Sven-Goran Eriksson has told his England players to seek revenge for their wounded pride against Australia when they take on Turkey and Liechtenstein in their next Euro 2004 qualifiers. Eriksson revealed several first-team players, including captain David Beckham, had urged him to send them back on in the second half to transform their 2-0 deficit.
But the England coach stuck to his pre-match plan of swapping his entire side at the interval to protect his players for a tiring campaign before they start their qualifying double-header at the end of March. He admitted: "The players were very disappointed. Some of them wanted to play in the second-half as they are used to winning - but I said no because I didn't want to exhaust them. In one way, it would have been nice to put them back on and see them get revenge - but they can do that next time against other teams. If we want to win the group it's better that we beat Turkey at home. It won't be easy. But I still think we've got a good chance because the players will show that they can play much better."
As it was, Eriksson's experimental under-26 side showed signs of promise, with Francis Jeffers reducing the arrears before Brett Emerton's late strike sealed Australia's first ever football victory over England. Eriksson did his best to put positive spin on a poor first-half display in which England were vulnerable in defence, predictable in midfield and blunt in attack.
Captain David Beckham criticised the fans for their reaction to the younger players, especially since debutants Wayne Rooney and Jermaine Jenas impressed in their cameo roles and could even keep their places in the next squad. Erikson added: "I told the younger players at half-time that they had to go out there and sort it out. They did it very well, and some of them are almost ready for the bigger tasks ahead and are knocking hard on the door. Wayne Rooney did very well. His first touch was top class, and when he got the ball you had the feeling that something could happen. It did not seem like he was just 17 years old, and I liked what I saw. Jermaine Jenas also did very well. He is a clever footballer and is stronger than he looks."
Filed by Shane Murray
