‘No excuses’ for Eriksson if England fail to deliver

SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON will have “no excuses” if England fail at the 2006 World Cup finals after being granted his four-week break ahead of the tournament.

Eriksson is looking to play a more expansive game, aspiring more towards the 'total football' of Holland in the 1970s than the efficiency of Greece's Euro 2004 triumph.

But the England coach, whose 50th game in charge is against Northern Ireland today, accepts that his success will be determined by trophies and that victories are more important than "champagne football".