Cruz blasts jaded England

PARAGUAY striker Roque Santa Cruz has warned England they must improve drastically in the coming weeks to challenge for World Cup glory.

Santa Cruz was surprised how tired Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side looked during Saturday’s 1-0 win over Paraguay in Frankfurt, which came about courtesy of an own goal from Carlos Gamarra.

He believes a long domestic season — plus the heat — was to blame, even though Eriksson gained an extra week of preparation and rest time for his squad to prepare for Germany.