Roy Hodgson: England coach praised Chelsea's UEFA Champions League final success

Roy Hodgson is hoping that Chelsea's success in the UEFA Champions League final will bode well for England's prospects at Euro 2012 this summer.

Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in a penalty shoot-out in the Allianz Arena on Saturday night to become European champions for the first time.

Ashley Cole, Gary Cahill and stand-in captain Frank Lampard all played important roles in the victory, while regular skipper John Terry watched from the sidelines due to suspension.

The quartet have all been included in Hodgson's 23-man squad for the European Championship and the recently-appointed coach is keen for the players to maintain their form.

Excellent

"They were excellent," Hodgson told Sky Sports News. "It was an excellent Chelsea performance and the team were quite fantastic.

"It's a great success, not only for Chelsea, but for the whole of English football.

"Let's hope some of the players there last night can take that form into the Euros because if they can play as well as that then that will boost our chances."

Cahill's display at the heart of the defence on his return from injury boosted his prospects of partnering Terry in England's opening group game against France on 11th June.

However, having overlooked the likes of Rio Ferdinand to select Cahill and Terry, Hodgson refused to be drawn on whether the Chelsea team-mates would start for England.

Difficult

When asked if Cahill's performance vindicated his squad selection, Hodgson said: "Every decision you make as England national team manager is a difficult one because there are so many good players out there.

"Every time you turn your back on someone to give someone else a chance, you're opening yourself to criticism that that person will be every bit as good as the one you've chosen.

"It is good to see Gary Cahill, of course. He is a lot younger and has a good future in front of him. If he can bed in to the Chelsea team alongside John Terry, let's hope that will help the partnership if they find themselves together with England.

"But I haven't picked the England team yet, so we will have to see if they find themselves together or not."

Hodgson also spoke to his predecessor Fabio Capello in Munich, commenting: "Fabio and I have been friends for a long time and we have known each other for a long time.

"It's always nice to meet and it was very interesting to hear some of his opinions. He was very helpful, very forthright and very generous with his time."