Kublai-Khan
Jun 04, 2002, 07:25 PM
They are all world class
By SHAUN CUSTIS
IT WAS enough to scare us half to death.
The manager sat on the stage and rattled off the strengths of Argentina without coming up for air.
He's brilliant, he's incredible, he's quick, he's a fantastic worker. It sounded like England were about to take on the World XI on Friday.
Had it been the Argentina boss we might have dismissed it as sabre rattling and a man talking up his boys for the big clash. But this was Sven Goran Eriksson!
Then again, Eriksson knows the Argentina side better than his own.
Five of their World Cup squad played for him at Lazio and he's come up against most of the others in Europe and Serie A.
Juan Veron, Manchester United's £28.1m misfit, is his favourite. He would kill to have Veron in England's central midfield like he did in Rome.
Eriksson said: "If I were his manager Veron wouldn't have anything to show me because I know exactly how good he is. He knows he's a big player and I know it.
"When I saw him in his first month at United he was absolutely fantastic and I don't know why he hasn't settled. He can do everything. He is complete as a football player.
"If you want he can defend extremely well. But his best skill is his vision and his passing."
The more cynical would argue that Veron has been saving himself for the World Cup and with his mates around him he is capable of causing plenty of trouble.
He's not the only one. How about Gabriel Batistuta, Argentina's match winner against Nigeria?
Eriksson can see danger there and rather hopefully asked: "Did I see he got injured the other day?"
Unfortunately, the ice pack on Batistuta's calf when he was substituted against the Nigerians was merely precautionary and he will be there on Friday.
Eriksson said: "I never had Batistuta but I know him very well.
"He is a goalscorer who can score from every angle and position. If he's coming together with a defender you cannot move him, he's like a block of granite.
"He is also good in the air as he showed with the goal he scored."
It was Eriksson who bought another Argentinian striker, Hernan Crespo, for £37m.
He said of him: "Crespo has more movement than Batistuta and is maybe technically better and a little bit different. He has scored a lot of goals in Italy."
Claudio Lopez and England's public enemy No1 Diego Simeone, the man kicked by David Beckham four years ago, are another couple of Sven's old cohorts.
It is the speed of Lopez which obviously concerns Eriksson. "Lopez is quick, quick, quick, quick, quick. The pace he has is incredible.
"He had a bad injury over a year ago and suffered but now he's back to where he was before the injury.
"Simeone is a hard worker. Tactically he's excellent and a team player, helping where he needs to be and is very professional. All of them are."
Of Ariel Ortega, who had a poor World Cup in 1998 but is threatening to be more influential in this one, Eriksson said: "Of course he's quick, quick, quick and can beat his man."
Only three quicks for Ortega so perhaps England have a sniff of a chance against him.
Even Eriksson laughed when it was suggested they might be vulnerable in goal. It was the only place left to look for a crumb of comfort.
"I will never tell you the negative aspects of a team but I hope there is something in their game we can exploit. They are one of the favourites, I've always said that.
"They are an extremely good team with very good players but it is not impossible to beat them, absolutely not."
Eriksson insisted Argentina will not be as 'in yer face' as Sweden and will allow England time on the ball.
He said: "I don't think Argentina are as aggressive as Sweden and won't use as direct football.
"If you don't keep the ball against Sweden it comes shooting back at you very fast. Against Argentina it will be different."
Former Spurs star and Argentina World Cup winner Ossie Ardiles admitted England will have to improve dramatically to win.
Ardiles said: "I was disappointed in England against the Swedes. It was poor stuff. There was a reliance on the long ball which I thought the English game had moved away from."
The England coaching team was meeting last night planning strategy.
Martin Keown could be used as a man-marker or Eriksson could switch to a 4-5-1 formation with Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Owen Hargreaves, David Beckham and Kieron Dyer packing midfield.
There are a thousand and one permutations. Eriksson must get it right.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,3-2002251676,00.html
-----------------------------------
This scares me, we are getting a lot of good press outside, and here the people is really confident.Most of the people here believes that we are going to defeat England.
But I am scared, this looks like the "not even God can sink it" slogan of the titanic, if we lose to England it would be a real catastrophe.
They will make the biggest effort ever, because if they lose, they will probably get out of the world cup, added to the obvious animosity.
They are a though team, and we can as well tie or be defeated.
And if we get a considerable advantage, and it seems quite obvious our vistory, probably one of our players will end injured.
And if we win, and end at the top of our group, we will probably have to play against France with Zidane.
And that would be like an anticipated final, and we have the same chances of winning or losing.
It must be me and my pessimism.
