Eriksson pitch warning to England squad

Sven-Goran Eriksson has warned his England players that it is important to come to terms with the pitches they will encounter in Japan and Korea during the World Cup as well as the climate.

Michael Owen was one of several players to admit that England struggled to cope with the bone dry conditions underfoot as they were held to a 1-1 draw by South Korea in Jeju.

They will come across similar surfaces in Japan.

The England coach said: "It is very important to get used to the pitches as they are much slower than in England.

"The pitch against Korea was also very dry and that makes it more complicated as we are not used to that."