http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-05/23/content_4590188.htmEditor: Liu Dan
www.chinaview.cn 2006-05-23 20:16:27
BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua By sportswriter Wang Zijiang ) -- There will not be a better time for England fans to see their team to lift the trophy than next month's World Cup finals.
Exactly four decades since Bobby Moore lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in the 1966 World Cup at Wembley, England will travel to Germany among the favourites. Hundreds of thousand England fans will go to their arch rival's land hoping to celebrate if David Beckham can become a second Moore in Berlin on July 9.
Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson, whose five and a half year reign as England manager will end after the World Cup, is confident that the team can take him on a glorious farewell journey to the final.
Eriksson said: "I think we will get to the final. I hope we can have a summer that we will never forget. We have a chance to make history. "
England is expected to meet little challenge to qualify for the knockout stage from Group B, which also consists Sweden, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago.
Sweden might have won little prize in history but they can never be overlooked by England, who have not won a match against the Nordic nation for decades.
The two European teams both have to play Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago before meeting each other. Although six points will be enough for each side to qualify from the group, their match on June 20 in Cologne could be very important, because one of the twomight meet host Germany in the second round.
England are on course to meet Brazil in the semifinals if both teams win their groups. If England come second in the group, and Brazil win Group F, as expected, the teams cannot meet until the final.
But Eriksson said he has not thought of avoid a certain team and England can beat any rival in the way. "I think it's too dangerous and complicated to start calculating in that way. You can't mess around with winning games in a World Cup. We will try to win every game and see where that takes us.''
Beaten by Brazil 2-1 four years ago in Japan, England has a stronger squad with Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole and John Terry all having emerged in the world-class bracket over the past four years.
Eriksson said: "The squad is better, the team is better. We have more experience. That is far more the case now than four years ago.''
Unfortunately, confidence took a blow when Rooney broke his foot, throwing the 20-year-old's participation into doubt, but Eriksson still included the Manchester United striker in the team hoping he can win the race against time.
Sweden, experienced campaigners at this level with their 11th appearance in the finals, looks to improve on four years ago when they made it to the last 16.
Lars Lagerback, Sweden's head coach, said his goal is to reach the last eight. "I hope Sweden and England have both gone through by the time we play them in the third match.
I feel deep respect for Paraguay. We lost our last match against them in 2002. I've never seen Trinidad and Tobago, but both of those matches will be very tricky."
Fourth in the South American qualifiers, Paraguay's aim will beto survive the group stage, something they accomplished in each of the last two finals. In qualifying, Anibal Ruiz's team managed a 1-0 victory at home to Argentina, having earlier held the two-time FIFA World Cup winners to a 0-0 draw in Buenos Aires. So they will not be lacking confidence.
Trinidad and Tobago may lack experience but in Leo Beenhakker they have a coach who is no stranger to the highest level of competition, guiding the Netherlands into the second round in Italy in 1990 when they bowed out to eventual winners West Germany.
Sheer enthusiasm alone is bound to make them difficult opponents. Enditem
MY COMMENTS: It's nice to see that the Swedish coach (Lars Lagerback) has respect for T&T.