How is this match being seen in England and the rest of the world?
By SHAUN CUSTIS
IT WAS enough to scare us half to death.
The manager sat on the stage and rattled off the strengths of Argentina without coming up for air.
He's brilliant, he's incredible, he's quick, he's a fantastic worker. It sounded like England were about to take on the World XI on Friday.
Had it been the Argentina boss we might have dismissed it as sabre rattling and a man talking up his boys for the big clash. But this was Sven Goran Eriksson!
Then again, Eriksson knows the Argentina side better than his own.
Five of their World Cup squad played for him at Lazio and he's come up against most of the others in Europe and Serie A.
Juan Veron, Manchester United's £28.1m misfit, is his favourite. He would kill to have Veron in England's central midfield like he did in Rome.
Eriksson said: "If I were his manager Veron wouldn't have anything to show me because I know exactly how good he is. He knows he's a big player and I know it.
"When I saw him in his first month at United he was absolutely fantastic and I don't know why he hasn't settled. He can do everything. He is complete as a football player.
"If you want he can defend extremely well. But his best skill is his vision and his passing."
The more cynical would argue that Veron has been saving himself for the World Cup and with his mates around him he is capable of causing plenty of trouble.
He's not the only one. How about Gabriel Batistuta, Argentina's match winner against Nigeria?
Eriksson can see danger there and rather hopefully asked: "Did I see he got injured the other day?"
Unfortunately, the ice pack on Batistuta's calf when he was substituted against the Nigerians was merely precautionary and he will be there on Friday.
Eriksson said: "I never had Batistuta but I know him very well.
"He is a goalscorer who can score from every angle and position. If he's coming together with a defender you cannot move him, he's like a block of granite.
"He is also good in the air as he showed with the goal he scored."
It was Eriksson who bought another Argentinian striker, Hernan Crespo, for £37m.
He said of him: "Crespo has more movement than Batistuta and is maybe technically better and a little bit different. He has scored a lot of goals in Italy."
Claudio Lopez and England's public enemy No1 Diego Simeone, the man kicked by David Beckham four years ago, are another couple of Sven's old cohorts.
It is the speed of Lopez which obviously concerns Eriksson. "Lopez is quick, quick, quick, quick, quick. The pace he has is incredible.
"He had a bad injury over a year ago and suffered but now he's back to where he was before the injury.
"Simeone is a hard worker. Tactically he's excellent and a team player, helping where he needs to be and is very professional. All of them are."
Of Ariel Ortega, who had a poor World Cup in 1998 but is threatening to be more influential in this one, Eriksson said: "Of course he's quick, quick, quick and can beat his man."
Only three quicks for Ortega so perhaps England have a sniff of a chance against him.
Even Eriksson laughed when it was suggested they might be vulnerable in goal. It was the only place left to look for a crumb of comfort.
"I will never tell you the negative aspects of a team but I hope there is something in their game we can exploit. They are one of the favourites, I've always said that.
"They are an extremely good team with very good players but it is not impossible to beat them, absolutely not."
Eriksson insisted Argentina will not be as 'in yer face' as Sweden and will allow England time on the ball.
He said: "I don't think Argentina are as aggressive as Sweden and won't use as direct football.
"If you don't keep the ball against Sweden it comes shooting back at you very fast. Against Argentina it will be different."
Former Spurs star and Argentina World Cup winner Ossie Ardiles admitted England will have to improve dramatically to win.
Ardiles said: "I was disappointed in England against the Swedes. It was poor stuff. There was a reliance on the long ball which I thought the English game had moved away from."
The England coaching team was meeting last night planning strategy.
Martin Keown could be used as a man-marker or Eriksson could switch to a 4-5-1 formation with Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Owen Hargreaves, David Beckham and Kieron Dyer packing midfield.
There are a thousand and one permutations. Eriksson must get it right.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,3-2002251676,00.html
-----------------------------------
This scares me, we are getting a lot of good press outside, and here the people is really confident.Most of the people here believes that we are going to defeat England.
But I am scared, this looks like the "not even God can sink it" slogan of the titanic, if we lose to England it would be a real catastrophe.
They will make the biggest effort ever, because if they lose, they will probably get out of the world cup, added to the obvious animosity.
They are a though team, and we can as well tie or be defeated.
And if we get a considerable advantage, and it seems quite obvious our vistory, probably one of our players will end injured.
And if we win, and end at the top of our group, we will probably have to play against France with Zidane.
And that would be like an anticipated final, and we have the same chances of winning or losing.
It must be me and my pessimism.
How is this match being seen in England and the rest of the world?