England has been warned by former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson ahead of World Cup quarter-final on Saturday against Sweden.
Eriksson has warned Gareth Southgate’s men of the “extremely difficult” task they will face to break down Sweden’s defence. England booked a date with Sweden after beating Colombia on Tuesday night through penalty-shootout. Sweden has won three of their four World Cup matches so far, scoring six goals and keeping a trio of clean sheets as they topped Group F and beat Switzerland 1-0 in the last 16.
Eriksson, who managed England to 40 victories and only 10 defeats between 2001 and 2006, said his home nation would prove a stern test for his former employers.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the 70-year-old said, “It was great to see England winning on penalties, they were mentally very strong. If England thinks they will have an easy match on Saturday, that’s a big mistake. I think it could be very difficult. It’s difficult for Sweden as well, but to score against them is extremely difficult.
“[England] have the players individually to do something special – [Harry] Kane is one, [Raheem] Sterling is another. But when I tell you it’s difficult to beat Sweden, it’s the truth. Italy tried in the qualifiers for 180 mins and they didn’t score. Germany only scored a free kick at the end.
“I’m looking forward to it – It’s very much 50/50.”
Eriksson, who said he “feels a little bit English”, thinks Sweden are thriving despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s international retirement in 2016.
Ibrahimovic is Sweden’s all-time leading goalscorer having struck 62 times in 116 appearances, but Eriksson highlighted Andersson’s team has collective rather than individual strength.
“If one is suspended, they put in another one and you can’t see the difference. Sweden doesn’t have a Kane or Sterling or Neymar. It’s a collective. They do things together and work extremely hard.”
“I said some weeks ago that England can go very far. Young players, hungry players. They did very well, were the better team, and deserve to be where they are,” he said