Eriksson demands fantasy football for Hammers clash

SVEN-GORAN Eriksson has called on his Manchester City side to emphasise that football is indeed a beautiful game starting in tonight’s FA Cup replay against West Ham at Eastlands tonight.

He said: “We have to start playing the football we are capable of from the first minute against West Ham.

“It is important we learn from the Everton game (which City lost 1-0 at the weekend). You have to try to play the right way.

“We did not play football. We kicked it long all the time, especially in the first half. That is not our way of playing. Teams make it difficult for you but we have to overcome that.

“But I am not worried. We have a lot of players who know how to play the right way.”

Eriksson is keen to bolster his squad but City, like other top-flight teams, are finding it hard to do business in the transfer window.

He said: “The problems tend to lie more with the club than the player.

“Most clubs do not want to release players and I can understand that.

“In general it is more difficult in January to recruit than in the summer as you have a shorter time, only a month.

“We are working on several targets and I hope we can do some business in the two weeks that are left.”

Eriksson, however, insists he would be content if they did not make any additions.

“The team are not that bad. We are doing rather well,” he said. “There is money available to buy players but I would be happy to play the rest of the season with the ones we have.”

Meanwhile, Hammers boss Alan Curbishley intends to “shake it up a bit” for the clash in Manchester.

In a quirk of the fixture list, the Londoners will play at Eastlands twice in the space of four days, with their televised Barclays Premier League encounter coming up this weekend.

Curbishley knows some of his men, particularly in defence, have clocked up more than their fair share of action this season.

While in no way intending to disrespect the competition which West Ham were minutes away from winning against Liverpool in 2006, Curbishley — already hampered by a long injury list — realises something has to give if his team are to avoid burnout.

“I have got a bit of thinking to do about the cup game. The back five have played all the football. I will have to look at that,” Curbishley said.

“Robert Green, Lucas Neill, Matthew Upson and George McCartney have stayed quite strong and the other centre-halves have fitted in there.”

Curbishley added: “We are playing City again on Sunday, so I have got to shake it up a bit and see where we come out.

“We are going to have a go and we do feel that the cup is a competition we can attack,” he added.

Captain Neill is expected to be available after missing the victory over Fulham with a hamstring injury.

Lee Bowyer and Luis Boa Morte will both be pushing for places in the side after substitute appearances on Saturday while James Collins is pressing for a start in the centre of defence.

Julien Faubert made a brief debut late on against Fulham and could again make the squad as he continues his comeback from a ruptured achilles, but Scott Parker (knee), Nolberto Solano (groin), Bobby Zamora (knee) and Craig Bellamy (abdominal) are all out still out.

The winners of tonight’s match will face a trip to Sheffield United — the club which went down last season following the Hammers’ successful, but controversial escape out of the bottom three.