Sven's answers

	08 May 2006
	VIDEO: England Squad Announcement
	We bring you the video highlights from an incredible Squad announcement as Sven names his 23 players for the World Cup.

We bring you the answers from England Head Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson after the announcement of his Squad for the World Cup in Germany.

Thanks for all the questions, it is fair to say that we have had unprecedented interest in this particular webchat, and we hope that you enjoyed the experience.

Look out for more exclusive webchats from The FA and the England camp in the coming weeks and during the World Cup.

Talk to Sven

Nick Nantwich	Realistically, considering recent injuries, how far do you think England will get in this world cup?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.
Jack Romsey	Which team do you think will be the surprise star of the World Cup, like Senegal in 2002?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	Ivory Coast. I saw them in November when they played Italy. They did well. They could upset a lot of teams this summer.
ben london	Hi Sven, do you think we have a better chance of winning this world cup then we did in 2002?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	Yes. The squad is better, the team is better. We have more experience. That is far more the case now than 4 years ago.
lutonfan	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?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	Yes, I did. Especially Anton Ferdinand as a stand-by player.
ian Dublin	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
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.
Luke Manchester	How come you have chosen Stewart Downing?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.
Ian Harrogate	Would you consider a tactical result to avoid meeting certain teams in later knock out matches - Brazil or Germany for example?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.
David Liverpool	Was Robbie Fowler ever near getting into this squad considering his excellent form for Liverpool this season?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	I just felt I had better options and that is why I made the decisions I did.
anand london	Who do you think is a player to watch out for in the world cup, one who is not an England player?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.
Simon London	Are there any players you would have liked to take but couldn't due to injury? I'm thinking specifically about Ledley King
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.
Dan London	When did you first think of including Theo Walcott?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.
Chris Lancashire	Why was Owen Hargreaves selected?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.
rudi	What do you think about playing Gerrard behind Owen considering he's good in the air, got great skill and can shoot from anywhere ?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.
Robert Stakeford	Which formation best suits your squad should Owen and Rooney be unavailable please?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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!
Max Bolton	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?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.
KRISTIAN London	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?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.
Marc London	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?
Sven-Goran Eriksson TheFA.com	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.

Web Chat Ended

SVEN'S ANSWERS

12 May 2006