All smiles for Eriksson
Friday, June 18, 2004
Article summary
Sven-Göran Eriksson has hailed Wayne Rooney as the best young player he had ever coached after his display against Switzerland.
Article body
In the spotlight
The Everton FC striker woke up this morning to discover he was the talk of European football after firing two goals in England's 3-0 win over Switzerland in Group B. In doing so he became the youngest-ever goalscorer in UEFA European Championship history while his status as a player all defences must be wary of is now beyond question.
No fear
The England coach said the 18-year-old tyro played his football like he was turning out for his school team, whether it was France, Turkey or Switzerland lining up in opposition. "He goes out and says 'I will enjoy myself'," Eriksson said. "He has his feet firmly on the ground.
'Absolutely fantastic'
"I have had many young talents in the past, players like Rui Costa, Roberto Baggio and Paulo Sousa, but Wayne Rooney is something else. The fact is that at 18 he should become even better in the future. I would not say I know him well because he is not talking that much but what he said yesterday when he got the man of the match award was absolutely fantastic."
Caution concern
The yellow card Rooney picked up after a challenge on Switzerland goalkeeper Jörg Stiel means he runs the risk of missing a possible quarter-final should he be booked against Croatia in the final group fixture on Monday. Eriksson admitted it was a "concern" but said he could not contemplate leaving out his young starlet.
Draw enough
"He has to play against Croatia and we can't worry about that [a second yellow card]. We have to focus on beating Croatia." Even though a draw will be enough to take England through to the knockout stages the coach said they would be going all out to beat their opponents in the Estádio da Luz.
Hot conditions
Eriksson said that his team had played better in losing to France than they had against the Swiss. "We lost the ball many, many times in the first half and it is important to keep it, especially with the climate because when you lose it you have to reorganise the team. I am sure we will be better at this." One or two players were suffering from blisters and others, including Owen Hargreaves, had knocks but Eriksson expects them all to be involved in training tomorrow.
