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Nick Nantwich
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Realistically, considering recent injuries, how far do you think England will get in this world cup? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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Well, Nick. I think we will get to the final. I hope to see you there. Thank you to you and to everyone for your support. I hope we can have a summer that we will never forget. Sven. |
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Jack Romsey
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Which team do you think will be the surprise star of the World Cup, like Senegal in 2002? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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Ivory Coast. I saw them in November when they played Italy. They did well. They could upset a lot of teams this summer. |
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ben london
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Hi Sven, do you think we have a better chance of winning this world cup then we did in 2002? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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Yes. The squad is better, the team is better. We have more experience. That is far more the case now than 4 years ago. |
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lutonfan
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Hello Sven. Firstly thanks for all you have done for England these past few years. What I want to know is did you ever consider young talented players such as Kevin Nolan, Anton Ferdinand and Curtis Davies? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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Yes, I did. Especially Anton Ferdinand as a stand-by player. |
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ian Dublin
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Footy fan in Dublin... Fair play to you Sven, nice to see a risk being taken - the stuff dreams are made out of! Who was the hardest name to leave off the 23. Good luck in Germany |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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From the 23, I would say Jermain Defoe because he was so close and has never done anything wrong for England. And, from the squad as a whole, Shaun Wright Phillips. I always find it hard to leave our people who are expected to be in the squad. |
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Luke Manchester
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How come you have chosen Stewart Downing?
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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On his recent form he deserves it Luke. I've seen him play three times recently. In the Semi Final of the UEFA Cup he set up three goals. That impressed me greatly. With all these young players; Downing, Lennon and Walcott it will be good not just for me, but also for them and England in the future for them to come to this World Cup and experience the biggest games in football. |
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Ian Harrogate
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Would you consider a tactical result to avoid meeting certain teams in later knock out matches - Brazil or Germany for example? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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No is the answer. I think it's too dangerous and complicated to start calculating in that way. You can't mess around with winning games in a World Cup. We will try and win every game and see where that takes us. |
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David Liverpool
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Was Robbie Fowler ever near getting into this squad considering his excellent form for Liverpool this season? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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I just felt I had better options and that is why I made the decisions I did. |
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anand london
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Who do you think is a player to watch out for in the world cup, one who is not an England player? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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Of course Ronaldinho is number one but also look out for Lionel Messi. I have also been really impressed by Eboue for Arsenal so it'll be interesting to see what kind of World Cup he has. |
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Simon London
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Are there any players you would have liked to take but couldn't due to injury? I'm thinking specifically about Ledley King |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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Ledley I spoke to this morning. I told him that if we have any problems with a central defender in the beginning of June, we will find out what his situation is. So, if he is better, he might become an option in those circumstances. He was disappointed but understood. It was simply a case, at this stage, that we didnt need to take a risk on any central defenders as we have so much quality there. |
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Dan London
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When did you first think of including Theo Walcott? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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It's been on my mind for the last one or two months, Dan. I started to look at tapes. I recognised that his pace is fantastic. In the end we thought we'd take a gamble and leave out one defender and put him in. I'm excited to work with him. |
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Chris Lancashire
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Why was Owen Hargreaves selected? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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Because, after his injury, he's now played the last 11 matches for Bayern. I went over to see him last week against Stuttgart and he was one of the best on the pitch, playing as a sitting midfielder. He is also versatile. |
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rudi
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What do you think about playing Gerrard behind Owen considering he's good in the air, got great skill and can shoot from anywhere ? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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Hi Rudi, it's quite possible. The good thing with Steven is that he can play all over the midfield and as a second striker. It's certainly an option we are thinking about and he's in great form at the moment. |
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Robert Stakeford
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Which formation best suits your squad should Owen and Rooney be unavailable please? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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If that case arises, we have lots of choices. We can continue with 4-4-2, with Crouch up top and one behind. Or we could play 4-3-3 with Crouch alone and two wingers, and we have lots of wingers. Or we could play 4-5-1 with Crouch up top and five midfielders...so we have options! |
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Max Bolton
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as a spurs fan im excited by the inclusion of Aaron Lennon who has been amazing this season. I would have expected Shaun Wright Phillips - what made you choose Lennon over Phillips?
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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Max, it's a decision on recent form. Lennon in the last two months has improved greatly. I am sorry for Shaun. He's always done well. It is one of those decisions that you have to take. |
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KRISTIAN London
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Like many others, I am not familiar with Theo Walcott, other than being aware of his awesome pace. How would you describe his style of play? Does he like to drift wide and 'sit in the hole' or is he more of a predetory striker in the mould of Owen of Defoe? |
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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Hi Kristian. I think his best position is in the hole. His style I would say is similar to Henry. He has electric pace which is a huge asset. |
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Marc London
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Why when you admitted after Euro 2004 that taking only 4 strikers was a mistake have you done the same thing again, but this time you have 2 that are not fit?
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Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com
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It depends who is available Marc. In Euro 2004 we took the best. This time we have 5 strikers, considering Joe Cole is a fantastic second striker. |