Eriksson considers midfield position
Friday, June 4, 2004
Article summary
Sven-Göran Eriksson's England will revert to a standard 4-4-2 formation for Saturday's game with Iceland.
Article body
England will revert to a standard 4-4-2 formation for tomorrow's game with Iceland as coach Sven-Göran Eriksson gives himself one last opportunity to weigh up his midfield options before his side takes on France in their opening game at UEFA EURO 2004™.
In with the old
Eriksson deployed what seemed to be his favourite diamond midfield formation on Tuesday against Japan. But after an ineffectual display in which his team ran out of steam following an impressive opening 30 minutes in a 1-1 draw, Eriksson has reverted to the formation he originally deployed for England.
Thinking ahead
A two-goal win would secure England the trophy in the three-team FA Summer Tournament in Manchester, but Eriksson naturally is thinking of another competition beginning a week later.
Open mind
"We need to look at both systems," said Eriksson. "We have the opportunity to look at one way against Japan and another way against Iceland so we should do that and then decide game by game what to do."
Players happy
He said his preferred midfield quartet - the mainstays of captain David Beckham, Steve Gerrard and Paul Scholes have been augmented now by Frank Lampard's displacing of Nicky Butt - were happy to go with whatever formation the coach chose.
Right combination
"We played 4-4-2 years ago and we played very well that way," he said. "The players are happy to try both." The Swedish coach added: "First of all you have to pick the right eleven and then after that you have to see what's the best way of organising those eleven. I am looking forward to tomorrow to see how it works out. Of course you have to be open-minded about these things but at the same time you do have an idea beforehand of how you will play against France."
Team clear
A traditional formation would give greater scope to Lampard's attacking instincts, freeing him from some of the defensive responsibilities he faces at the base of the diamond. However it is clear that, if Eriksson remains undecided about the best way to utilise his men, there is far more certainty about his first-choice personnel.
Terry rested
Nine of those who started the game on Tuesday will once again
line up tomorrow, with Paul Robinson taking over from David James in goal and Jamie Carragher in to allow centre-back John Terry to rest a hamstring injury. There will be ten changes, said Eriksson, at the halfway stage with Ledley King taking over from Carragher.
Plenty of time
Eriksson is not worried either by the tailing off in Tuesday's performance. "The players will be tired today and tomorrow but before the France game we have five sessions in Portugal to prepare," he said. "It is like a club situation and is absolutely perfect. Yes the players have been working very hard with lots of running but it was necessary."
Preparation crucial
He added: "If you remember in the last [FIFA] World Cup those teams who had one month, two months or even three months preparation, like South Korea for instance, were the teams who did best. I remember speaking to the French manager after the tournament and he said one of the reasons they did not do well was because they had missed something in their physical preparations."