings and roundabouts during the break.

Since he last fielded a team in the impressive 3-1 victory over Scotland on November 18, he’s been presented with a whole array of new strikers, headed by Tottenham’s Harry Kane, who will be included in the squad this week.

In other areas of the field, he’ll be considerably less comfortable with his options.

Hodgson hoped that Jack Wilshere and Ross Barkley would have stepped into a midfield shorn of the retired Gerrard and Frank Lampard. It hasn’t happened.

Both featured when England began their World Cup campaign against Italy in Manaus, but the Arsenal man has been plagued by his usual injuries and Barkley hasn’t been able to hold a place in an Everton team in sharp decline.

Even Mario Balotelli exposed the shortcomings of England’s central defenders that day as did Luis Suarez in the following game against Uruguay.

Since then Phil Jagielka has been at the centre of an Everton defence that has shipped 41 goals, and Gary Cahill has been left out for several big Chelsea games.

But it shouldn’t matter who Hodgson fields against Lithuania at Wembley a week on Friday.

It’s one of those routine qualifiers they take in their stride.

England are already six points ahead clear in their qualifying group and rarely slip up against teams they should beat.

The problem for several years now, however, has been that as soon as they face a side from the upper ranks of world football, they struggle.

That’s why the friendly in Rome is a better barometer of where they are nine months on from the night Italy began the destruction of Hodgson’s World Cup dreams.

All of the men led out by Gerrard on that evening in Manaus are still available to the manager. Only Glen Johnson has dropped out of contention.

By nature, Hodgson is an intensely loyal manager. If a player does the job asked of him, he will not be discarded in favour of the latest flavour of the month.

That’s why Danny Welbeck, for instance, is always there no matter whether he’s scoring or even playing for his club side.

Harry Kane’s claim can’t be ignored, but Charlie Austin, Danny Ings and Saido Berahino may have to wait for their chance.

Hodgson has to find room up front for Daniel Sturridge even though he is yet to fire on all cylinders after his injuries and for Wayne Rooney.

Rooney has scored six times in six games as England skipper, and even when Louis van Gaal was using him in midfield, there was no question in Hodgson’s mind that the Manchester United man is still his main striker.

Rickie Lambert is obviously the most vulnerable if Kane is selected. Hodgson will be reluctant to leave him out, but if it’s a straight choice between the two, it’s a no-brainer.

If the sudden emergence of a few decent looking English strikers has excited Hodgson, that must be balanced out by the lack of expected progress in other areas.

The concerns about Wilshere and Barkley are echoed at the back with the continuing inability of the Manchester United pair of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones to show that they are, one day, going to be England’s regular central defenders.

Smalling is 25 now and Jones 23, yet neither seems any further forward than they were three years ago.

That’s a long-term worry because the only other viable candidate is John Stones, who’s only just 20 and currently having a testing time in that porous Everton defence, along with senior England defenders Jagielka and Leighton Baines.

So do England go to Italy in better or worse shape than when the two met in Brazil?

They are potentially stronger up front, worryingly weaker elsewhere.

Some of the new generation have stepped up to the mark, notably Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Raheem Sterling and Nathaniel Clyne.

Others Wilshere, Barkley, Smalling, Jones and Luke Shaw, for example have disappointed.

Like I said, swings and roundabouts.