Sven to stay calm under pressure

Sven-Goran Eriksson has vowed not to change his management style despite question marks being raised over his approach during the World Cup quarter-final defeat by Brazil.

Feedback from some members of the squad have suggested that they would have preferred a more aggressive and upbeat approach during the half-time team talk which immediately followed Rivaldo’s equaliser rather than retaining his accustomed ice cool and calm demeanour.

Certainly England played like a side lacking inspiration and barely managed a shot in anger during the second 45 minutes as 10-man Brazil controlled proceedings and went on to triumph 2-1.

Eriksson believes the idea of throwing tea cups and delivering a verbal rocket to players is outdated and he will continue with the analytical approach.

But he will give skipper David Beckham and Co the opportunity to air their views on the pros and cons of events during the summer when they meet up on Wednesday to prepare for the friendly international with Portugal at Villa Park on Saturday.

Eriksson said: “I think we handled things as we always did at half-time against Brazil. We talked and tried to tell them what was going well and what was going badly and what they had to do in the second half.

“I haven’t heard that one (criticism from the players) but I hope they will tell me now when we come together but I don’t know if I should have been shouting or anything like that.

“If someone could guarantee that we would have played better against Brazil if I had shouted at half-time, then I will listen to them!

“If I’m angry, then I’m angry but I think it is old fashioned to think like that. I think you have to analyse in football and tell the players what’s wrong or right. That’s my opinion.

“But we will have a meeting, probably on Wednesday evening, and they should not accept things if they don’t agree. Coaching is not just about telling and if they don’t accept something they should tell me and we will find a solution.

“It’s been normal for me in the ten to 15 years to get some feedback on what you have done from all of the staff. I want the players to have their opinion.”

Meanwhile, Eriksson is calling on England to develop a winning mentality in the same way as Germany who reached the 2002 World Cup final with an average squad of players before losing out to Brazil.

Eriksson said: “You have to have in any team a winning culture and that is very difficult to have. Germany is one nation who have that.

“In almost all of the big tournaments they reach either the semi-finals or the finals and we saw that winning culture again this summer come to the fore.

“It is a team used to winning and expecting to win. Brazil are another one of those teams that often do well in the big tournaments and expect to. Manchester United are very much the same. They are used to winning.

“We need that as well with England. We need to believe and should not be happy with going out at the quarter-final stage. We should reach for more – but it is nothing that you can buy in the supermarket.

“I am sure the players are very proud to play for England and that is nice to see but we must understand that we are better than quarter-finals and I am sure we can do better.

Eriksson admits that a lack of real top quality in depth persuaded him to take a gamble with a half-fit David Beckham in Japan and Korea.

Eriksson said: “When you go to the World Cup, and you already miss Steven Gerrard, I think it is very difficult to not take the chance to play David Beckham.

“I say that because I think if you take away two, three, four of those big players I don’t think we can win the World Cup at this moment in time.

“I don’t think we have that many quality players in England but there are people like Gerrard, Beckham, (Paul) Scholes, (Michael) Owen and (Rio) Ferdinand.”